Custodial Review edition 74

Custodial the

Review

The Custodial Review informing the Prison, Border Agency and Police Services Edition 74

Kempston’s temporary custody suite see page 12 The Jailhouse Cafe at HMP Guys Marsh.

Restorative Justice: Understanding the benefits and increasing provision.

Are young people being “set up to fail” on release from custody?

www.custodialreview.co.uk For thousands of products, services and links

Fireworks Fire Protection installs world’s first LPS 1223 approved fire suppression system in The Clink at HMP Brixton.

Fireworks are pleased to announce that they are installing the Hydramist® 15ampu kitchen fire suppression system. It’s the world’s first LPS1223 approved watermist fire suppression system and it protects the deep fat fryers on the site. The Clink Restaurant is situated in the old Governors house that has been used recently as administration offices within the grounds of the prison and has been replaced with a three-storey restaurant and meetings venue, which is due to open in the next few months.

trusts and philanthropic individuals to build future Clink restaurants and each training restaurant relies on the income from diners and donations to operate.

Edmond Tullett, Governor, HMP Brixton says: “Brixton is more than delighted to host the third Clink training restaurant in the Regency Roundhouse which dates back to 1819. The restaurant will provide an unforgettable experience for customers and an unrivalled opportunity for prisoners to acquire marketable skills that will lead to local jobs and provide a pathway to a better life.”

The kitchen will be operated by prisoners who will take on full-time positions within the restaurant under the guidance of a tutor chef and restaurant manager.

Fireworks design and install specialist high pressure watermist fire suppression systems to meet a large number of different applications for the Custodial sector and have over 150 installs throughout England and Wales. As a distributor for the Hydramist product range they are now able to offer systems to cover the risk of fire in prison kitchens with the latest installation just complete at HMP Peterborough.

The Hydramist® 15 AMPU offers fast and effective extinguishing of catering equipment fires, is safe for people and the environment and dramatically reduces the spread of smoke from a fire.”

Kitchen Fires:The Problem

The restaurant will follow The Clink’s Five Step Programme that has been successfully implemented at the award winning and successful Clink restaurant at HMP High Down in Surrey, educating prisoners and equipping them with the skills and tools to secure employment upon their release.

Chris Moore, chief executive of The Clink Charity believes Brixton will cement the future for further Clink restaurants. “Brixton was the perfect site for our next restaurant. HMP Brixton is undergoing a regeneration project and was looking for an organisation to work with to develop the building into an opportunity for rehabilitation. The central location lends itself to securing support from local businesses and members of the public, providing they are committed to The Clink’s vision and once the necessary security checks have been processed, providing real-life experience for those prisoners who make it through the selection process to join the programme.”

In 2012 the charity agreed a partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) who supports the charitable initiative in a bid to open a further seven Clink Restaurants over the next four years. The charity is solely reliant on the generous support of the industry, charitable

Until now restaurant and commercial catering fryers have used dry powder or wet chemical fire suppression systems. Whilst effective at initially suppressing and extinguishing the fire these traditional systems offer little or no cooling resulting in a prolonged return to production for the kitchen. Additionally they leave a large amount of potentially hazardous residues from the chemical based fire equipment and surrounding areas which must be cleaned up before cooking can re-commence.

This leaves a restaurant without a kitchen during this period.

Kitchen Fires:The Solution The Hydramist® 15AMPU uses atomised tap water at high pressure to quickly and effectively extinguish the fire and prevent re-ignition by cooling the oil and hot surfaces. The Hydramist® system’s very fine droplets of water turn to steam upon contact with the flames.

The steam created then smothers and extinguishes the fire in under 10 seconds. After extinguishing the fire the mist continues to cool the oil and hot surfaces to below ignition temperature in less than 30 seconds preventing re-ignition of the fire. After activation next to no clean-up is necessary as only clean water is used allowing the kitchen to be back in operation extremely quickly (in most cases within minutes). A further advantage of this system is that smoke is prevented from spreading throughout the kitchen and into other areas as the smoke particles from the fire are captured by the watermist droplets and the smoke is washed out with the fire. The Hydramist® 15AMPU uses a high pressure pump connected to the kitchen water supply resulting in a system that can run for as long, or short, as required. The Hydramist® 15AMPU Kitchen Fire Suppression System offers a cost effective, fast reacting solution to this fire risk. Using a wall mounted Hydramist® pump also eliminates storage issues associated with traditional fire suppression equipment.

For more information on the Hydramist® 15AMPU please call Lee Haines on 01953 458420 or email lhaines@fireworks-ltd.com

Contents Issue 74

the Custodial Review Editorial Sales: Tracy Johnson, Mary Reale Tel: 01234 348878 sales@custodialreview.co.uk

Annual Subscription £30 Free to qualifying individuals

Administration: Lyn Mitchell Design/Production: Amanda Wesley Publisher: Steve Mitchell The Publisher holds all copyright and any items within may not be reproduced in any way, for any purpose, without the written permission of the Publisher.

This publication contains Crown Copyright material reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland.

2

News

12

Kempston’s temporary custody suite

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Restorative Justice: two articles on: ‘Understanding the benefits and increasing provision.’ and ‘Getting it right’.

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The Jailhouse Cafe at HMP Guys Marsh

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News from the Youth Justice Board and NACRO

25 Are young people are being

“set up to fail” on release from custody?

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HMIP reports

The publisher will consider financial reimbursement for relevant articles. If you have an article, or wish to compose one, on a relevant topic then please contact the publisher on stevem@pirnet.co.uk. Its subject to acceptance so please contact prior to starting and will appear on the Custodial website.

Custodial Review is now accepting articles from serving officers and staff within the whole custodial industry.

All articles will appear on the Custodial website and will appear in the magazine subject to the Publishers discretion. Approx length 1500 to 2000 words. We are also pleased to accept news and information.

Please contact the Publisher, Steve Mitchell, stevem@custodialreview.co.uk or on 01234 348878 for more details.

Copyright: the Custodial Review Published by Review Magazines Ltd, 53 Asgard Drive, Bedford MK41 0UR. Tel: 01234 348878 Fax: 01223 790191 E-mail: info@custodialreview.co.uk Website: www.custodialreview.co.uk HM Prisons Executive and the Home Office do not sponsor or in any way support this Publication in any substance, commodity, process, equipment, editorial or service advertised or mentioned in this book, nor are they responsible for any inaccuracy or statement in this publication. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the information contained within, this publication is based on submissions to the Publishers who cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The Publishers cannot be held responsible for any article, advertisement, picture or photograph supplied

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Justice Minister Simon No more ‘early Hughes opens new release’ for child accommodation which rapists and terrorists will act as a stepping Child rapists and terrorists will no longer be automatically released half-way through their stone back into the sentence, as part of a range of tough new laws community for female that have received Royal Assent.

The measures in the Criminal Justice and prisoners nearing Courts Act will mean these serious criminals can only be released before the end of their release. prison term under strict conditions at the On 29th January Justice Minister Simon Hughes 2015 opened new accommodation just outside the gates of Styal prison, which will act as a stepping stone back into the community for female prisoners nearing release.

Time spent in open prisons affords low risk prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met before their release. These are essential components for successful resettlement and an important factor in protecting the public.

However until now, a female offender nearing release from custody would need to move to one of only 2 women’s open prisons, potentially having to move a long distance away from their homes, families and local community.

That is why the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is reconfiguring the women’s prison estate, to keep women closer to home by providing smaller open prison units next to existing ‘closed’ prisons.

HMP Styal is the first prison to launch its open accommodation, with a house just beyond the prison gate which will house up to 25 offenders.

Justice Minister Simon Hughes said: ‘The launch of the open accommodation at Styal is the first step of a vital reform we are making to the women’s prison estate – helping female offenders prepare for their release by testing them in open conditions, and at the same time keeping them as close to home as possible.

This will mean that before leaving custody, they can already start to make the local links they need on their release – such as finding job opportunities, housing, or other local services.

These are essential factors to helping offenders turn away from crime and change their lives for good.’

All offenders being located in open conditions have been risk assessed and categorised as being of low risk to the public and a low risk of reoffending. the Custodial Review

discretion of the independent Parole Board.

Offenders will have to show they no longer pose a threat to the public.

Under previous laws, these serious offenders would have been released at the half-way point of their sentence, regardless of whether or not they had taken steps to change their behaviour.

In addition, the maximum sentence for three terrorist offences – weapons training for terrorist purposes, other training for terrorism and making or possessing of explosives - will be increased to a life sentence by the Act. Terrorists convicted of a second very serious offence could face the “two strikes” automatic life sentence.

The Act contains a number of other changes to toughen sentencing, including stopping offenders who receive an Extended Determinate Sentence from being automatically released two-thirds of the way into their prison term – they will also need to be assessed by the independent Parole Board, meaning many of them could spend significantly more time in prison.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘It is not right that people who commit such disgraceful crimes against this country have been able to walk out of prison half-way through their sentence without having to show they are no longer a danger to the public.

This is why we are ensuring that child rapists and terrorists spend longer behind bars, and they know being released early is not an automatic right.

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their duty faces spending the rest of their life behind bars.

- Banning cautions for criminals convicted of serious offences and, for less serious offences, stopping repeat cautions for anyone who commits the same or similar offence more than once in a two-year period. Serious offenders will instead face being brought before the courts where they could face a prison sentence.

- Four new criminal offences of juror misconduct are being introduced to ensure fair trials and prevent miscarriages of justice.

These are researching details of a case (including online research), sharing details of the research with other jurors, disclosing details of juror deliberation and engaging in other prohibited conduct.

- The maximum penalty for prisoners who fail to return from a period of temporary release will be increased from six months to two years in prison.

- Creating a new offence of remaining unlawfully at large following a recall from licence. The new offence will punish those who deliberately, and wilfully, seek to avoid serving the rest of their sentence in custody and carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment.

Courtroom communications experts to double Victims and witnesses will be given more support than ever before with double the number of courtroom experts soon to be available to help them give evidence, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced on 23rd February 2015.

Under this government funding for specialist support services has also more than doubled to over £92 million in 2015/16, including an increase in local budgets to fund vital services on the ground.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said:

An Act will introduce a package of laws that deliver firm but fair sentencing and criminal justice reforms:

‘I have always been clear we must put victims and witnesses at the centre of our reforms. Helping them to give their best evidence is a vital part of this - both for their wellbeing and proper access to justice. Today I can announce that we will be doubling the number of specialist courtroom experts to help them with this.

- Changing the law so that anyone who kills a police or prison officer in the course of

This government has also more than doubled the amount of funding provided to specialist

Our tough reforms will better protect victims and the public, while ensuring that serious offenders are properly punished.’

These changes are expected to affect up to 500 offenders a year.

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victims’ support services to over £92 million a year. As part of this we’re making more criminals than ever pay, and pay more, towards victims’ services. We’ve also listened to what victims want to help them best recover, and in response a new victims law will be introduced.

Registered Intermediaries (RIs) are crucial for victims and witnesses who need help to give their best evidence including children and those with mental health issues, physical disabilities or learning difficulties. The government is now seeking double the number of experts to help these vulnerable victims and witnesses understand what is being asked of them and to communicate their answers. This can mean the difference in some cases between whether a witness is able to testify or not.

This compliments a wider package of reforms to smooth the path to justice for victims of crime including spending on vital support which has more than doubled under this government – reaching over £92million next year (2015/16).This will give victims access to the best possible support, no matter where they live in the country, and help ensure they are not alone in coming to terms with the impact of crime. The majority of this will be given to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission victims’ services based on the needs of their communities. The government has also been able to confirm that the funding to be provided next year will be an increase on their indicative budgets.’

Victims’ Minister Mike Penning said: Victims of crime are our priority which is why we’ve made a raft of changes to ensure the criminal justice system is easier to navigate.

From introducing new ways to give evidence for the most vulnerable, so sparing them the cauldron environment of a court, to a victims’ law continues overleaf u

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which will ensure their rights are enshrined in legislation, we are committed to putting victims first.

In September 2014, the government launched ‘Our Commitment to Victims’ which set out how they will strengthen the rights of victims by enshrining them in a new victims’ law, and bring together information and support for people affected by crime into one place with a new nationwide Victims’ Information Service, rather than expecting people to find information scattered across several websites.

As part of this package, sexual violence and rape victims will be spared the trauma of aggressive cross examination thanks to new training for advocates to be rolled out later this year.

TrackMyCrime, a new online service for people to track their case through the investigation stage is also already making it easier for victims to find the latest information about their case.

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rehabilitation on release, to help break the cycle of crime. Offenders on short sentences have the highest reoffending rates and up until now have received no statutory support after leaving prison.

Across the country 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), run by private and voluntary organisations, have been set up to manage medium and low risk offenders. In partnership with the public sector they will address the criminal behaviour of our most chaotic and prolific offenders and will only be paid in full if they are successful at reducing reoffending.

The reforms introduce an unprecedented level of support for offenders. There will be a new focus on mentoring and life management, with help into housing, employment and substance abuse programmes.

A new National Probation Service has also been created, tasked with protecting the public from high-risk offenders in England and Wales.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation

(HMIP) has a vital role in inspecting the whole Interim Chief system, covering both the public sector and Inspector of Probation the work of the CRCs. announced Anthony Fitzsimons Paul Wilson will lead appointed as the Chair the Inspectorate while a permanent Chief of the Prisoner Escort Inspector is being recruited. and Custody Services Mr Wilson was chief Lay Observers’ executive of London Probation Trust from 2009 to 2010, having started his career as a probation National Council trainee in 1972.

On his interim appointment, Paul Wilson said: ‘I look forward to taking up the post, helping to ensure the independent inspection of probation services during a time of great change in the criminal justice system.

The inspectorate’s work will be vital over the coming months in testing the impact of probation services and promoting effective practice, in order to ensure that the public are protected and reoffending is reduced.

I am also really looking forward to working with youth offending teams and inspecting their work to prevent young people from reoffending and to keep them safe.’

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘After more than 40 years rising through the ranks of the probation service, Paul has the ideal knowledge and experience necessary for this role. I am confident that he will bring the leadership and drive necessary to steer the inspectorate and safeguard its independence whilst a permanent Chief Inspector is appointed.’

Major reforms are being made to the way offenders are rehabilitated. All prisoners will now receive at least 12 months targeted the Custodial Review

The Secretary of State for Justice has appointed Anthony Fitzsimons as the Chair of the Prisoner Escort and Custody Services Lay Observers’ National Council.

Lay Observers’ are volunteers appointed by the Secretary of State under the 1991 Criminal Justice Act. They form the membership of an independent national council and sit alongside a number of other criminal justice scrutiny bodies. Lay Observers’ focus on the escorting of prisoners who are being moved between courts, prisons and police stations.

The Chair convenes and oversees the work of the National Council, leading its development and ensuring that monitoring is appropriately performed by the Lay Observers’ and that their work dovetails with that of other bodies.

The appointment is subject to the completion of appropriate security checks.

Anthony Fitzsimons was Chair of the Gloucester Probation Trust until it came to an end in June 2014, and continued as Chair of the Community Rehabilitation Trust until February 2015.

He is a former Chair of Great Western Ambulance NHS Trust (2006-2012). In addition Page 6

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to these public sector leadership positions Anthony is Chair of Runton Management Limited, a large property company. Previously he has been Chief Executive of the Bristol and West Building Society (1989-2003), Managing Director of Citibank (1985-88) and Managing Director of Chef and Brewer (1981-85).

Prisons seeking National Autistic Society help to improve support for prisoners The Ministry of Justice has taken a significant step to improve the rehabilitation support for prisoners with autism.

At the start of World Autism Week, which ran from 27 March 2015 to 2 April 2015, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) took a significant step to improve the rehabilitation support for prisoners with autism.

Prisons and young offender institutes in England and Wales have been encouraged to apply for the National Autistic Society’s (NAS) Autism accreditation. The accreditation is awarded through a set of locally-agreed and developed standards that the prison and its services adhere to. These include standards for the education provider, primary care and mental health provider as well as prison staff.

Prisons Minister, Andrew Selous, commented: ‘Having seen the good work that is going on at HMYOI Feltham, and the enthusiasm of the staff there, I am keen to further promote the use of the NAS accreditation across the prison estate.

Taking account of the specific needs of prisoners with autism is an important part of the accreditation and, in many cases, a few simple adjustments can make a difference.’

Clare Hughes, Criminal Justice Co-ordinator at NAS, said: 'The NAS is very pleased that MOJ has taken this important and tangible step to improving autism practice and expertise in prisons.

When people with autism end up in the prison system, it can be a traumatic experience if their particular needs aren’t understood. NAS Autism Accreditation is a recognised quality standard, with a clear framework to help institutions and services work systematically towards good quality autism practice. We look forward to many prisons taking up the invitation from the Minister to follow HMYOI continues overleaf u

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Feltham’s lead and work towards Autism Accreditation.

approach to reducing reoffending, creating a safer society with fewer victims.

seem to be part of the problem around increasing violence in our prison estate.

Autism (including Asperger syndrome) is a serious lifelong, disabling condition affecting social behaviour and communication. An offender in custody with autism can have specific difficulties which may impact on their successful rehabilitation. Prison staff and providers working in prisons with a better understanding of the condition are more equipped to make a positive difference. '

Along with extending community supervision to virtually all offenders, a nationwide network of resettlement prisons is also being created that will see offenders managed by the same provider from custody into the community, ensuring a proper through-the-gate approach to rehabilitation.

No one should be under any illusion how dangerous the abuse of any drug is. We are determined to make sure governors have every power at their disposal to detect supply, punish those found using or dealing, and enforce a zero tolerance approach.

Feltham is working towards achieving National Autistic Society accreditation later this year, and will be followed by Parc and Wakefield prisons.

Post-prison support extended to 45,000 offenders A major gap which allows 45,000 short-term prisoners to leave prison unsupervised every year has been closed under a new law that has been brought into force.

From 1 February anyone sentenced to more than a day in prison will receive at least 12 months rehabilitation on release.

New probation providers from the private, public and voluntary sectors will provide an unprecedented level of support to those who are stuck in the revolving door of crime and prison. st

There will be a new focus on life management, with mentors on hand to support offenders into housing, employment and substance abuse programmes, helping them address the root causes of their criminal behaviour.

The move is the cornerstone of the government’s wide reaching reforms to probation and is aimed at tackling stubbornly high reoffending rates that have barely changed in a decade. Currently almost 60% of prisoners released after sentences of less than 12 months go back to crime within a year, and this group get no statutory support to turn their lives around.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘For too long we have released prisoners back onto the streets with £46 in their pockets, and little else, in the hope they would sort themselves out – it’s little wonder things haven’t improved.

But now all this will change. For the first-time we will be giving all offenders a proper chance at rehabilitation, instead of just leaving them to wander the streets and get on with it.

These reforms give us the opportunity to change thousands of lives through a new

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Under this system, probation staff will be required to draw up a plan for an offender’s rehabilitation within the first few days of them entering prison. They will then continue to support that individual throughout their time in prison, and this will continue as they are released into the community. The focus of the new approach will be as much on helping ex-offenders to sort their lives out as on traditional supervision. '

Public appointment for the Prison Service Pay Review Body The Prime Minister, in consultation with the Secretary of State for Justice, has appointed Nicholas Caton as a member of the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB).

The PSPRB is an independent body which advises the government on matters referred to it, primarily making recommendations about pay levels for staff in the England and Wales Prison Service and in the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

New crackdown on dangerous legal highs in prison Offenders found abusing so-called ‘legal highs’ in prison will face a new crackdown by prison authorities.

Prisoners should be very clear – if they think they can get away with using these substances, they need to think again. And the same applies to those who are the suppliers, whether they’re inside or outside the prison gates.’

Next week, prison governors will receive new guidance from the Ministry of Justice which sets out clearly for the first time the measures available to them to deal with New Psychoactive Substances (NPS /‘legal highs’).

This will reinforce the prison estate’s zero tolerance approach to contraband.

Any prisoner who is suspected of being involved in smuggling prohibited items, including legal highs, through visits can face:

• • • • •

• •

In addition, the Ministry of Justice is embarking on a raft of measures designed to beef up the existing security and prevention measures including:

•

Prosecution, additional days in prison, segregation, ‘closed visits’ and a range of other potential penalties, are all on the cards for those who flout the rules.

New, additional powers in the Criminal Courts and Justice Bill will give powers to specify non controlled drugs (including so-called ‘legal highs’) which can be tested for as part of the Mandatory Drug Testing Programme.

•

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: 'Go onto any prison wing, and staff will tell you that whilst we’ve made good headway on drug misuse in prisons, there’s a new phenomenon they are increasingly seeing in the form of so-called ‘legal highs’. What we’re also hearing is that these substances Page 8

‘closed visits’, where no contact is allowed with their partners or children having up to 42 days added to their time in prison being confined to their cell for up to 21 days with no association time forfeiting up to 100% of earnings, for up to 84 days – average weekly wage is £9.60 having certain privileges removed for up to 42 days – such as additional visits, higher rates of pay, own clothing, TV, extra time out of cell being placed in a higher security prison prosecution and a further sentence, if it is a controlled drug

•

•

training of specialist dog teams to search and detect synthetic drugs in prisons over 530 dogs are currently deployed to prisons in England and Wales, searching cells for hidden drugs, patrolling prison perimeters and searching visitors to prevent drugs from being smuggled in a new Public Health Monitoring project will begin this month, analysing up to 10,000 urine samples alongside drug seizures in 10 prisons in the North West for the presence of synthetic drugs, prescription drugs and a wider range of controlled drugs a major push on prison communications to make sure that offenders are aware of the consequences of taking NPS – as are visitors of attempting to bring them in work with the Home Office to take forward recommendations from the NPS Expert Panel Review, including continues overleaf u

Dualway – designed for any anti-barricade door situation Since its launch the unique DUALWAY Anti-Barricade door system from Cooke Brothers has already generated a huge amount of interest leading to a surge in business for the company from a number of industry leading names operating in the specialist Custodial, Secure Units, Mental Health and Hospital Healthcare sectors.

Designed to suit either new build or retrofit applications where individual doorsets are required within an existing facility, the Dual Way Door System provides unrestricted and immediate access into a room in a situation where a patient has barricaded himself or herself in.

The Dual Way system utilises a frame within a frame principal, allowing for a standard 44mm or 54mm doorset to be mounted within a secondary high security steel outer frame. In everyday use the standard inward opening doorset operates as a normal door, providing full 90-degree access using a purpose designed full height Anti-ligature continuous

hinge. The outer frame is produced from preformed steel providing rigid support, whilst the high level of security engagement is by means of purpose design heavy duty mechanical hook bolt locking as standard or with the option of an electronically powered locking system where required.

Dualway door closed position

In an emergency or barricaded door situation the door and inner frame can be quickly released enabling the complete doorset to swing outwards allowing immediate entry into the room. Access is achieved by releasing the dual hook locks mortised into the outer frame and operated by unique security profile keys or where specified via an electromagnetic access control system.

To discover more about the unique DUALWAY AntiBarricade Door System please contact the sales team at Cooke Brothers Ltd on 01922 740011.

Email: sales@cookebrothers.co.uk or to view the latest DUALWAY video by visiting the web site www.cookebrothers.co.uk

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consideration of further legislative options to tackle NPS misuse New Psychoactive Substances cannot be sold for human consumption, and contain one or more chemical compounds that are designed to produce similar effects to illicit drugs. They are often misleadingly referred to as ‘legal highs’. A large number of them have been controlled by the Home Office, and some have also been found to include illegal drugs which make their possession illegal.

There are however others which are not yet covered by existing drugs laws. Their misuse in the community has been linked to poisoning, emergency hospital admissions and in some cases, death.

New rules to crackdown on violent prisoners come into force A significant step forward in the fight against violence in prisons has been taken, with the publication of a joint national protocol.

A significant step forward in the fight against violence in prisons was taken on 27th February 2015, with the publication of a joint national protocol on crime committed in prison.

The new joint protocol produced by the Prison Service, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has set out clearly that when there are serious assaults on prison staff, the perpetrators will be prosecuted unless there is a good reason why not.

The protocol provides robust guidelines for joint working between prisons, police and CPS to ensure that wherever possible prisoners who commit serious assaults on staff or other serious crimes – such as hostage taking, arson, absconds – are punished through the courts.

It will help to improve crime reporting and information sharing and most importantly it will improve the service to victims of crime in prisons, especially hard-working prisons staff.

It is already the case that there is a presumption that sentences for offences committed in prison will be served at the end of, rather than alongside, the initial prison sentence.

This new approach sits within the Prison Service’s wider violence reduction strategy, focused on reducing violent behaviour and making the most of the latest technology such as body worn cameras. Hand-in-hand with this work is the crackdown on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) or so-called ‘legal highs’ coming into prisons.

Prison governors have recently received new guidance from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) which sets out clearly for the first time the measures available to them to deal with NPS.

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This will reinforce the prison estate’s zero tolerance approach to contraband. A loop hole is also being closed by the MOJ, which means that anyone found trying to throw these dangerous non-controlled drugs into prison could now face 2 years in prison.

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: ‘Violence in prisons is not tolerated and assaults on our hardworking staff are unacceptable. I do not underestimate the hard work and challenges that prison staff face on a daily basis which is why we worked hard to get this protocol in place as quickly as possible.

Today is a milestone in our huge effort to tackle violence in prison. This new approach to investigating crime in prisons will ensure that those that attack staff are prosecuted and fully brought to justice.

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million contract with Lend Lease as the project reached its latest key milestone.

The signing of the contract means that construction work can begin in earnest following months of preparatory work that has included levelling the site, erecting the secure perimeter fence and digging foundations for the first houseblock.

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: I’m delighted that the contract has now been signed to signal the start of full construction works in Wrexham.

This prison will be a huge benefit to the estate and North Wales with the project set to boost the regional economy by around £23 million a year and create up to 1,000 jobs once operational.

Lend Lease have also committed to spend at least £30 million with local businesses during construction, and with £1.2 million already spent they are currently ahead of their target.

We have always had a complex and challenging prison population but are taking appropriate steps to ensure that we carefully manage the increased levels of violence.’

The estimated overall cost of the project is £212 million - substantially under the original £250 million estimate - and includes a design and construction cost of £156.9 million.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC said:

The prison will provide around 2,100 Category C places for male offenders from North Wales and North West England, including a small remand function serving the courts in North Wales. It will include places for education, 12 large workshop spaces, and resettlement functions, helping offenders who will be held closer to home reintegrate into their communities on release.

‘It’s absolutely right that prisoners face prosecution for assaults. This government takes crime in prison extremely seriously and this new protocol sends a clear message that we will not tolerate assaults on hard-working prison staff.

These new guidelines will provide additional guidance to prosecutors, who review all charging decisions in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The Code for Crown Prosecutors requires the CPS to consider whether there is sufficient evidence and, if so, whether a prosecution is in the public interest before charging. It will ensure that different police force and CPS areas pursue prosecutions of crimes within prison in a more consistent and efficient way.

While it is right that there should be some local prioritisation of crime investigation and prosecution, all agencies want to ensure that serious crimes in prison are dealt with fully by the criminal justice system.’

Wrexham construction contract signed Construction work on a new prison in North Wales is set to be stepped up after the contract to build it was officially signed.

The Ministry of Justice signed the £156.9 Page 10

Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns said: ‘It’s great news for Wrexham and Wales that the prison contract has been signed and construction can now get underway.

The prison will give a massive boost to the North Wales economy by creating hundreds of jobs and countless opportunities for local businesses in Wrexham and the surrounding areas.

This is a tangible example of the UK government’s commitment to ensuring that Wales has world class infrastructure and is part of our long term plan to rebalance the economy. Strong public services need a strong economy.’

Last month it was announced that the prison would be operated by HM Prison Service and recruitment for the project director has already begun. The director will work closely with the Welsh Government and the local health board to agree the education and health provision, before taking on the role of Governor as the prison starts taking prisoners from early 2017.

Pickersgill-Kaye’s high performance locks in Warrior Doors trap armed robbers in security drama Pickersgill-Kaye Ltd’s high security multipoint locks played a major part in a Warrior security door system which foiled an armed robbery attempt in Birmingham by trapping the culprits as they tried to make their escape from a jewellery shop.

The incident, which was caught on CCTV and featured in the BBC programme ‘Caught Red Handed’, perfectly demonstrated the attack-resistant qualities of Pickersgill-Kaye’s multipoint locks and the two high security performance interlocking doors manufactured

by Warrior Doors Ltd. When the silent alarm was triggered by the quick thinking owner, the store filled with a thick vapour making visibility impossible. One robber found the button to open the internal door to the exit, but when his fellow assailant got through the door and it shut, they found themselves imprisoned in the airlock area between the two Warrior-made doors.

Helping to trap the robbers in the shop was Pickersgill-Kaye’s HS170 threepoint lock for access control systems, which has an automatic deadlocking function with a 25mm bolt throw and high security cylinder guard.

Despite repeated and frenzied attacks on the doors and locks, which had been mortised in to help provide a visually appealing look for the retailer, the two robbers were unable to force their way out of the airlock area before Armed Response Police Units arrived on the scene.

For more information tel: 0113 277 5531 fax: 0113 276 0221 or visit www.pkaye.co.uk.

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the Custodial Review

Kempston’s temporary custody suite Steve Ashdown is a Temporary DCI at Bedfordshire Police HQ, based in Kempston and is currently the Head of Criminal Justice and Custody. He joined the force eighteen years ago and spent 13 years on the beat whilst rising to the rank of Inspector. Five years ago he joined the Detective branch, working in Luton and Central Bedfordshire. His present role includes the provision and management of custody for the force which gives him responsibility for the temporary custody suite that’s been installed at Kempston and also the planning for its permanent replacement.

The finished custody suite.

The temporary suite has been located in the car park.

Custodial Review Bedford’s custody suite was located in the town centre under the Police station in Greyfriars, it was in serious need of upgrade or replacement. At one time the plan was to knock the building down when the bus station area was redeveloped in late 2016. What happened to shut the custody suite down so much earlier than planned?

Steve Ashdown Greyfriars police station was built in the 1960’s, we had a 53 year old custody suite which was located under a 5 storey office building, which made it very difficult to update. If you look across most of the country you will find police custody suites are on the ground floor and under office space. This means that any significant changes are difficult because you’ve got to demolish what’s above it.

Last year I was asked to do a review of our custody facilities and this included reviewing the estate. My recommendations included relocating out of Greyfriars. Shortly afterwards, an HMIC inspection took place which was critical of the facilities and after considering the recommendations in the HMIC report, we made a decision close the Greyfriars custody suite immediately.

CR How long was it between the HMIC debrief to when it was closed and what was done to provide custody facilities?

SA At the time we had three custody suites in Bedfordshire. One in Luton with 21 cells, another in Dunstable with 13 cells; which had been retained as a contingency and 15 cells in Greyfriars. We were also aware of the the Custodial Review

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The modular units are installed upon brick piers and the services are run underneath the units.

possible temporary provisions that we could use that had been used by our colleagues in Milton Keynes. As we had spent considerable time reviewing our options and ruled out the prospect of redeveloping Greyfriars, we were able to make a quick decision. The HMIC debrief took place on the Thursday night and we finalised the decision on Friday.

CR What was the cost estimate of doing the work at Greyfriars to bring the suite up to HMIC recommendations?

SA It is fair to say that the estimated costs to bring Greyfriars to a higher standard were very close to the costs of moving to the temporary provision which provided the perfect opportunity to move closer to the what to do with a permanent construction located on the Kempston HQ site where we already had outline planning permission to build a suite of 40 cells.

CR How long did it take between the closure of Greyfriars in Bedford and the opening of the temporary suite in the grounds of Kempston HQ? What are the costs involved in this and what other factors did you look at?

SA We closed Greyfriars on the 11th April for custody, and we were open on the Headquarters site by the 10th September. In the interim we used our contingency suite in Dunstable. In putting in a temporary suite here we were looking at a comparable cost to upgrading the Greyfriars suite. So it made more sense to spend a similar amount of money and get quicker results with a more predictable outcome. It also had the benefit

of increasing our cell capacity, improving the number of interview rooms, and raising the standards of medical, intoxilyser and biometric capture rooms.

CR How did you meet the need for cells during the 5 month changeover and how did you resolve the transport issues? Instead of a 10 minute ride down to Bedford town centre your officers now have a 45 minute ride to Dunstable.

SA We knew when our peaks in demand would be and with this information we managed to obtain the support of the Special Constabulary. The Force took a proactive decision that the Specials’ duties would be to support a transport operation to Dunstable.

To place credit where it’s due there was a lot of commitment from the Specials and they seem to enjoy their role. What we saw as a consequence was that a lot of the regular officers were able to stay on the streets for longer as the Specials transport system provided an essential support function.

CR How did you decide how many cells you needed in the temporary suite?

SA We had good records on occupancy so we were looking to provide ‘like for like’. We had 15 cells at Greyfriars and we knew we needed at least that many. There’s an element of professional planning in any successful planning situation and with operational policing you often need an element of good fortune. The suppliers we contacted had an 18 cell unit that had just been taken back for refurbishment; it had been used in Milton Page 13

Keynes for about 18 months while they’d redeveloped their suite, so Inspector Debbie James and I went to research it.

Where it immediately benefitted us is that the corridors were much wider and the environment more modern. Greyfriars is a 50 year old building, with rooms and corridors built based on the requirements of that time. We were able to go to a much better environment by switching to the temporary suite than we would have by refurbishing Greyfriars. The ability to install quickly was important to us because of the operational management of the transport to Dunstable, we didn’t want a year or 18 months wait. We were extremely lucky that Wernick had one available.

CR What would you have done if Wernick hadn’t one immediately available?

SA We would have probably been using Dunstable for much longer! We could have managed to wait for them to build us a new set of units, which would have taken another two or three months to build from scratch.

CR How has the new suite brought about changes in working practises? You have wider corridors, more cells, and modern fittings; did it come with all the equipment?

SA We have four interview rooms in the new unit, all of which have good CCTV and digital recorders required, which has allowed us to continues overleaf u the Custodial Review

Kempston’s temporary custody suite continued

continue our existing practices when it comes to investigation. Some equipment was pre-enabled such as the panic strips and the CCTV but Wernick have allowed us to add the extras that we wanted, many of which we will also use in the purpose built permanent solution. We had considered that an increase in cell capacity may have led to additional arrests being made but that has not proved to be correct, showing that colleagues are applying the necessity criteria properly.

We have however benefitted at peak times, where previously we had utilised custody in neighbouring forces.

CR How did you get all the local stakeholders aboard? Local residents must have found the idea of what is effectively a prison being built in their area a difficult proposition to accept?

SA We proposed to the local residents and the planning department that we would undertake an appropriate pre-release risk assessment on every detainee, providing transport to detainees that fitted certain criteria. Where we judge that a detainee is a potential risk but is being bailed for investigation, rather than being charged and remanded, or where we have someone who is a prolific priority crime offender, we are not the Custodial Review

going to release them into a quiet residential area. Where anyone who meets these criteria, or somebody who is vulnerable due to their own mental or physical health, cannot provide their own transport, we consider provision of an escort by officers to a place that is safe for them when we release them from custody.

That can mean that we take them to their home address if it’s nearby or take them to a bus station or railway station, or drop them to a friend’s house or taxi rank. We obviously try to facilitate telephone calls to arrange lifts as a priority but I think that we have achieved a proportionate way of dealing with any risk to the individual or the community.

CR Have you been able to change the way you staff the new unit? Are the staff all employees, or do you use civilian staff as well?

SA We have our own Custody Sergeants and Detention Officers who are all employed

by Bedfordshire Police. We have considered agencies and other options however we have taken the decision that this is the way we want to manage things. We reviewed our decision in conjunction with the advice we were given by HMIC to increase our staffing levels.

Since April last year we’ve increased staffing levels of Detention Officers at both custody Page 14

sites in the county. While we’ve been in the process of recruiting those detention officers we’ve been using Police Officers as custody runners to provide extra sets of eyes and ears in the environment. We are moving into a position where we’ve permanently increased our establishment in custody which bucks the trend of a lot of other areas of policing, recognising that the safety of detainees and staff is vitally important.

CR What are you going to replace the temporary unit with and will you keep the overspill unit in Dunstable?

SA Over the last four or five years there has been a planning application in process which has been quite complicated. In 2013 we achieved planning permission to build a 40 cell custody suite on the HQ site at Kempston. One of my tasks earlier last year was to look at the estate, and one of the recommendations was to start that building process. However we have reviewed the number of cells and will be going back for planning permission on a lower capacity because we’re making more efficient use of our cells and out of custody disposals. I am currently recommending a 28 cell unit at HQ. We need to maintain Dunstable to allow

us flexibility during development but longer term there is a decision to make on the longterm future of the suite.

CR What design are you proposing for the new permanent facility?

SA We are proposing a radial design which allows for greater flexibility in our provision.

If we have only 7 people in custody, we can use a 7 cell slice of it rather than the full 28.

There are efficiencies in the management of detainees, as we can achieve the separation of vulnerable persons. With our proposed design we are able to create a juvenile wing, in accordance with the ambition of the All

Party Parliamentary Group for Children and Home Office guidance. Similarly, female detainees can be treated as vulnerable people with a similar sort of process. There are also other issues, there may also be people who need to be treated discretely within the unit and that sometimes requires separation. That might be a high risk sex offender that needs to be separated to reduce the risks to other detainees. It could also be a celebrity issue where whatever subsequently happens, the event could significantly affect someone’s lives, yet they could be completely innocent. We have a duty of care to all individuals to protect them until they are charged, taken before a

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court and found guilty. There are differing reasons but the same level of responsibility for the police. What we build must also be more flexible in terms of environmental concerns, costs of running, heating, air conditioning etc.

Historically, custody suites often have the police station built above them, as I mentioned earlier. As soon as any major redevelopment work is needed either the police station closes or the custody suite does because it is beneath the area that needs to be worked on.

So one of the policy decisions we’ve made is that our office space will need to be separated continues overleaf u

the Custodial Review

Kempston’s temporary custody suite continued from our custody wings. There will be a space between the cells and the office building to allow natural daylight into the cells. The office building will be 2 or 3 storeys depending on force needs, whereas the custody block will be single storey with the electric and mechanical plant either over or beside it. The predicted lifespan of a custody environment is predicted to be 20-25 years, our design allows us to either relocate cells or demolish and rebuild them according to our needs in the future.

We don’t know for certain what the policing landscape will look like, with consideration of greater collaboration between neighbouring Forces or future force mergers? This design will make the new custody suite far more flexible to the needs of the force as they evolve.

CR Are you planning to collaborate with other forces on custody? What else will the new unit be prepared for?

The custody desk.

SA Bedfordshire are looking towards collaboration with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. So the number of cells has to reflect the ability to provide support to the other forces. Although we only currently have 18 in the north of Bedfordshire, we need to have an element of resilience for failure in other estates, and have allowed a certain percentage towards that possibility.

We are also looking at virtual courts; a facility which I think is a substantial part of the future of the criminal justice system. At the moment we don’t have any virtual facilities, so we are looking at building rooms for witnesses and for detainees to appear via video directly to Court. What we’re aspiring to is the Kent model where, following charge and remand they will stay with us in police custody. Rather than transporting detainees to court, we will facilitate that remand hearing from our custody suite.

You’ll have probably heard that duty solicitor schemes around the country are being reviewed and there are new contracts coming, with the possibility that the number of firms used will reduce. We are also looking at engaging with our defence firms, in that we’re looking at them having their own accommodation within the new custody the Custodial Review

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The suite is fully equipped with alarm strips and buttons.

building, where they can meet and have discussions with their clients. If they’re on the duty scheme they will be next door and we will not have lengthy delays, whilst we wait for their attendance. There are potential efficiency gains from this arrangement.

We are also moving towards agile working in terms of hot-desking facilities. We will provide telephone and Wi-Fi facilities for our staff, the courts are going to wider use of Wi-Fi in the spring of this year, so I don’t see

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why we shouldn’t provide the same facilities for solicitors. They would rather wait in an office adjacent to where they will be needed as it is a more efficient use of their time.

We are the winners in that they are readily available when we want to go into interviews.

It just seems to be a relationship we’ve never explored before, but is common sense when you look at it.

CR Thank you for talking to the Review.

the Custodial Review

News from Restorative Justice Getting it right The Restorative Service Quality Mark When it’s done right, restorative justice changes lives.

It offers victims the opportunity to meet and communicate with their offenders, giving them a voice and a chance to explain the personal impact of the Jon Collins crime. It can restore their sense of empowerment and help them move on with their lives. Crucially, restorative justice puts victims at the heart of the process, but it also holds offenders to account for what they have done and helps them to take responsibility and make amends.

The proof is in the figures - government research shows that 85% of victims who meet an offender face to face are satisfied with the outcome, while 80% report that they would recommend restorative justice to other victims of crime. The benefits also extend to offenders and the justice system itself, with restorative justice delivering a 14% reduction in the frequency of reoffending.

This evidence is supported by the stories of those who have been through the process.

For example Paula was a victim of sexually harmful behaviour who decided to take part in restorative justice. She said: “Restorative justice has been incredibly empowering.

I’ve regained control by turning a negative, frightening experience into a positive, lifechanging one. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Restorative justice can be used in response to any sort of crime and at any stage of the justice system, including alongside a custodial sentence in the most serious cases. In addition, restorative approaches aren’t just limited to the justice system. Restorative practice is an effective method for building strong relationships and can help prevent and manage conflict in schools, children’s services, workplaces, hospitals and communities.

We know that restorative justice works, but it’s essential that wherever it’s done, it’s delivered to a high standard.To make sure that this is the case, at the Restorative Justice Council we set clear standards for all those involved in the restorative justice field and provide quality assurance to help ensure that those standards are met. One way that we’re doing this is through the Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM). Having just celebrated its first anniversary, the RSQM allows organisations to demonstrate through independent review that they are providing good quality, safe restorative practice.

The RSQM is underpinned by six Restorative Service Standards, which organisations must be able to meet in order to achieve the award.

It gives the public confidence in the quality of restorative services, meaning that victims and offenders can take part in the process knowing that they are in safe hands. Currently 14 the Custodial Review

organisations have received the RSQM, including 12 from within the criminal justice system, and it’s continuing to gather momentum.

London Probation’s Restorative Justice Unit was one of the first organisations to achieve the RSQM. Liz Dixon, the organisation’s restorative justice co-ordinator, said: “Having the RSQM is akin to having professional status that you want to honour and live up to. We feel we have renewed legitimacy with our service users and are reassured that we’re on the right track.

An important factor is that the award has bolstered the confidence of our facilitators when approaching ‘harmers’ and ‘the harmed’.

It’s empowered us.”

This demonstrates the value of the RSQM. Those organisations that achieve it not only demonstrate that they are delivering a high quality service, helping to build the confidence of partners, commissioners and the public, but also have an opportunity to celebrate their good work and build the confidence of their own staff and volunteers.

At the Restorative Justice Council we work to raise public awareness of restorative justice and boost people’s confidence in restorative processes. Ultimately, we want to create a restorative society where everyone has access to safe, quality restorative justice whenever they need it. The introduction of the RSQM has been an important step towards achieving this.

If you’d like to learn more about restorative justice, hear from people who have taken part, or find out about ways to get involved, you can visit our website: www.restorativejustice.org.uk You can also follow me and the RJC on Twitter @JonBCollins @RJCouncil Or, if you’d like to get in touch more directly, you can email me at jon@ restorativejustice.org.uk

Understanding the benefits, increasing provision In the past decade, restorative justice has moved into the mainstream of the criminal justice system. In a time of great upheaval, we have seen the use of restorative justice increasing in youth offending teams, police forces and probation services across the country as well as the introduction of new legislation which means that it can be used at all points within the criminal justice process. At a time when budgets are being cut, this is testament to the strong support restorative justice has secured.We have seen a broad consensus developing in favour of restorative justice from across the political Page 18

parties as well as among academics, practitioners and the public.

The benefits of restorative justice are well known by now. It gives victims the chance to meet or communicate with their offenders to explain the real impact of the crime - it empowers victims by giving them a voice.

It also holds offenders to account for what they have done and helps them to take responsibility and make amends. Government research demonstrates that restorative justice provides an 85% victim satisfaction rate, and a 14% reduction in the frequency of reoffending.

But despite this broad agreement that restorative justice works for victims and offenders, too few criminal justice professionals have a firm understanding of what restorative justice involves, at which stages in the criminal justice system it can be used, and how to ensure that it is provided to the highest quality.

Restorative justice, then, is an important and valuable process which can be used to deal with crime effectively. But it is a process that is under-utilised and often misinterpreted. It is in this climate that the RJC have published four information packs to help criminal justice professionals to understand the benefits of restorative justice and make greater use of it within their work. This will give more victims and offenders the chance to take part in this valuable process.

The series consists of information packs for magistrates, youth offending workers, police, and workers in the new probation landscape.

The packs have been developed with the help of the Ministry of Justice as well as a number of other agencies.

The information packs include useful information on the restorative process and frequently asked questions. But we feel the best way to demonstrate the impact that restorative justice can have is to hear from those who have taken part in the process themselves. This is why the packs include powerful accounts of restorative justice in action. There are stories from victims of burglary and sexually harmful behaviour who have found that restorative justice gave them a voice in a process which all too often marginalises victims. Also featured are accounts from offenders who have found that restorative justice confronted them with the impact of their actions and helped them to move forward with their lives.

All four packs are useful for those new to the concept of restorative justice as well as those already implementing it within their work who want to read about the latest thinking within the field.

More information and links to the packs can be found here: www.rjc.org.uk/infopacks

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the Custodial Review

The Jailhouse Cafe The Jailhouse Café has been run at HMP Guys Marsh for the last 18 months, and has been fully operational for the last year. Five prisoners run the operation from cooking, to front of house and cleaning. It is managed on a day to day basis by Rachael Maynard who oversees the day to day operations, yet is managed overall by a board based at The Verne on Portland in Dorset.

This differs from the famous chain of prison restaurants ‘The Clink’ in that it doesn’t aim at the top of the market, catering instead for ordinary tastes at competitive prices.

Custodial Review What’s the background to the Jailhouse Café? Why was it set up?

Steve Butler (SB) The staff mess at Guys Marsh had been closed for four years due to budget cuts, so there was a catering facility that was effectively mothballed.

My team was considering running a catering academy using the facilities that at the time were unused. HMP The Verne had been running a similar operation for three years. At a function, one of our governors met a director of Expia, the Community Interest Company running the Verne Jailhouse Cafe. Rather than reinvent the wheel we decided to work with Expia, using their systems, protocols and brand.

CR Was the Jailhouse Café brand and system ready to go?

SB Not quite - we had the facilities in place outside the gate, but needed a lot of equipment to enable us to cook and conform to current regulations. We started the Custodial Review

the programme by selling tea and cake to customers from inside and outside the prison, but did a fundraising drive to raise around £4000 to pay for the equipment we needed, including a new cooker and fryers.

CR How did you raise the money?

SB We had a couple of events such as a Johnny Cash Night to encourage people to pitch in to the idea. We also did a publicity drive, and got a lot of support from the local community. The support group Friends of Guys Marsh helped a lot - they gave us a couple of large grants and sent out a lot of emails to get their wider network involved in making this happen. We had a number of donations from the general public too. In order to make the café fully accessible we’re currently on a fundraising drive to pay for a Stannah Stairlift that will cost over £6000.

Page 20

CR Tell us how it is run? What does it take to set one up?

SB Two of us at Guys Marsh joined the board of Expia, and we manage the financial and strategic side of the operations of the two cafes. Three people from The Verne are on the board, and there are two lay members who work on the board too.

At Guys Marsh we employ Rachael Maynard to run the day to day operations, lock, stock and barrel. At the moment we have five prisoners who handle everything on a daily basis from cooking to front of house. Prior to coming to work at the café we get them their Level 2 Hygiene certificate.

The prisoners are on Relief On Temporary License (ROTL), and work in the café between continues overleaf u

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The Jailhouse Cafe continued

9.30 in the morning to 2pm in the afternoon.

Looking back five years this just wouldn’t have been allowed! We’re just starting a NVQ qualification in Customer Service through Western College, and prisoners will be encouraged to work in the café as part of their progression to the qualification.

Ultimately we’d like our prisoners to work at other cafes in the area as well. This would enable us to put more people through the programme while enabling us to engage with the local community.

CR How do you advertise the cafe?

SB Prior to the Change of Use permission from the local council we weren’t allowed to advertise, but we were allowed to let people know about it by word of mouth. A number of people from the general public came in after hearing about it.

On getting permission, we ran a publicity campaign that has cost very little. The office staff designed some of great leaflets, but the bulk of the publicity has been from the local media. Almost every week a local newspaper writes about us, and working with BBC Radio Solent we’ve had some very successful open days. The local independent radio station gives free advertising to Community Interest Companies, and I’m doing an advert with them soon. The widest publicity we’ve got has cost us nothing at all!

CR What of the future?

SB At Expia we expect to have another Jailhouse Café opened in the next year or so. For us at Guys Marsh we’re looking at expanding our operations, using funds raised from the visitors’ tuck shop and the café to pay for a prison orchard for example. We’ve also suggested to the local community that we open a grocery shop run by prisoners for them, since the nearest shop is miles away from Guys Marsh.

CR Thank you for talking to the Review again. the Custodial Review

LH, Linda Cowley and RH, Rachael Maynard.

Rachael Maynard, Manager of Jailhouse Café Rachael Maynard has been working in catering since the age of 16. She says, “I’ve done all sorts of catering – hotels, schools, nurseries… I was working at a nursing home when I saw this job come up, and I leapt at the chance!”

Under her tutelage, at least one of the five prisoners on the programme has decided to do the new NVQ Level 2 in catering run through a local college at Guys Marsh.

The modus operendii at the Jailhouse is to start small and expand the café’s Page 22

menu and range at a pace to ensure quality is not compromised by ambition.

Speaking of the current menu, Maynard suggests, “We will probably put more on but it is early days yet so we have condensed the menu, but as we get busier we will put more on.”

Rachael Maynard has worked with prisoners before. At a hotel in Bournemouth a number who were in a halfway house worked with her in a kitchen and she found this a very rewarding experience.

Linda Cowley was chairman of the Friends of Guys Marsh for over 8 years.

She has been at the start of the Cafe at GM as a Director.

YJB response to report on girls in the criminal justice system The Youth Justice Board (YJB) welcomes the findings of the joint report, ‘Girls in the Criminal Justice System’.

The report underlines the challenges of providing an effective multi-agency response to girls, some of whom may present as a risk to others - but who are also considered vulnerable because of their complex and deep rooted needs.

Whilst the report demonstrates the need for further work to improve the consistency and quality of practice in this area, it is also encouraging to see evidence of local services and secure establishments developing their own practice and protocols for their work with young girls.

Chief Executive of the YJB, Lin Hinnigan, said: Recognising and understanding the distinct needs of girls in the criminal justice system is key to enabling local agencies to act on the findings in this report.

In the last two years, the YJB has developed a new framework and toolkit that can be used by youth offending teams (YOTS) to help inform their work with girls. Some YOTS have taken this further and developed programmes specifically for young girls in their area. These programmes have a particular focus on building self esteem which can help reduce girls’ vulnerability to exploitation, as well as substance misuse, sexual and emotional health, family and peer relationships.

The YJB has also been working in partnership with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Home Office, to raise awareness among youth justice practitioners and help them to identify vulnerable girls who have been sexually or physically abused. We have created specific training for practitioners to improve the work they do with girls who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, gang associated violence and domestic violence.

The YJB has also developed a self assessment tool for local services to enable them to measure themselves against the findings and recommendations in this report. This tool will support practice improvement and further accountability in the future.

This work will run alongside Assetplus, the new assessment framework, which will roll out from next year to support youth offending partnerships to respond more effectively to risk and vulnerability in all young people. the Custodial Review

Book now to pay less for the Youth Justice Convention 2015 If you plan to attend the Youth Justice Convention this year.

To book, visit the convention website (www.youthjusticeconvention.co.uk/) and don’t forget to follow the convention on Twitter @YJC2015 for updates on speakers, workshops and events.

The Youth Justice Convention (#yjc15) is the annual event for all those working in the youth justice system, in particular managers, professionals, practitioners and policymakers. It will take place on 25th and 26th November at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Over 600 people attended last year and we expect that the convention will be heavily subscribed.

Youth justice annual statistics for 2013 to 2014 The release of the annual youth justice statistics shows the continuing downward trend of children and young people in the youth justice system. In particular they evidence:

• • •

20% fewer First Time Entrants (FTEs) into the youth justice system than the previous year the average population of young people (u-18) in custody was 1,216; down by 21% the number of young people in the reoffending cohort was down by 25%

Although these are encouraging figures, the smaller cohort of young people currently in the youth justice system, and in custody in particular, is complex and challenging - with many of them having a propensity to reoffend.

The statistics also show that - during this time period - young people under18 accounted for just 1% of the total custody population.

In December 2014, the Youth Justice Board’s unofficial records showed the lowest ever figures of young people in custody - it was for the first time under 1000.

But the YJB recognises that there is still work to do to effectively deal with the needs and behaviours of this cohort. We continue to work closely with NOMS to identify and address the root causes of violence in the secure estate; and to roll out (MMPR) training to all staff in YOIs to improve the behaviour management techniques they use when working with more challenging young people. We also work closely with local partners to improve the support available to young offenders released from custody. We

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Now in its fifteenth year, the convention is the showcase event for the sector, with leading and influential figures coming together to debate and discuss the latest youth justice policy developments.

This year also sees the youth justice sector celebrating fifteen years of youth offending teams. The convention will highlight the amazing progress that has been made in this time and celebrate some fantastic achievements.

launched - with the Ministry of Justice - the ‘Turn Around to Work’ initiative, and four new Resettlement Consortia in November last year.

This year’s statistics also sees the introduction of further breakdowns of data to reveal ethnicities of young people in the youth justice system in 2013/14:

• • •

75% were from a white ethnic background accounted for 75%, 60% of which received custodial sentences 8% were from a black ethnic background; 22% of which received custodial sentences 5% were from an Asian ethnic background; 7% of which received custodial sentences

It is of concern that there remains a high proportion of young people in the youth justice system from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, as compared to the general population. There is also a higher proportion of BAME young people in custody, as compared to those convicted. The YJB will be working with partners - across all agencies - to help to address this longstanding issue.

YJB responds to joint thematic inspection of resettlement services The YJB acknowledges the joint thematic inspection of resettlement services to children by youth offending teams and partner agencies, in which there are a number of recommendations for improvement.

Chief Executive, Lin Hinnigan, said: The successful resettlement of young people leaving custody is a key priority for the YJB and we welcome the findings within this report to further help us shape the YJB’s resettlement

Youth Justice Board News programme. I’m pleased to see our current strategy - working with the Ministry of Justice and NOMS - is already aligned to, and addressing, many of the issues that the report raises. Our work with both under-18 young offender institutions and secure training centres is placing resettlement at the heart of all planning and delivery.

The report also highlights a fundamental finding that resettlement requires ‘all the component parts to work to ensure children get the right support they need…’, this is the key founding principle of the YJB established resettlement consortia model. We recently launched this model in four new areas, alongside another new initiative - Turn Around to Work. Both these initiatives require multiagency partnership working across public, private and voluntary sector to ensure young people receive the support and opportunities that they need to effectively resettle and contribute positively to society.

We will continue to work with HMI Probation and wider colleagues, to ensure the identified barriers and gaps in the resettlement of young people are effectively addressed.

Are young people are being “set up to fail” on release from custody?

“Resettlement is a vital part of reducing the chances of children reoffending when they leave custody - which around 70% do. But too often resettlement goes wrong and doesn’t provide children with the support they need.

Understanding how children experience the move from custody to community is important if we are to improve the services we offer them.”

Dr Tim Bateman, coauthor of the report said:

The report ‘Custody to community: How young people cope with release’ identifies a gap in knowledge about the way young people experience the transition from custody back into the community. The research carried out by Professor Neal Hazel and Dr Tim Bateman found that the period in the early days to weeks following release can be an overwhelmingly stressful experience for young people. While some young people navigate this period relatively smoothly, the dominant theme is that young people find it hard to cope and feel disorientated about having to adjust to life in the community. This disorientation is made even harder to cope with as it is often unanticipated by young people. The report can be accessed in full at www.nacro.org.uk Responding to the report, Penelope Gibbs, Chair of the Standing Committee for Youth Justice said:

Laura explains how she felt unsupported and ‘set up to fail’ on the day of her release:

“The period of transition from custody to the community provides a window of opportunity when young people are enthusiastic to change. However, this is impeded by a lack of sufficient, relevant and timely support, leading to disillusionment and a return to offending. In particular, plans for suitable accommodation and education, training or employment are often not established by the time of release.”

“I was awake all night on the eve of my release, taken out of my cell at 6.30, it took hours to be processed out, and then once I had been released, I had under an hour to travel all the way across London and meet my probation officer. This meant I had no time to eat, change my clothes, shower even. I just had to go straight there. Amidst all the horror stories of probation sending people back to prison, eager for recall, the level of pressure and anxiety was high, meaning it was not until I was in my own bed that night that I really got to breathe and take in the fact that I was free now. I feel like the expectations are somewhat unrealistic and that people don’t appreciate how much it can feel like you are being set up to fail.”

The report identifies three main elements which young people find difficult upon release:

Dean talks about his feelings of being overwhelmed and anxious upon release:

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Research from Beyond Youth Custody says young people do not feel prepared for release and lack the support they need to cope with the transition back into the community.

Some young people would even prefer being returned to custody rather than being released into the community so that they don’t have to cope with the stresses of the outside world.

This begs the question: are we doing enough as a society to support young people to deal with the transition period immediately following release back into the community?

custody to the community. They also make recommendations about what can be done to better prepare and support young people with this difficult transition.You can watch the video here http://youtu.be/YyqahwDVAIE

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Life regime. The foremost aspect of the transition that young people highlight as stressful is their struggle to comprehend the complete and sudden change in their life regime, following the previous major life event of imprisonment. The children are overwhelmed, lost and confused.

Another source of stress reported is from the perception that, after the relatively sedentary regime in custody, everyone is rushing around madly.

Relatedly, children can find it difficult to adapt from the structured and ordered nature of their regime to a potentially chaotic home life.

“Everyone buzzes about getting out of jail but when you get out that gate it hits you straight away.You’re worried.You don’t know what to do.You’ve just been dumped in the big world… just thinking what can I do to commit a crime to get back in cos it’s more easy.”

Environment.Young people are surprised to find that elements of their environment that were familiar and taken for granted before custody now seem unfamiliar.

Seeing everything as new without a sense of normality is destabilising for them. This process of refamiliarisation is undermined by suddenly coming across elements of their home environment that have, indeed, changed while they were inside custody.

This destabilises them further and can cause confusion and anxiety.

Young people need to be prepared well in advance for these post-release challenges, and appropriate support should be in place to guide them through a destabilising and stressful period in order to promote quicker, more successful and longer-term resettlement. Only by ensuring suitable support plans are in place in time for their release can we ensure we are not setting up young people with some of the most complex needs, to fail.

Relationships. Interaction with people, even family and friends, can be problematic.

There is a period of re-establishing and renegotiating relationships that have been interrupted by incarceration, as well as relearning communication skills. This can be even more difficult with peers of the opposite sex.

A video also released shows young people from the ADAPT project in Salford and the Howard League’s U R BOSS project describing their experience of the transition from Page 25

Simon talks about what could have made the transition easier for him: “Make it easier for young people, provide more ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence) and gear them up for what to expect when being released. We can easily just let a person out and forget about them till they come back to prison. This should not be the case.”

Beyond Youth Custody is a national Big Lottery funded programme which examines and promotes best practice in the resettlement of young people and young adults leaving custody.

The programme aims to establish an evidence base of effective practice by combining what is already known about what works to reduce the reoffending of young people with an analysis of the impact of a range of approaches.

BYC brings together Nacro, the crime reduction charity, with three research and evaluation partners, ARCS (UK), and Salford and Bedfordshire universities.

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New report on gangs says focus on resettlement after custody to reduce crime A new report has been published today on how to address the growing concern of managing gang involved young people when released from prison. The Beyond Youth Custody research, brings together experts from Nacro, the crime reduction charity, university academics, and plugs a worrying knowledge gap on how to support ganginvolved young people to exit gangs and move on from crime. The report, ‘Gang-involved young people: custody and beyond’, is based on testimonies from young people themselves and those working with them in custody and the community. Key findings include:

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Gang violence is a growing concern in specific YOI’s with increasing pressure on staff and young people.

Understanding how to address gang associations on release is weak.

Young people in gangs are often cut off from youth workers or mentors that work with them to exit gangs in the community when in custody.

Exiting a gang is a process and those working with young people in gangs need a realistic strategy to build resilience and help them to move on.

An ex-gang mentor may not always be the right fit for some young people. Mentors can come from across society and must match with individual’s needs.

Young people who are relocated are at particular risk of relapse into gang activity and criminality. Intensive support which is tailored around an individual is required to avoid a relapse.

There are specific concerns about girls and young women recognising and reporting gang related crime.

Gang-involved young people are likely to have experienced, perpetrated or witnessed serious violence. Exposure to such violence puts gang-involved young people at increase likelihood of mental illness and trauma.

Families can play a key role in helping young people involved in gangs to resettle after custody and skilled workers are required to navigate complex dynamics of families involved.

Nacro Head of Policy, Sally Benton said: “There has been a worrying lack of attention into what happens when gang-involved young people are released into the community after spending time in custody. Recent inspection reports highlight acute problems of gangrelated violence within the secure estate but fail to address how to tackle it and how to move young people on. the Custodial Review

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The report today seeks to plug this gap. For gang-involved young people offending can lead to a destructive cycle of crime that they often fall into and struggle to get out of. If we are going to effectively resettle young people back into society then we have to get better at understanding what is required when people leave custody. We have to think differently about the services and support people need and how they are delivered.

We not only have to address homelessness, drugs and alcohol misuse, mental health problems, family relationships and trauma but we also have to enable young people to change the way they think about themselves and build resilience. If we do this then we have a genuine opportunity to reduce reoffending and prevent the creation of more victims of crime.”

Penelope Gibbs MP, Chair, Standing Committee for Youth Justice, said: “Release from custody is a pivotal point for children who’ve been involved in gangs. Child custody - particularly Feltham YOI - has a very long way to go in addressing gang-related issues. We welcome this research that helps us understand the support these children need to stay safe and turn their lives around on release.”

Beyond Youth Custody (BYC) is one of three England-wide learning and awareness projects funded under the Big Lottery Fund’s Youth in Focus (YIF) programme, which aims to support vulnerable young people through changes in their lives. BYC has been designed to challenge, advance, and promote better thinking in policy and practice for the effective resettlement of young people. BYC brings together Nacro, the crime reduction charity, with three research and evaluation partners, ARCS (UK), and Salford and Bedfordshire universities.

The report is based on a review of literature on the rehabilitation of gang-involved young people and interviews with resettlement professionals, policy makers, and young people who were either in custody or had recently served custodial sentences for gang-related offences.

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custody upon them, their resettlement needs and their reoffending patterns differ from those of young men. Resettlement practice and interventions with this group therefore need to address particular vulnerabilities, engage with the role of relationships and empower girls and young women make positive choices.

The roundtable brought together key stakeholders, policy makers and practitioners, and asked them to make recommendations for resettlement of this group. The meeting heard contributions from: Keynote speaker, Baroness Jean Corston, author of ‘The Corston Report’, A review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system, Nick Hardwick CBE, Chief Inspector of Prisons, Andy Smith, Assistant Chief Inspector of Probation, Alaina Tolhurst, Resettlement Project Manager, Youth Justice Board The roundtable discussions explored some of the challenges related to policy, practice and rhetoric that act as a barrier to effectively meeting the needs of girls and young women and can impede resettlement approaches with this group. The meeting also identified key gender–sensitive themes that should be considered in the resettlement of girls and young women.

Topics arising from discussions included: setting meaningful outcomes for the resettlement of girls and young women, the need to focus on age as well as gender, issues around the terminology ‘gender-neutral’, the challenges but also clear opportunities that the small numbers of girls in custody provides and the importance of relationships in effective resettlement of this group.

Discussions and recommendations for policy and practice have been summarised into a short briefing document, available at www. beyondyouthcustody.net

Court custody The resettlement of facilities in Surrey girls and young women and Sussex - serious Youth Custody’s roundtable on the shortcomings resettlement of girls and young women: On 20th January, the Beyond Youth Custody programme held a roundtable to discuss the findings of Dr Tim Bateman and Prof Neal Hazel’s research into gender-responsive resettlement practice for girls and young women. The meeting was chaired by Jacob Tas and heard leading contributions from Baroness Jean Corston and Nick Hardwick CBE. With females comprising less than 5% of young people in custody, most knowledge about effective resettlement and reducing reoffending comes from work with young men.Young women’s pathways into offending, the impact of Page 26

The management of court custody in Surrey and Sussex was fragmented and no collective action had been taken to resolve safety issues, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons.

The inspection was the eighth in a new programme of inspections of court custody carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. At the time of inspection there were 13 courts that had custody facilities, including four crown courts. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) had contracted GEOAmey to provide custody and escort facilities for HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) in the two counties.

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In 2013 HMCTS had restructured its operations in Surrey and Sussex and had concentrated remand cases into a much smaller number of magistrates’ courts, sitting on fewer days. This had resulted in the cells at those courts being overloaded, with detainees sitting on the floor on one day and all cells being empty the next. Physical conditions varied from good to very poor. Provision of basic toilet facilities, hygiene and cleanliness in some court custody suites was poor. The lack of adequate cell capacity and the poor quality of information about risk, health and selfharm which came with detainees from police stations and prisons was a significant risk to staff and detainee welfare.

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Inspectors were also concerned to find that:

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essential information about health conditions was missing, and in one case a cell share had to be reviewed once further information about the detainee’s psychosis had been relayed; efforts made by custody staff to address the needs of children by asking the court to deal with their cases first were undermined by the escort contractor being unable to provide prompt transfers of children to secure training centres and young offender institutions; women and children were transferred

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in cellular vehicles with male detainees (sometimes with all-male crews), which can result in women being harassed by male detainees; staff used restraints with compliant detainees, including women and children, and lacked the authority to challenge this; few detainees were offered information about their rights in custody; there were a few examples of staff taking great care to help vulnerable detainees but these were exceptional; and any attempts to provide good care were undermined by the combined effects of the poor physical environment, inadequate information, extreme variations in workload and, at some courts, overcrowding.

Nick Hardwick said:

“We found serious shortcomings in court custody in Surrey and Sussex, particularly in relation to safety, and in the care of children and other vulnerable detainees.

Responsibilities for custody were split between several organisations that rarely met together, with none having overall responsibility for seeing the entire picture and driving forward urgently needed improvements. We have made a number of recommendations, some to be

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resolved nationally, to improve the safety and care of people in court custody.”

HMP Bristol significant progress, but still more to do HMP Bristol had come a long way in a short time, but needed support to make further improvements, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons.

HMP Bristol is a Victorian prison with a needy, transient population typical of an inner city local jail. Inspectors were very concerned at what they found at its last inspection in May 2013 and announced that they would return earlier than usual. This more recent inspection found that the governor and staff had made huge efforts to respond to recommendations, and although significant concerns remained, considerable progress had been made.

At HMP Bristol, more than a quarter of the prisoners reported mental health problems.

Almost a third of prisoners reported a drug problem when they entered the prison and almost a quarter had problems with alcohol. Seventy per cent needed help with continues overleaf u

Prison flooring gets clean, green makeover A leading supplier of resin flooring to the custodial sector has taken advantage of improvements to technology associated with Polyaspartic materials and is launching a cleaner, greener and easier to use range of flooring products.

Elladur from Resin Surfaces Ltd (RSL) is a five-strong product range which is ideal for use in prisons and other high security environments because of its low odour, quick return to service benefits.

Customers are already in discussions with RSL on taking Elladur products into prisons where fast-turnaround, low impact features are essential.

The Elladur range will be low odour, low VOC, UV stable and have a degree of flexibility as well as being simple to use, providing speedy return to service even at low temperatures.

The initial range will include: Elladur SF Clear - clear, high build Polyaspartic coating with a gloss finish

The company will work with a number of specialist contractors in the first instance to introduce the new products into the prison sector.

Elladur SF Colour - coloured high build Polyaspartic coating

Ivy Wroe, Managing Director of RSL, said that it was exciting for the company to be taking advantage of one of the very latest developments in technology for the flooring sector.

Elladur Deco FL, a decorative flake system Elladur Deco BC, a decorative quartz system with enhanced slip resistance

She said: “Polyaspartic materials are excellent for quick return to service projects and an eco-friendly alternative to other materials in the market place. We know Elladur will help us open up new opportunities for us and our partners across the UK custodial sector.”

Elladur LM – a high build Polyaspartic, fast-cure line marking coating New systems will be added to this line throughout 2015.

The products can be applied to a wide range of substrates and are recommended into areas needing a high performance finish. The range is also good for decorative floor areas and adds durability to good looks, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming repairs.

For more information visit us at www.resinsurfaces.co.uk, follow us @ResinSurfaces or call 0161 483 1232.

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accommodation or employment on release.

Two-thirds of prisoners were unsentenced or serving sentences of less than six months.

There were significant limitations on the resources the prison had to meet these needs.

There had been little investment in the quality of accommodation and despite efforts by the prison, many communal areas and cells were in poor physical condition. The prison had to cope with some significant staff vacancies and managers were frustrated by the poor performance of some regional contracts, such as laundry, that caused unacceptable problems but which they felt unable to influence.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

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there had been a marked improvement in the staff culture and attitudes of staff since 2013; health services had improved and mental health provision was very good, with the Brunel Unit providing a range of interventions to stabilise men with enduring mental health problems before they moved back to the wings; prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm felt well supported, although processes to care for them were weak; prisoners in the segregation unit were well cared for; security was proportionate and the prison was taking robust action to reduce the supply of drugs; services for prisoners with substance abuse problems had improved and were now good; prisoners could have much more time out of their cells than at the previous inspection; and practical resettlement services had improved since the last inspection: new arrangements had reduced the number of men leaving the prison without settled accommodation from 22% in April 2014 to 5% in September and help for men to find work or training after release was good.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

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levels of violence had risen sharply since the last inspection and were now considerably higher than in similar prisons; not enough had been done to investigate individual violent incidents and deal with perpetrators and victims; not enough was done to protect some vulnerable prisoners; the availability of new psychoactive substances such as “Spice” was a problem and in the last six months there had been seven Spice-related emergency admissions to hospital; failures in some basic services, such as laundry facilities and kit provision, caused real frustration; the management of learning, work and skills required improvement;

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arrangements to meet the needs of prisoners from minority groups were weak; and offender management had deteriorated and multi-agency public protection arrangement (MAPPA) procedures for the most high-risk prisoners were in disarray.

Nick Hardwick said:

“HMP Bristol has come a long way in a relatively short time since the last inspection.

Nevertheless, some significant concerns remain and while some of these are outside the prison’s direct control, it is important this does not discourage the prison from making the further improvements that could be made.

The distance the prison has already travelled has involved real determination, hard work and resilience from managers and staff which needs to be recognised. It is important they now receive support to make the further improvements required.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: “As the Chief Inspector has recognised, the Governor and her staff have worked hard to make real improvements to the regime at Bristol over the last two years.

“The prison deals with a very challenging population, and staff deserve particular credit for ensuring quality support for those who suffer from mental health or substance misuse issues, as well as improving the support given to offenders leaving custody .

“There remain a number of key areas for improvement, and the prison will continue to work hard to address these, supported by 10 new prison officers who will start later this month.”

HMP Brixton continues to improve There have been demonstrable improvements in the way HMP Brixton is equipping and preparing prisoners for release, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons.

For the past two years, HMP Brixton has been making the transition from a local prison to its new role as a category C/D resettlement prison for south London. A few months before the inspection, the prison’s vulnerable prisoner population (mainly sex offenders) were removed and replaced with more mainstream prisoners. This inspection found that the process of change was continuing and inspectors were encouraged by what they saw.

Brixton is a difficult prison to run, not least because of its age, location and the limitations of its environment.

Inspectors were pleased to find that: Page 28

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arrangements to admit new prisoners had improved; security was generally applied proportionately, use of force was low, as was the use of segregation; work to promote equality was improving, and health care services were effective; prisoners who worked could be out of their cells for 10 hours a day, which was impressive; the provision of learning and skills activity was improving and there were sufficient activity places for the whole population; there was a good focus on employability and some impressive vocational training, as well as resettlement placements available; the use of release on temporary licence (ROTL) was well managed, although too many prisoners were sent to Brixton with too little time left of their sentence to benefit from ROTL; and work to support resettlement was generally very good.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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prisoner perceptions about their safety had not improved and there was evidence of more violence which coincided with the recent population changes; work to address and reduce violence was improving, but inspectors were concerned about the lack of confidence prisoners had in reporting victimisation and intimidation; incidents of self-harm had increased over the last year, but remained lower than comparable prisons, and tragically the prison had experienced two self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection in 2013; the environment remained aged and cramped and although reasonably clean, many cells were grim and overcrowded; a quarter of prisoners were locked up during the working day and the prison closed down very early in the evening; and offender management was struggling to keep pace with recent changes and many prisoners had neither an up-to-date assessment nor sentence plan.

Nick Hardwick said:

“Largely as a response to the poor conditions we have seen at Brixton, this inspectorate called for a rethink of this establishment’s role and purpose. That rethink is taking place and Brixton is developing a new sense of purpose. Brixton provides a unique opportunity for London prisoners to resettle into their local community. This resettlement function makes sense and it is clear that a huge amount of work has been done to deliver this new vision, but Brixton needs help to ensure it receives prisoners who are able to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.

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The prison is not yet transformed and there are features and aspects of the operation that jar with this new direction. However, Brixton is a better place; it is reasonably safe and settled and there have been demonstrable improvements in the way it is equipping and preparing prisoners for release.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: “Since the last inspection, staff at Brixton have worked hard to drive improvements across all aspects of the regime as they adjust to the prison’s new role.

“They deserve real credit for the progress they have made, as well as their valuable work to rehabilitate prisoners and prepare them for release.

“There is still more to do, but I am confident that the prison will continue to successfully develop its resettlement role.”

HMYOI Werrington – a well-run young offender institution.

Living conditions at HMYOI Werrington had significantly improved and it was providing more training and education opportunities for the boys it held, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. On publishing a report of an unannounced inspection of the young offender institution near Stoke on Trent.

Werrington can hold up to 160 boys under the age of 18. At the time of this inspection, the population was just over 100. At its previous inspection in September 2013, inspectors found an establishment which had improved but where significant shortcomings still remained. This more recent inspection found that improvements had continued, particularly in the areas of respect and purposeful activity.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

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the modern reception facilities were extremely good and the first night accommodation was clean and well prepared; the induction process was streamlined and more relevant; the overall approach towards security was proportionate, staff used deescalation techniques well and force was used sparingly; the level of self-harm had reduced and there had been no serious incidents; the close working relationship between the prison and the local authority helped to maintain effective safeguarding and child protection arrangements; the standard of the residential accommodation had improved significantly – cells were clean and

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successful efforts had been made to reduce graffiti; relationships between staff and children were consistently good and staff were interested in and had good knowledge of the boys they were responsible for; the education provision had improved, fewer classes were cancelled, punctuality was good and levels of attendance were up; the quality of teaching was significantly better and the level of achievement by children had increased dramatically and was now very high; work to support children with resettling back into the community continued to be good; and follow-up work to track the progress of children after release was a promising initiative.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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although the number of assaults had reduced slightly, the overall level of violence remained high and many children reported feeling unsafe; work on diversity was weak and a more strategic approach, along with better consultation, was required; and too many boys were locked up during the core day and although the amount of time boys could spend in the fresh air had increased, it was still less than other establishments.

Nick Hardwick said:

“Werrington is a well run establishment and we were mostly encouraged by what we found. Notably, changes since the last inspection have resulted in significant improvements in living conditions and the opportunities boys are offered in education and training. These are important advances and it is essential that this progress is consolidated and sustained. Nevertheless, levels of violence are still too high and many boys told us they felt unsafe. Werrington benefits overall from being a small institution where the quality of relationships is good. It is important that this is capitalised on and that staff work with the children to find better ways of maintaining a safe environment.”

“Significant progress has been made in a number of areas, in particular raising the educational attainment of a very challenging population through high quality learning and training opportunities.

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“I am confident that they will continue to build on their achievements as they address the remaining challenges.”

HMP Long Lartin an effective high security prison HMP Long Lartin is a calm and controlled prison which could improve still further, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons when he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the high security jail in Worcestershire.

HMP Long Lartin holds some of the most serious offenders in England and Wales. At the time of the inspection it was holding just over 600 men, nearly all of whom were serving very long sentences. The throughput of prisoners, about three-quarters of whom were over the age of 30, was low, ensuring a stable and largely settled population.

However, the risks presented by the population were considerable. At its last inspection in 2011, inspectors reported on a prison that was ensuring reasonably good outcomes across all four healthy prison tests: safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement. The findings of this inspection were similar. Overall the prison was reasonably safe and respectful.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

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Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: “I am pleased that the Chief Inspector has highlighted the improvements made at Werrington. The Governor and his staff deserve real credit for their hard work to create a culture of continuous improvement.

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some effective arrangements were in place to evaluate risk and reduce the likelihood of violence; CCTV coverage and staff engagement ensured prisoners were well supervised and the number of violent incidents recorded was comparatively low, although some were very serious, including a murder which took place in 2013; security measures were applied in a generally proportionate manner; all prisoners had their own cell and much of the newer accommodation was good; the majority of prisoners felt respected by staff; an up-to-date reducing reoffending policy, supported by a comprehensive analysis of need, was in place; offender management arrangements worked well with most assessments and sentence plans completed to a good standard and in a timely manner; and most of the prison’s resettlement work was good and tailored to the needs of the very few prisoners who were discharged from Long Lartin.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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care for those in crisis needed to better; the older wings retained the ‘night san’ remote unlocking system that allowed access to sanitation, which led to some poor and degrading outcomes for prisoners; and although prisoners had satisfactory access to time out of cell and most prisoners were engaged in work, training or education, the overall effectiveness of learning and skills provision was inadequate.

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: “This is another positive report which shows continued improvement at Long Lartin.

“The Governor and his staff are working with some of the most serious and high risk offenders and they deserve real credit for doing so safely and effectively, as the Inspector has found.

“The prison will continue to work hard to achieve further improvement, building on the recommendations from this inspection.”

HMP Northumberland - improvements needed HMP Northumberland had gone through a major transition but lacked a clear sense of purpose and needed to improve safety and provide more work, training and education for prisoners, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. When he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the training jail.

HMP Northumberland, formed from the amalgamation of Acklington prison and Castington young offender institution in 2011, is a large site holding over 1,300 adult male prisoners. The prison incorporates a vulnerable prisoner population, mainly convicted of sex offences, held separately. At its last inspection in 2012, inspectors described a reasonably safe and respectful prison which needed to provide more purposeful activity and improve its resettlement services. In late 2013 the establishment was taken over by the private sector provider, Sodexo, and was concluding the transition process at the time of this inspection. This inspection had similar findings to the 2012 inspection, though safety outcomes had deteriorated and there had been challenges following the transition process. HMP Northumberland is a relatively remote prison holding prisoners mainly from the North East, but almost a third of prisoners the Custodial Review

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sent there were from the North West. Many did not want to be held that far from home and some behaved in a way that would result in segregation in an attempt to force a transfer.

These undercurrents of discontent were an ongoing risk to the stability of the prison.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

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Nick Hardwick said: “Long Lartin manages some significant risks but does so with confidence. The prison is calm and controlled and although there is more to do, improvement is evident.”

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not all prisoners received a thorough initial risk assessment or induction; prisoners said they felt less safe at Northumberland than at comparable prisons; recorded assaults were high and work to confront bullying and violence lacked rigour; there had been three self-inflicted deaths since 2012 and although the prison had been monitoring implementation of recommendations from investigations into those tragedies, latterly scrutiny had lapsed; too many prisoners felt it was easy to obtain illicit drugs or alcohol; about a third of the population were locked in their cell during the working day; there were sufficient activity places for only 75% of the population; Northumberland was meant to be a designated national resource to manage sex offenders and indeterminate-sentenced prisoners, but there was no up-to-date assessment of need to plan resettlement work for them; and case loads for offender supervisors were too great and the quality of sentence and risk management plans was often insufficient.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

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the relatively low number of prisoners at risk of self-harm were well cared for; the application of security measures was generally proportionate; work to support prisoners trying to confront their drug problem was generally good; although the quality and composition of accommodation varied greatly across this large prison, all prisoners had their own cell; most prisoners felt staff treated them with respect; the quality of health care was good; learning facilities, the quality of teaching and learner achievements were reasonably good for those who accessed work or learning; and resettlement provision was reasonable, although many prisoners received no overall review of their reintegration needs prior to release.

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Inspectors were pleased to find that:

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the prison was calm, the regime was predictable and security was generally proportionate; levels of violence were similar to other local prisons, levels of self-harm were lower, and there were few incidents involving the use of force; the prison had a rigorous policy to reduce the supply of drugs, although more prisoners said that drugs were easily available than elsewhere; reception was well organised and support for prisoners on the drug recovery wing was excellent; external areas were clean and in generally good condition; relationships between staff and prisoners were mostly reasonable; men with mental health problems were well cared for and those who needed it had access to a learning disabilities nurse; men had around eight hours out of their cell each day, if they worked; vocational training was good and prisoners achieved well; offender management was well organised, with dedicated and experienced staff, although there were some gaps; and there was an impressive range of sex offender treatment programmes.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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HMP Hull was working well in some areas but there were some significant weaknesses, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons.

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1,000 adult men and young offenders. As well as managing a rapid turnover of men with the typical needs and challenges of an inner city local prison, about a third of those held are serving longer sentences of four years or more for serious offences. Many of these men are sex offenders. The prison had seen a recent increase in population after two Victorian wings that had been closed were brought back into use. The prison had weathered the population and resource pressures over the past year better than most and, while it had significant weaknesses in a number of areas, there was much good work.

HMP Hull – a mixed picture HMP Hull is an inner city prison holding over

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more prisoners said they had felt unsafe at some time in the prison (50%) than the comparator (40%); the overall management of violence reduction was weak and vulnerable prisoners held on the first night wing in close proximity to other new arrivals were subject to unacceptable abuse; prisoners subject to suicide and self-harm prevention measures said the care they received was poor; far too many prisoners were in very cramped cells designed for one prisoner; work on equality and diversity was weak; and there was not enough work, training and education for the population.”