Swaleside

The Board reiterates its concern about imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, which have no set release date. The Board notes the Minister’s response last year, that resentencing could result in prisoners being released without licence supervision. However, not resentencing is punishing them for their behaviour, which has undoubtedly been impacted by the uncertainty of IPPs that were abolished in 2012, with the Government stating that they were ‘not defensible’. When will the Minister review resentencing?

I recognise the Board’s concerns about staff inexperience and limited training. HMPPS is actively improving both recruitment processes and training to ensure staff are equipped to meet the complex demands of the prison officer role. Central to this is the Enable Programme, a core element of which is the Foundation Training Reform, a long-term review of the initial training offer for Prison Officers. By investing in staff development and wellbeing, Enable aims to equip staff with the confidence and skills to make a meaningful difference in their roles, enhance operational effectiveness and improve retention by fostering a positive and sustainable working culture.

The Board shares the concerns expressed by the senior leadership team (SLT) that there have, again, been deaths in custody during the year, especially as only two were, apparently, due to natural causes. What specific, actions are being taken to prevent further fatalities and improve prisoner safety?

For the majority of the reporting year, violence was ranked as a ‘serious risk’ by the prison. Yet, up to 25% of prisoners are not placed on report, or BWVCs activated, as officers can feel intimidated about potential consequences. What support will staff be given?

Attempts to combat the incursion of drones nationally have not been successful. At HMP Swaleside, sightings are down but contraband is up, so it appears that drones are no longer being successfully detected. What specific, advanced technology, such as that used by the military, will the Minister deploy across the prison estate to help combat this problem?

I recognise the Board’s concerns about staff inexperience and limited training. HMPPS is actively improving both recruitment processes and training to ensure staff are equipped to meet the complex demands of the prison officer role. Central to this is the Enable Programme, a core element of which is the Foundation Training Reform, a long-term review of the initial training offer for Prison Officers. By investing in staff development and wellbeing, Enable aims to equip staff with the confidence and skills to make a meaningful difference in their roles, enhance operational effectiveness and improve retention by fostering a positive and sustainable working culture.

Again, the length of time spent in the care, separation and reintegration unit (CSRU) by a number of prisoners remains too long and far exceeds regular recommendations. The Board notes the response last year about exit strategies, but there has been no improvement. What actions and strategies have been implemented to reduce the time prisoners spend in the CSRU, why have these failed and how does the Prison Service plan to ensure an improvement?

The Board notes the response last year about exit strategies

Staff and prisoner relationships have been damaged by the huge influx of inexperienced staff. Will the Governor reassure the Board that the recent recovery in key work sessions from a low base will be matched with quality assurance?

Despite SDS40, the population pressure persists. Again, as a category-B training prison, Swaleside does not have the ability to double as a resettlement prison. Also, the pressure on spaces means some prisoners are being inappropriately sent to Swaleside. How does the Minister propose to address these two issues?

Additional measures being implemented include, drug detection scanning, perimeter checks and robust counter corruption and covert testing programmes.

While noting last year’s response that contractors had entered administration, the continued reliance of HMP Standford Hill on the kitchen at HMP Swaleside for the preparation of its food continues to cause major issues, as has been stated for years. What will the Prison Service do to address the ongoing issue?

notes last year’s response that contractors had entered administration

Drugs, mobile phones and other illicit items being recorded at ‘serious risk’ is not acceptable for the safety of prisoners and staff. What steps is the Governor taking to ensure a safe prison environment?

The inexperience of staff is compounded by the limited training they receive. This is not sufficient to commence employment. What steps will the Minister take to involve Governors in the recruitment process, and what is the rationale for the exclusion of Governors from the process?

The Mental Health Bill has now progressed to Report Stage in the House of Commons. The Bill introduces a new statutory time limit of 28-days for the transfer of patients with a mental disorder from prison and other places of detention to hospital. This time limit, together with operational improvements, aim to reduce unnecessary delays and deliver swifter access to treatment. The MoJ are working with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the Welsh Government, the Home Office, and the Youth Custody Service to create an implementation plan which sets out the operational improvements necessary to fulfil our commitment to commencing these reforms 18-24 month post Royal Assent. The MoJ are also working closely with health and justice partners to support the development of the recently established Mental Health and Justice Strategic Advisory Group. This group will improve oversight of the transfer process by bringing together key partners across operational delivery to scrutinise data and intelligence on transfer timeliness and identify and deliver solutions to address common causes of delays. In addition, the LTHSE specialist service, Pathways to Progression* will improve collaborative working with health settings to better meet the needs of prisoners with complex mental disorder whose needs result in difficulty progressing through their sentence and coping with custody. This includes joint working with health to provide better access to hospital settings for prisoners as well as more meaningful collaborative health-prison pathways for men as they progress through their sentence.

The Board notes the increase in trained mental-health staff, but the number of cases is combined with the inappropriate facilities to properly care for those with severe mental-health issues. When will the Prison Service increase secure units nationally?

Too much time has been lost in movement to meaningful vocational work and/or education in the reporting year. How will the Governor address this issue?

In our 2023-2024 annual report, we stated that the situation with body worn video cameras (BWVCs) needs to rectified, so that all staff can be issued with cameras. The prison response was there are enough BWVCs for operational staff, but the Board believes non-operational staff need to have the opportunity when they come into contact with prisoners. Again, we ask when will the issue be rectified?

BWVC is governed by a specific Policy Framework which outlines that any extension of BWVC to other roles, including non-operational roles, must be considered by the Governor to be ‘necessary and proportionate.’ In cases where this test is met, the rationale for deployment of BWVC needs to be recorded. The Governor at Swaleside would therefore need to determine a security need to widen the deployment of BWVC beyond operational staff, bearing in mind that BWVCs should not be used as a substitute for appropriate operational presence. The national rollout provided 190 cameras to Swaleside, which is sufficient for all mandated operational staff on shift, with a buffer for other staff. On average, 100 to 120 cameras are drawn daily. Any consideration regarding expansion of use at Swaleside would need to include LTHSE representation given the potential implications for the wider estate.

The Board remains concerned that prisoners are being released from Swaleside without proper support. How does the Governor plan to address this issue?

Again, there is a lack of sufficient constant-watch cells during times of crisis. The Board noted the response last year that in-patient department cells were being considered, but no decision appears to have been made and G wing’s cell has been intermittently out of action. When will a decision be made?

HMP Swaleside needs more cells to conduct constant supervision when it is required and MoJ are currently developing projects to improve the standard of cells across the site. In the interim, when needed, other prisons in the region are approached to help provide constant supervision cells. When alternative suitable locations are unavailable, added staff are deployed to supervise prisoners in the most suitable available cells within Swaleside.

The relentless theft of stock by prisoners from the DHL workshop has not been addressed. What will the Governor do to prevent the thefts?

The Board is concerned about the number of adjudications that are being adjourned and prisoners not attending. This undermines the effective running of the prison. What are the reasons for the high number of adjournments and non-attendances and what actions can be taken to address them?

We agree that there is a high and unacceptable number of remanded adjudications at HMP Swaleside. This results from too many low-level charges being laid because officers are not sufficiently challenging behaviours directly and are laying charges as a first resort without personal challenge or utilisation of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme or other interventions. The current quantity of charges laid makes it difficult to reschedule hearings. We know that prisoners do not attend due to the belief that charges, once remanded, will not be followed up and have a general lack of regard for the outcomes from adjudications. By reducing the number of charges laid, the available resource can focus on ensuring all adjudications are heard effectively and efficiently. HMP Swaleside will achieve this by upskilling and empowering officers to directly challenge low level behaviours and use alternative disposals, such as IEP and Five-Minute Interventions.