Lowdham Grange

Have lessons been learned from the transfer of prison management from one private provider to another at HMP Lowdham Grange, and is action being taken to avoid the significant negative impact on prisoners and staff occurring at any future transfer between private prison operators?

The transfer of the management of the prison from one private provider to another was unprecedented, and we recognise the effects that this can have on staff and prisoners alike. Although outside of the reporting period, we also recognise that there was further impact from the announcement in May 2024, of the intended permanent change to transition the prison from private to public sector management. I would like to assure the Board that lessons have been learned from the change of operators and throughout this period. The lessons learned have informed future mobilisation arrangements, including the change of provider at HMP Altcourse which went well. Strategic discussions have taken place with all providers and continue to do so, and HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) plans to develop a ‘playbook’ for future handovers and mobilisation of existing prisons.

HMP Lowdham Grange is a prison in crisis and prisoners have been suffering for over a year through instability and, recently, uncertainty surrounding its management. How does HMPPS propose to support HMP Lowdham Grange through a period of rebuilding towards a stable and safe regime, where prisoners can live without fear and move through their sentences to rehabilitation and release?

Improving safety in any prison requires a multifaceted response as the reasons for violence, protesting behaviour, and self-harm are all equally complex and varied. On 22 May 2024 the then Government announced that the prison would transfer to HMPPS control and would operate as a public sector prison. Negotiations have concluded and the prison transitioned successfully into the public sector on 1st August 2024. This will now allow HMPPS to further improve safety and stability at the prison. The prison will be part of the Long Term and High Security Estate within HMPPS. The prison will introduce a consistent regime that prioritises attendance at work and education. Prisoners will be diverted from violent and self-harming behaviour by having a varied and positive regime to engage with. To enable this work, HMPPS will recruit and retain sufficient staff to ensure a safe, decent, and secure state of operation. The prison has already reopened workshops and education, with around 450 prisoners attending activities every day.

Prisoners who have not been recently sentenced are being transferred to HMP Lowdham Grange without a completed or up-to-date offender assessment (OASys). This means the assessment has to be completed at this prison, adding to pressure on the offender management unit (OMU) and putting prisoners at risk until it is completed. Does HMPPS feel it is acceptable that some establishments are allowing the transfer of prisoners without a completed OASys assessment, and if not, how does it propose to rectify this?

Under the National Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model, resource is provided to resettlement and/or training establishments to undertake a ‘Start Custody OASys Report’ on prisoners who move there from the reception estate. It is therefore expected that prisoners are likely to move to an establishment without a completed OASys if recently sentenced. The OASys Taskforce Team have confirmed that there are small numbers of individuals who are transferred to HMP Lowdham with an OASys report already in backlog, which indicates that the majority of those transferred following sentence are transferred as expected.

Waiting times for offender behaviour programmes are far too long, and this has a negative impact on prisoners who are required to complete them as part of their sentence plan, working to meet their plan and targeting Parole and Release. What actions are being taken to improve the availability of offender behaviour programmes, especially for prisoners serving long sentences and IPPs?

As HMP Lowdham Grange previously operated as a privately managed prison, the delivery of accredited offending behaviour programmes (OBPs) was the responsibility of the contractor. The provider was commissioned to deliver both high intensity (Kaizen and Becoming New Me+) and moderate intensity programmes (New Me Strengths and Thinking Skills Programme). The delivery of OBPs at HMP Lowdham Grange during 2023/24 was significantly disrupted due to staffing issues in the wider prison regime and it is recognised this impacted many prisoners. Most delivery was paused for some time whilst the prison’s operational staffing situation was addressed. As part of the wider HMPPS, other category B prisons were approached to take some priority cases and provided support to the contractor in order to restore the regime along with HMPPS Psychologists supporting a priority case on site. Overall outcomes however were less than had been planned for the year. OBP delivery has now resumed, including full sized groups, and consequently improving access for prisoners and enabling sentence progression at HMP Lowdham Grange.

What permanent action is being taken to increase staff numbers of experienced prison officers and managers, to reduce the adverse impact of a shortage of both prisoner-facing and administrative staff on prisoner outcomes?

Improving safety in any prison requires a multifaceted response as the reasons for violence, protesting behaviour, and self-harm are all equally complex and varied. On 22 May 2024 the then Government announced that the prison would transfer to HMPPS control and would operate as a public sector prison. Negotiations have concluded and the prison transitioned successfully into the public sector on 1st August 2024. This will now allow HMPPS to further improve safety and stability at the prison. The prison will be part of the Long Term and High Security Estate within HMPPS. The prison will introduce a consistent regime that prioritises attendance at work and education. Prisoners will be diverted from violent and self-harming behaviour by having a varied and positive regime to engage with. To enable this work, HMPPS will recruit and retain sufficient staff to ensure a safe, decent, and secure state of operation. The prison has already reopened workshops and education, with around 450 prisoners attending activities every day.

What action is being taken to address the serious issues raised by HM Coroner through the Prevention of Future Deaths notices relating to deaths in custody at HMP Lowdham Grange and, particularly, the cited lack of candour by managers and officers?

I was deeply saddened to hear there were six deaths in custody during the reporting year. I understand that five of these deaths were apparently self-inflicted and I offer my condolences to all their friends and family. I would like to reassure the Board that recommendations made by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman are taken very seriously and noted the issuing of the Regulation 28 Report by HM Coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

What action is being taken to address HM Coroner’s stated concerns, including: a failure to investigate whether anything could have been done to prevent the deaths; failure to seek any lessons from the deaths; failure to implement any findings of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO); and the failure to inform staff of policies and procedures relating to the deaths, plus a failure to enforce those policies?

I was deeply saddened to hear there were six deaths in custody during the reporting year. I understand that five of these deaths were apparently self-inflicted and I offer my condolences to all their friends and family. I would like to reassure the Board that recommendations made by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman are taken very seriously and noted the issuing of the Regulation 28 Report by HM Coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

What action is being taken to immediately address the high number of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and prisoner-on-staff assaults, the very high number of prisoners self-harming, the significant number of weapons’ finds, and the number of ‘in-cell fires’ set by prisoners?

Improving safety in any prison requires a multifaceted response as the reasons for violence, protesting behaviour, and self-harm are all equally complex and varied. On 22 May 2024 the then Government announced that the prison would transfer to HMPPS control and would operate as a public sector prison. Negotiations have concluded and the prison transitioned successfully into the public sector on 1st August 2024. This will now allow HMPPS to further improve safety and stability at the prison. The prison will be part of the Long Term and High Security Estate within HMPPS. The prison will introduce a consistent regime that prioritises attendance at work and education. Prisoners will be diverted from violent and self-harming behaviour by having a varied and positive regime to engage with. To enable this work, HMPPS will recruit and retain sufficient staff to ensure a safe, decent, and secure state of operation. The prison has already reopened workshops and education, with around 450 prisoners attending activities every day.