Standford Hill

We believe that the disruption to the prison population has resulted in the prison struggling to maintain its effectiveness as a vehicle for rehabilitation. It is essential that open prisons are given the stability to focus on rehabilitation, and this can only come with a more stable and appropriate prison population.

I understand the Board’s concerns about the increased instability of the prison population and its impact on the effectiveness of rehabilitative initiatives, particularly in category D prisons. You will be aware that improving opportunities for people to rehabilitate successfully, with the support of quality interventions and services, both in custody and in the community, is an issue close to my heart. I know this is central to reducing reoffending, preventing further victims, and enhancing peoples’ lives. The legislative changes this Government had to make to address issues of both chronic and acute overcrowding will have inevitably impacted both the mix and number of prisoners at respective prisons, unusually, in the case of HMP/YOI Standford Hill, this has resulted in periods of under-occupation. Recent changes to the Security Categorisation Policy Framework now allow risk-assessed determinate sentence prisoners to access open conditions within five years of their earliest release date. This amendment is designed to maximise the use of open prisons and alleviate pressure on the closed estate, while maintaining the principle that prisoners should be held in the lowest category suitable for managing their risk. Alongside this, the Temporary Presumptive Recategorisation Scheme (TPRS) enables eligible prisoners to move to open conditions from 36 months before release, subject to strict risk assessment and immediate return provisions if risk increases. Both the policy change and the TPRS are under active evaluation and review to monitor their impact on open prison operations and ensure responsiveness to emerging operational needs. I am aware that the early release schemes have impacted HMP/YOI Standford Hill by significantly reducing external workspaces. The Governor and his team do, however, continue to work hard to expand daily opportunities for prisoners to engage in meaningful work and rebuild family connections. I am therefore reassured that both nationally and locally, any compromise to the prison’s rehabilitative functions is likely to be temporary, and that the exceptional outcomes in education and attainment at HMP/YOI Standford Hill can be re-established.

Standford Hill’s initiative in establishing a prison shop is to be commended, but it could be improved by employing staff with the right level of experience or provide training in running retail businesses. If the management of the shop can be improved, the service should consider a bigger premises with a more ambitious remit in order to serve the prisoners better.

HMPPS is supporting prisoners into skilled work while in custody through vocational training, with an apprenticeship programme which can now be accessed in both the open and closed estates and a Future Skills Programme which provides short, sector specific training to prisoners nearing release, resulting in guaranteed interviews with employers. The shop at HMP/YOI Standford Hill was a singleton pilot and as such we are continuously reviewing the model and any ‘lessons learned;’ not only to improve the offer, but also to assist the national Retail Project which is considering how best to roll out this format. The team at HMP/YOI Standford Hill has recently met with DHL to explore training and qualifications they offer their employees in terms of food safety in retail and warehousing with a view to entering into a partnership to upskill the prison’s shop staff. There have also been conversations around the feasibility of funding a physical expansion of the shop premises in order to meet the demands of a larger prisoner population expected under the Cat D expansion programme. In addition, whilst currently there are not yet any formal retail qualifications being delivered, there are a number of prisoners already working for Morrisons supermarket whilst on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) which was a recent success of the prison’s Working Out Scheme.

Staffing levels at night are very low, raising concerns about whether the prison is adequately resourced to respond effectively to unexpected incidents.

As part of the Workforce Delivery Project, recent work has been completed to review the underpinning staffing model for adult public sector prisons, including HMP/YOI Standford Hill. This includes, amongst others, a review of the model for night time staffing levels. This is currently at the implementation planning stage and remains subject to affordability decisions. As such, we are unable to comment on any site-specific planned resource changes at this stage. The current night staffing model at HMP/YOI Standford Hill has however not exposed any gaps in night-time supervision or response capacity.

Technology to validate release on temporary licence (ROTL) has been suggested in previous reports - we believe this needs to be implemented to save significant staff costs.

We acknowledge the Board’s continued interest in the potential for digital systems to support ROTL at HMP/YOI Standford Hill and across the open estate. Whilst the efficiency and time-saving benefits of this technology are recognised, there are currently no national plans to implement a digital validation system. Barriers such as infrastructure limitations and operational capacity continue to impact feasibility. This represents quite a small, short-term cohort and given that ROTL compliance consistently sits at over 99% according to published statistics, it does not appear to warrant the intensive supervision that electronic monitoring inherently brings with it. HMPPS do however remain committed to identifying potential solutions to support more efficient and secure ROTL delivery.

The provision of PIN phones has been discussed for a very long time. It needs to be implemented to support relationships and rehabilitation.

HMPPS understand the importance of strengthening family ties for those preparing for release and is committed to exploring all viable options to improve telephony provision across the open estate. Although there are no immediate plans in place, we are actively considering future enhancements as part of the wider prisoner telephony contract. These considerations must balance competing requirements and costs across the prison estate for prisoner communications. Ahead of that, HMPPS will continue to identify and pursue tactical opportunities to expand the existing communal phone infrastructure wherever possible. HMP Leyhill are currently piloting an in-cell hands free SIM pin phone system and, if successful, it is hoped that funding may be made available to roll this out across the remainder of the open estate.

While we appreciate that the prison has tried to obtain authorisation for non-internet mobile phones, this needs to be pursued. The current telephony provision is inadequate.

We believe that prison officers should wherever possible be on the wings for greater visibility, and to manage risk rather than in the wing office.

Body worn cameras should be worn routinely.