Staffing
The prison has employed a strategic housing worker which has improved housing outcomes for prisoners leaving the prison. However, the prison has not received the funding for this post, which other prisons have received. Accordingly, the post is currently unfunded.
Estate/Conditions
What financial planning is in place to account for the planned expansion of the prison estate at HMP Northumberland over the next year, and the associated increase in operational costs?
Staffing
Is there a strategic plan in place to address the increase in staffing required as the prison population expands?
Healthcare
Given the ageing population, what plans are in place to ensure staff receive the specialist training required to care for elderly prisoners, including those with dementia?
Regime/Time Out of Cell
A concern was expressed that the ‘induction/assessment booklet’ that is completed with new arrivals, is overly lengthy and onerous.
Equality/Diversity
Another concern expressed was that the treatment of transgender prisoners aggravates other prisoners.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
A delay in the induction of prisoners was confirmed as an issue over the Christmas period. Due to the closure of various units at that time, some elements of the induction process could not take place, resulting in some prisoners remaining in the induction unit for up to three weeks.
Staffing
Short staffing in Block 5. We were told that the daytime allocation of staff for Block 5 should be six but often the actuality was four. This made it difficult for staff to deal appropriately with prisoners subject to Induction when they were on the wing.
Complaints/Property
While we did not observe all interactions with newly arrived prisoners, we spoke to some prisoners who were not given any information either orally or in writing about the IMB, and therefore did not know of our presence.
Segregation
We were also concerned about the poor ventilation in the shower in the CSU and raised this with the prison.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Some prisoners have difficulty in accessing programmes that their sentence plans require, either because there is pressure on places or because the prison does not run the mandated course. This hampers an individual’s ability to progress.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Library access was quite restricted, and we felt this could negatively affect those needing special help with reading.
Education/Purposeful Activity
We had raised some questions about the appropriate range of levels on offer and the processes behind the selection of the courses available.
Education/Purposeful Activity
In the Engineering workshop there are prisoners who are able to programme computer-controlled machinery but unfortunately without the relevant qualification this skill would probably not be recognised by a future employer.