Styal

What plans are there to address the decency and safety issues raised by the poor standard of accommodation at Styal?

I fully understand the Board repeating its concerns around the standards of accommodation. A large and complex project to refurbish all the houses at HMP/YOI Styal is in development, starting with Nightingale house, in order to bring this building back into use, and the Mother and Baby Unit. The project is in design and development and if funding is approved it is projected to start on site in November 2025 for completion in October 2026. A Mini Fire Safety Improvement project is out to tender to deliver this Financial Year; it will provide wired, automated detection in 27 cells to support the Governor in managing fire starters. Funding was approved for the removal of asbestos soffits and gutters to the education building, and roofing repairs were completed whilst this work was carried out. Funding has also been secured to replace heating boilers in Size, Davis, and Nightingale houses, and the Video link building. Funding bids to replace paths around the houses have also been submitted. A new Site Manager is proactively managing the repairs onsite with any concerns or issues raised at the monthly estates meeting. Additionally, a five-year painting program is in place, with two dedicated AMEY painters and a small team of up to four women working on the Clean, Rehabilitative Enabling and Decent initiative.

Will the Minister speak to colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care to improve prisoners’ timely access to specialist mental health facilities in the community, where required?

Turning to timely access to mental health facilities in the community. The Lord Chancellor recently announced the creation of a Women’s Justice Board (WJB) which has a clear goal of reducing the number of women in prison and to address the distinct needs of women in the Criminal Justice System (CJS). The WJB will meet for the first time early next year with its initial focus on intervening earlier and diverting women away from the CJS where appropriate; community solutions, such as residential alternatives to custody; improving the outcomes for young adult women, pregnant women, and mother of young children; and ensuring that those women who do need to be in custody are given the best chance possible to tackle the drivers of their offending and to contribute meaningfully to society. The WJB will also be accompanied by the cross-departmental Partnership Delivery Group (PDG) to support the WJB in implementing its vision and direction for addressing the distinct needs of women in the CJS and will be attended by the Department for Health and Social Care. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) recognise that vulnerable people in prison who meet the threshold for detention under the Mental Health Act and require a timely transfer to hospital continue to experience delays in accessing the specialist care and treatment they need. I can confirm that the Government and we at the Ministry of Justice are working with the Department of Health and Social Care to introduce a Mental Health Bill as soon as possible. This will include a range of reforms to support and improve access to mental health care for patients in the CJS. It is also acknowledged that there are pressures on mental health services nationally and in response, NHS England Health and Justice National team are working strategically across the systems to improve pathways.

What additional resource will be made available to enable Styal to provide a safe environment for the most vulnerable and mentally unwell individuals?

To support the most vulnerable and mentally unwell individuals at HMP/YOI Styal NHS England partners have informed me that the current staffing position has improved, although there is continued work by the provider to improve recruitment and retention. Agency use remains higher than expected, which continues to impact on the delivery of healthcare, however the provider has also taken steps to develop its own internal bank register which means that staff attending for work are at least familiar with the service and the environment. The provider has submitted a business case to request increased funding in order to improve their staffing and service model and this is currently under review. Also, additional registered forensic psychologists are being recruited to enable the expansion of therapeutic services for women at high risk of serious self-harm.

What progress has been made with the categorisation review referred to in the response to the Board’s previous annual report?

In response to the Board’s question about the categorisation review which you raised in your previous annual report, I have been informed that the review of categorisation policy is still ongoing, with implementation of changes and publication of a revised policy expected in 2025.

What specific consideration has been given to the impact of the recent changes to the recall system on female prisoners, in particular those with family ties and post-release accommodation challenges and how do these changes fit with the national Female Offender Strategy?

I understand the Board’s concerns about the impact on female prisoners recalled to prison. Overall, homelessness and rough sleeping levels are far too high and we must address this and deliver long-term solutions to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including women prison leavers and those subject to licence recall. Prisons and probation have a statutory obligation under ‘Duty to Refer’ legislation to refer to local authorities those at risk of homelessness within the next 56 days. This includes a requirement for prison reception staff to immediately initiate a referral where an individual at risk of homelessness is received on a fixed term recall. Those who are at risk of recall due to a lack of accommodation or are in custody as a Risk Assessed Recall Review case may be eligible, and can be referred to, the HMPPS Community Accommodation Service Tier 2 (CAS2) transitional accommodation provision. The Strategic Housing Specialist (SHS) in HMP/YOI Styal has worked in conjunction with Lancashire Women and successfully obtained funding for a pilot project via the HMPPS Innovations Grant to fund a Recalls Officer to provide intensive support to women recalled on two or more occasions within a six-month period. They identify difficulties resettling in the community, provide a link to available support services, support to sustain or access suitable accommodation, co-ordinate a multi-disciplinary approach alongside offering day of release support, gate pick-ups and access to funding for short term placements.

What further support can be provided so that the important activity of key work is delivered consistently and to a high standard for all prisoners?

A new regime and business planning process has been introduced for 2024/25, embedding the yearly cycle of regime planning designed to drive regime standards, safety, and delivery into business as usual. A new Quarterly Review Cycle will allow prisons to compare actual delivery of regime against the establishment’s planned delivery outlined in plans at the start of that year. Prison Group Directors and Area Executive Directors will provide scrutiny and assurance over the completion of both the initial plan and quarterly review points. The plans will include key work, and the core expectations for delivery are that prisons must utilise all their allocated resource for this task, and that it must be profiled. Every eligible prisoner must receive one key work session every four weeks as a minimum, any remaining resources must be targeted at an enhanced offer for individual eligible prisoners based on an assessment of risk, need and cohort prioritisation.

When will the RECONNECT service (care after custody service) be available for prisoners leaving Styal?

The RECONNECT service is now live at HMP/YOI Styal. RECONNECT services ae required to support the women during periods of transition to ensure that the health needs of the women are met and that onward referrals to appropriate community services are completed. The RECONNECT service will ensure that women who leave the area on release are referred on to and supported to access the RECONNECT in their home area, who will continue to support on-going needs. Referrals can be up to 12 weeks in advance of expected release dates and support will be offer during this 12-week period and for up to 6 months post release (or when needs are met).

The cost-of-living crisis has disproportionately impacted prisoners. What plans are in place to consider an increase in budget available for prisoner wages to offset this increase?

HMPPS is aware of the impact that the cost of living is having to the purchasing power of offenders, and is actively looking at ways to respond to this within the confines of HMPPS’ budget allocation, which has been recently increased per prisoner. Locally, HMP/YOI Styal is reviewing prisoners pay and will have at the heart of it, the intention to support prisoners who gain and enhance skills and qualifications to support attaining employment, training or further education upon release, with the eventual aim of reducing reoffending.

Funding for a new healthcare building has been agreed for Styal, but we understand building work has been delayed until 2025. What guarantees are there to ensure that this happens?

After delays in agreeing designs with the Prison and NHS England, the business case for a new healthcare centre was approved for funding in March 2024, programme dates are currently being confirmed with the constructor.

The Board understands further workshops are planned, or are due, to start imminently in 2024-25. What further HMPPS support and assistance can be provided to increase the number of workshop places and employment opportunities for the prisoners?

New Futures Network (NFN) opened a Call Centre, provided by ‘Kickstart Futures’, at HMP/YOI Styal in July 2024, which can employ up to 16 women. A further multi skills/construction boot camp will commence at the end of September 2024 for up to 10 women per course, with the prison planning to run four courses per year. NFN will continue to explore opportunities to help the prison fill their workshop spaces.

The use of laptops in the prison has been effective in providing prisoners with more independence and better management of their own affairs. The laptops have also provided very good opportunities for therapy, private reflection and education. When will new content, including a word processing facility be made available for prisoners to access?

The Launchpad (in cell) central team are continually refreshing the content available on prisoner laptops to help meet a wide range of needs (including sentence information, rehabilitation, wellbeing, health and recreation). Strategies for generating national content include the creation of content (in conjunction with communications specialists, staff at launchpad sites and prisoners), and the acquisition of content that is approved by HMPPS subject matter experts and the Launchpad editorial board. In addition, the Digital Manager at HMP/YOI Styal will continue to play a crucial role in the creation and acquisition of content that meets the local needs of the prison. MoJ Digital are already aware of the need for prisoners to have access to word processing (or equivalent) on their Launchpad (in cell devices) and this is something that we would like to undertake further exploratory work on in the near future, to better understand the need and how this can be met, when we complete current delivery of other key priorities. Locally, HMP/YOI Styal regularly review the digital content based on the user voice and have recently added a bespoke clothing catalogue based on prisoner feedback. Regular communication is included within the platform and the Governor uploads a regular Blog to prisoners updating them on current affairs. A neurodiverse content is also included. Recreational activities to support health and wellbeing are included which aims to promote better mental health. A regular survey will be distributed to ensure the user voice is heard and content adapted accordingly.

What action can be taken to address the ongoing problems with accommodation standards to ensure decency and humane treatment at Styal?

I fully understand the Board repeating its concerns around the standards of accommodation. A large and complex project to refurbish all the houses at HMP/YOI Styal is in development, starting with Nightingale house, in order to bring this building back into use, and the Mother and Baby Unit. The project is in design and development and if funding is approved it is projected to start on site in November 2025 for completion in October 2026. A Mini Fire Safety Improvement project is out to tender to deliver this Financial Year; it will provide wired, automated detection in 27 cells to support the Governor in managing fire starters. Funding was approved for the removal of asbestos soffits and gutters to the education building, and roofing repairs were completed whilst this work was carried out. Funding has also been secured to replace heating boilers in Size, Davis, and Nightingale houses, and the Video link building. Funding bids to replace paths around the houses have also been submitted. A new Site Manager is proactively managing the repairs onsite with any concerns or issues raised at the monthly estates meeting. Additionally, a five-year painting program is in place, with two dedicated AMEY painters and a small team of up to four women working on the Clean, Rehabilitative Enabling and Decent initiative.

The Board have observed recent improvements in key work allocation and completion. What more is planned to ensure that timely and high-quality key work sessions are delivered to every eligible prisoner, in line with national targets?

A new regime and business planning process has been introduced for 2024/25, embedding the yearly cycle of regime planning designed to drive regime standards, safety, and delivery into business as usual. A new Quarterly Review Cycle will allow prisons to compare actual delivery of regime against the establishment’s planned delivery outlined in plans at the start of that year. Prison Group Directors and Area Executive Directors will provide scrutiny and assurance over the completion of both the initial plan and quarterly review points. The plans will include key work, and the core expectations for delivery are that prisons must utilise all their allocated resource for this task, and that it must be profiled. Every eligible prisoner must receive one key work session every four weeks as a minimum, any remaining resources must be targeted at an enhanced offer for individual eligible prisoners based on an assessment of risk, need and cohort prioritisation.

How does the prison intend to ensure that all prisoners have access to the library for at least 30 minutes per week?

How and when will the Spectrum contract be reviewed to support the changing healthcare needs of prisoners?

What progress is being made in reducing non-attendance at healthcare, education and activities, caused by scheduling conflicts.