Custodial the
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The Custodial Review Informing the Prison, Customs & Immigration and Police Services Edition 65
Champion drug dog... wins again!.
Sustainable development. 12 years on . . .
Yarls Wood opens a new male unit
Food waste to water . . .
In this issue Derek Hannan, the Deputy Head of Sustainable Development
Francis Crook, of The Howard League, on Solitary Confinement
Ian Napper is the Head of Learning, Skills, Employment and Training at HMP Exeter
Gary Spilsbury Catering Manager at HMP Exeter
www.thecustodial.co.uk For thousands of products, services and links
Contents Issue 65
Editorial Team: Tracy Johnson, Derek Cooper
Annual Subscription £30 Free to qualifying individuals
Sustainable development. 12 years on . . .
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HMP Wayland Drug Dogs win again!
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The Howard League on solitary confinement
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Ian Napper, save a watt, what a save!
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Administration: Lyn Mitchell Design/Production: Amanda Wesley 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.
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Yarls Wood opens a new male unit
Copyright: the Custodial Review Published by Review Magazines, Clifton House, 4a Goldington Road Bedford MK40 3NF. Tel: 01234 348878 Fax: 01223 790191 E-mail: thecustodial@pirnet.co.uk Website: www.thecustodial.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 by Advertisers and Associations which may contravene the Official Secrets Act or that have not first been cleared by the Home Office of Prisons Executive, should that have been necessary.
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HMP Exeter, waste to water....
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Hertfordshire’s first virtual court Victims and witnesses in Hertfordshire are benefiting from swift and effective court hearings, prisoner movements are being reduced and valuable police hours are being saved thanks to the region’s first ever virtual court. The new virtual court at Hatfield Remand Court allows a defendant, charged in Watford’s police station, to have their first hearing held over secure video link from the Magistrates’ court, often within hours of being charged. Twenty cases have been dealt with since the virtual court went live last month with many offenders sentenced at the first hearing via the virtual link. Offences dealt with have included theft, assault, breach of a restraining order and driving whilst disqualified. Virtual courts are designed to avoid delays for victims and witnesses and to ensure crimes are dealt with more quickly and effectively. The same equipment is used for police officers providing evidence at court from the police station. The virtual court is the second court in Hertfordshire that is using video links to make the Criminal Justice System more efficient. Since last summer Hatfield police station has been linked to St Albans Magistrates’ court to enable police officers to provide evidence at court from the police station – a process known as Live Links. Courts Minister, Jonathan Djanogly said: ‘The first virtual court in Hertfordshire demonstrates the Government’s commitment to working with local police and the courts to ensure speedy and effective justice. ‘Not only do they enable the quick resolution of cases, they also save time as defendants do not need to be transferred between prison and the court.’ Bench Chairman, Cathy Kerby said: ‘Hertfordshire Magistrates welcome virtual courts as an innovative aid to streamlining the delivery of justice, and making case management in our courts swifter and more effective, to the benefit of all involved.’ Hertfordshire Chief Constable Andy Bliss, who chairs the county’s Criminal Justice Board added: ‘This service has benefits to all agencies in Hertfordshire has been developed against a backdrop of positive partnership working. It is hoped that the advent of virtual courts will mean that justice is delivered more swiftly.’ Virtual courts are part of a wider policy to digitalise, streamline and make the Criminal Justice system more efficient. By the end of spring 2012, the entire criminal justice system
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Government launches employment support for prisoners The government is launching a major overhaul of the employment support prisoners receive when they leave jail. Everyone leaving prison and claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance benefits will be immediately referred on day one to the government’s work programme, where they will receive specialist support to get them into employment as quickly as possible. This is the start of a new push to get former offenders back into work and to prevent reoffending and make them contribute to society. Additionally Jobcentre Plus staff will now process benefit claims in prison streamlining the benefits process, making immediate mandation to the work programme possible and ultimately reducing the temptation to reoffend. The plan follows a long preparatory project between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Justice to share, information about prisoner releases and benefit claims. The Ministry of Justice is also preparing to pilot the integration of a reoffending outcome payment into the work programme, which will further improve employment outcomes, as part of a wider programme of pilots to reduce reoffending on a payment by results basis. Work programme providers will receive a fee of £5,600 if they succeed in placing a former offender into work, and help them stay in employment for over two years. Work programme providers will be able to start providing support and guidance about employment opportunities to prisoners while they are still in custody in preparation for release. Figures compiled by the two departments for England and Wales, showed that one third of all of those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) have criminal records, and 28 per cent for Employment Support Allowance. Of those leaving prison 75 per cent of offenders claimed an out of work benefit within two years. Two years after being released from prison in 2008, 47 per cent of offenders were on
out of work benefits. Offenders claiming JSA on release from prison in 2008 spent 40 per cent more time on benefits over then next three years than the average claimant. In total 26 per cent of the 4.9 million open claims for out-of-work benefits were made by offenders who had received at least one caution or conviction between 2000 and 2010. Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: ‘Getting former offenders into work is absolutely crucial to tackling our crime challenge. The rate of reoffending in Britain is far too high, and we have to reduce it. In the past we just sent people out onto the same streets where they offended in the first place with virtually no money and very little support. We’re now working to change that.’ Prisons Minister Crispin Blunt said: ‘Getting ex-prisoners into work at the earliest opportunity will help them stop re-offending. Referring offenders to the work programme straight from custody will ensure that they get help and support to find work as they leave custody, when they are currently most likely to start re-offending. By enabling them to pay their own way sooner rather than later through immediate entry to the work programme, we will break the cycle of crime earlier for more offenders, which is in the interests of us all.’ Prisoners who do not claim JSA before leaving custody, but who subsequently claim Jobseeker’s Allowance within 13 weeks after release, will also be mandated to the work programme. As well as more employment support, prison leavers will also have to meet additional requirements and engage with the jobs market in order to continue receiving benefits. Individuals who do not co-operate with the work programme providers to get work will be sanctioned and will lose benefits.
is required to go digital, with secure electronic transfer of case files between the police, prosecutors and courts becoming the norm rather than the exception.
effectively, reducing the number of times information has to be asked for and reducing the physical movement of people required to enable cases to proceed.
Virtual courts and Live Links provide the building blocks for further reform and enable the Criminal Justice System agencies to modernise the way its core business is delivered: by sharing information more
The virtual courts initiative began in May 2009 in London (Camberwell Green) and Kent (Medway) and has now been extended to other locations in these areas as well as Cheshire and Hertfordshire.
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Students’ own prison drama tackles behaviour change A group of University of Derby students proved their determination to use drama to help others by delivering a series of theatre workshops to inmates of a nearby prison.
The three BA (Hons) Creative Expressive Therapies degree students, Sam Gomersall, Tuuli Albekoglu and Libby Long, led four half-day workshops with groups of up to 15 inmates of HM Prison Dovegate near Uttoxeter over the last year. The students, who chose to lead the sessions at the prison as part of their final year project, planned and devised drama exercises to promote behaviour change in the prisoners. Libby Long, 26, originally from Meath in Ireland, said: “We used drama exercises such as changes in physicality and improvisation to create
characters and scenarios where the participants could act out and understand people’s actions and decisions, and their consequences.
all-male prison. This was a real test, but the feedback has showed that both students and inmates really benefited from the sessions.
“Although it was understandably difficult for some of the participants to allow themselves to engage with drama at the start of our sessions, by the end we had built up a good level of trust and each person felt comfortable using drama to tackle some of the problems that may have led to their prison sentence.”
“We must thank the Geese Theatre Company - which delivers interactive drama, staff training and consultation within the Criminal Justice System – for coming into the University to deliver a number of guest lectures, and for inspiring the students.”
Ray Duckworth, Director of HMP Dovegate, said: “Drama plays a very important role in the experiential learning for prisoners. This project enabled them to understand from past experiences and was extremely valuable. “I am keen to introduce similar projects in the future, and believe they could be effectively used by other establishments.” University of Derby Lecturer, Ava Hunt, said: “By choosing to work in the prison the students tested their ability to employ their skills of using drama in education supporting behavioural change. “As the group was made up of Creative Expressive students their facilitation skills were of a very high quality, and they did fantastically well in the challenging environment of an
Other groups of BA (Hons) Creative Express Therapies and with BA (Hons) Theatre Arts students took drama into schools and worked with young offenders as part of their final year projects. For more information on Creative Expressive Therapies or Theatre Arts degrees visit website www.derby.ac.uk The University is home to a diverse community of more than 20,000 students from the UK and overseas studying on a wide range of subjects in; arts, design and technology; business, computing and law; education, health and sciences; culinary arts, events management and sport. Derby achieved University status in 1992, and Professor John Coyne has been the University’s Vice-Chancellor since 2004.
Skills for Justice launches new membership scheme CUSTODIAL care employers can now have exclusive access to business information, resources and project support through a new membership scheme launched by Skills for Justice. From April, members have been able to access expert advice and guidance on qualifications, funding, research into sector employment trends, as well as a host of other tools to support the human resources and training functions of employers. All are designed to help employers develop the skills of their staff to the highest standards, meeting the challenges of the present and preparing them for the future. Skills for Justice Director Amanda Ryalls said: “By consulting employers, we have revised our membership scheme to reflect more closely the products that employers have told us they would value to support HR, training and workforce planning – all of which are critical if they are to address today’s challenges and prepare for the future.” The following four key products offered to members will be available to every employee of the member organisation. They are: NOS Finder Plus – a fully interactive and searchable database of the Justice and Community Safety sector’s National Occupational Standards (NOS).
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Funding wizard - an online database which enables members to search for funding through available grants, loans, awards and bursaries. Labour Market Information matrix (LMI), which provides data, statistics and research about the workplace; primarily the supply and demand of labour. Evaluation Planning - to help project and programme managers formulate important questions, conduct evaluations, employ the right techniques, gather evidence and create plans over the duration of a project or programme. The membership also includes project days, which can be used to commission bespoke research projects such as the Custodial Care Advanced Level Apprenticeship which was developed by Skills for Justice to help promote high standards across the prison service.
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Skills for Justice is employer-led and works to ensure that organisations in these sectors have employees with the necessary skills to be productive, efficient and effective. We provide benefits and value for our employers through high quality products and services that meet their needs.
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Skills for Justice operates across the UK, with offices in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, working with a variety of employers in Custodial Care, Policing and Law Enforcement, Fire and Rescue, Offender Management, Courts, Tribunals and Prosecution, Forensic Science,Victim, Survivor and Witness Support, Local and Central Government and the Armed Forces.
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Employers can benefit from our expertise by joining our new membership scheme.
As part of the membership offer, members have a dedicated account manager providing expert advice and guidance to employers on skills issues and workforce development. In addition to the full membership scheme there are alternative packages available. For more information, visit www.skillsforjustice. com/membership
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Skills for Justice is the Sector Skills Council for Justice, Community Safety, Legal, Local and Central Government and the Armed Forces Page 4
Survived prison officer recommends cut resistant tops after surviving outrageous assault A prison officer, who has survived one of the most outrageous attacks on prison staff in the UK, is now recommending cut and slash resistant tops to help protect his colleagues. Craig Wylde, who was brutally assaulted at Frankland High Security Prison on 13th March 2010, strongly believes that the severity of his injury would have been significantly reduced if he would have been issued with cut and slash resistant t-shirts. Craig was left with a severed artery in his left arm after the incident, and is currently taking 30 tablets per day to cope with the physical and psychological pains. Craig has also been diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). He is now very keen to campaign for an improvement of the personal safety of fellow prison and correctional officers around the world, suggesting that cut and slash resistant tops are a real option to help reduce workplace violence related cut injuries within this sector. UK based PPSS Group are the world’s leading manufacturer of such type protective clothing. Their CEO Robert Kaiser, his very passionate team and many prison and correctional officers from a number of countries say it without question that such type of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) makes unquestionable operational sense and would not restrict the wearer’s movement or restrict him in his duties. “There is no doubt in my mind, concealable cut and slash resistant t-shirts, comfortably worn underneath a prison officers shirt, and not aggressive looking at all, will help reduce the risk of workplace violence related injuries within prison facilities”, claims Robert Kaiser. He continues by saying: “What has happened to Craig Wylde has now happened. He knows only too well that we cannot turn back the time. However, we both feel very strongly that something must be done, otherwise we will soon look at another fatality within this sector, which could be prevented by the issuing of the right type of PPE”. Robert Kaiser’s recent blog on this subject, titled ‘Prison officer recommends cut resistant t-shirts after surviving outrageous attack’ also features a product test video and survey link, and without doubt will start many new discussions on this subject.
PPSS Cut & Slash Resistant T Shirts
Robert Kaiser, CEO of PPSS Group is globally respected expert in body armour and known for his passion for personal protection and personal safety. He is frequently invited to speak in front of large audiences about the latest body armour developments within homeland security and domestic frontline services. He is acting as body armour consultant for a number of organisations, associations, unions and government departments.
PPE in general is not about eliminating the risk of workplace violence related injuries. It is all about reducing the risk within an environment where a risk has been identified. Robert Kaiser and Craig Wylde are now both highlighting the risks prison and correctional officers are facing every day they go to work. They seem to be determined to ensure that the request by these professionals to be issued with correct PPE will not be ignored and not forgotten. PPSS Group is a UK based manufacturer of certified covert bullet proof vests, stab proof vests and the company behind Cut-Tex® PRO. This groundbreaking fabric is one of the world’s strongest cut resistant fabrics and is now being used to manufacture cut and slash resistant clothing for law enforcement, military, prisons and other homeland security agencies all over the world.
Unit 1, Whitfield Business Park Manse Lane, Knaresborough , HG5 8BS United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 845 5193 953 F: +44 (0) 845 5193 955 E: info@ppss-group.com W: www.ppss-group.com
Sustainable development. 12 years on . . . Derek Hannan is the Deputy Head of Sustainable Development Delivery for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Derek was previously the NOMS Sustainable Development Manager with specific responsibility for environmental management systems and waste and recycling at public sector prisons and was placed third in the Annual Environmental Awards Top 100 for 2009.The awards recognise those individuals that have been positively influential across their organisation and have made the biggest impact on the waste and recycling industry in that year. Custodial Review last interviewed Derek in 2000 when he was the project manager of the national waste management and recycling scheme for HM Prison Service that was being piloted at HMP Downview. The project was part of the procurement excellence programme and Derek was responsible for the ‘end of life cycle’ of products, specifically Derek Hannan is the Deputy Head of the reuse, recycling and final Sustainable Development disposal processes. He then Delivery for the Ministry migrated into the National of Justice (MoJ). Offender Management Service (NOMS) Sustainable Development team, who were responsible for reducing the environmental impact of the prison estate and ensuring all Prison Service environmental aspects, such as waste, energy, water , transport, construction and biodiversity, were managed and sustainable . CR What did the NOMS team do and what are the major differences between your activities in 2000 and now? DH The foundation for all the work achieved on the HM prisons estate was the environmental policy we set in place in 2003. At that time our team consisted of specialists to cover each of the key environmental aspects of the business; waste, energy, water, transport, construction, biodiversity; ably supported by a few administrative staff. The team continued delivering the sustainability agenda and developed interventions as and when new requirements evolved. We looked at everything the Prison Service did and its effect on the environment. We identified the key environmental aspects and their impacts and then designed systems so that the prison service could manage them and minimise the effects on the environment. It’s not always possible to minimise the impact, however it is possible to ensure that it’s no worse than it has to be, it is closely controlled and that any detriment is no more than is absolutely necessary. In Sept 2011 the NOMS team transferred into the MOJ, amalgamating the Custodial Review
with colleagues from the HM Court Service and this team is now responsible for the delivery of sustainable development across the whole MoJ Estate Directorate, which includes prisons, courts, tribunals and, soon, the probation estate. CR Minimising impact seems a very open statement. How do you go about minimising the environmental impact of building a new prison house block? DH Firstly we have a construction checklist that’s to be considered when the house block is being designed and also there is the BREEAM standard which sets the standard for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation. These are applied to ensure we build in, where the budget allows, things like energy and water efficiency, rainwater harvesting and ground-source heat recovery. In the purchase of the equipment, we look to buy the items that offer the lowest total cost of ownership, in terms of power and material usage as well as its environmental disposal and costs at its end of life. For instance we look to install building management systems and movement sensors so that heat and light can be controlled. As we have to manage our landholding responsibly, a biodiversity audit is completed before the construction work begins. The aim is to get it right from the out-set and future proof the building as much as possible. This enables environmental benefits and savings to commence as early as is possible and prevent costly retrofitting. We strive for a combination that will bring best value in the build, the running and the eventual decommissioning. CR Does your remit run to influencing the privately run prisons and the courts? DH Now that we are incorporated into the MoJ that is so. Our role is to ensure the estate is as sustainable as is reasonably practical and provide best value. The tendering process for goods and services, including that to operate a prison, contains a requirement for sustainability and our colleagues in the MoJ procurement team include sustainability as part of the tender evaluation criteria and process. CR When we first met 12 years ago you were piloting a recycling project, now most prisons I have Page 6
visited have embraced recycling with a fervour that I used to find surprising. Is it now compulsory for establishments to have a comprehensive recycling programme? DH No it is not compulsory in terms of an explicit prison service order or instruction, however it makes sense to operate one to meet with the sustainability policy, Government targets and if you want to manage the site effectively. The question now is “why haven’t you a waste management unit”? In 2000 we had waste management units in eight public prisons, now we have them at around 120. By waste management units I mean a workshop where all the prison waste is sent to be sorted and processed for reuse, recycling or recovery through composting or energy from waste. This is to minimise what goes to landfill and now it also produces a revenue from the sale of the materials to recycling companies. Only recently have we become involved with the privately managed prisons and I’m pleased to say many of them are following the same model, if for no other reason than it makes good business sense. CR I was at a prison in the Midlands a while back where they had an in-vessel composting machine that is used to turn food waste into compost. It requires energy and people to run it. Is such an installation really an economic advantage to the prison? DH The business case for an in-vessel composting machine located in a prison is a little different than it would be elsewhere. The options are to dispose of it through a macerator and into the main sewerage network, which is not environmentally friendly and is also costly; it can be sent to landfill which is about as bad as it can get in terms of the environment, or it can be considered as a material rather than a waste and turned into something we can use. So instead of buying in compost prisons can manufacture their own and a waste stream becomes a usable commodity. We therefore minimise the environmental impact and save money by not disposing of the waste to landfill and also save money by not having to buy in compost. On top of that are the additional environmental benefits of not moving waste and compost around by lorry.
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Sustainable Development continued The ‘in vessel composter’ you mention is bought on a ‘spend to save’ basis and the usual payback period against the investment is less than 3 years. After that its money saved. That represents a good deal to the public from a financial as well as an environmental viewpoint. There are other benefits as well, such as providing work, training and qualifications for offenders. CR Are these projects looked at from predominately an economic basis? DH No, and it’s quite important to note that there are three areas we consider. There is the economic, the environmental and also the social aspects. There is a substantial benefit to be had from instilling good environmental awareness and practice for the
Waste cardboard and paper awaiting recycling.
CR What have been the savings so far? DH To the environment, they have been significant. During 2011-12, around 54 per cent of the total waste generated at prisons was diverted away from landfill disposal to reuse, recycling and value recovery operations such as composting and energy-from-waste. The financial savings have been equally impressive. Revenues from selling on waste materials totalled £500,000 and total efficiency savings were around £5 million – this is the annual saving that we realise through the reduction in waste disposal costs and the value of reusable items salvaged from the waste stream, such as clothing. CR What are your targets for the future?
Inmates sorting rubbish.
offenders too. If recycling and energy efficiency habits and practices have been adopted whilst the person is in prison then they are more likely to recycle and use less energy when they are released. They will already know about sorting their rubbish and that is not good to create food waste in the first place and it’s nonsensical to dispose of it into the garbage instead of separating it for composting. Being involved in environmental issues helps to instill good house keeping habits and also the social norms that are expected of all of us – not dropping litter, using recycling facilities, being energy wise - so they become more socially aware and more easily integrate back into the community. CR Is there a training value to this and do you have any difficulty getting prisoners to do such a seemingly unpleasant job? DH We have introduced accredited industrial training where we can so that prisoners can leave with a qualification in waste management that can assist them in obtaining a job. We are not just talking about sorting rubbish, it’s a whole package that is centred on waste, it may be concentrated on recycling however there are also many other areas it can benefit that do not seem obvious at first. Surprisingly it has not taken much encouragement to get the prisoners working in these schemes. If you recall when we were discussing the Downview prison project 12 years ago I said that one of the most challenging parts of my job was convincing Governors that prisoners would do this sort of work; at the time they were sceptical. Now it’s recognised that the work is popular. Prisoners consider the prison as their environment and so while they are there they will want to look after it - for example, to take the time to recycle, to maintain the biodiversity - just as people do so in their homes. This doesn’t apply to all the prisoners but a sizeable proportion take ownership of the issue and act accordingly. the Custodial Review
DH We want to improve performance by 2015 to reach a target of 70% of the waste generated being directed to reuse, recycling and recovery. The aspirational target is to get down to zero waste being sent to landfill. This will be achieved, in the main, in line with the development of the commercial sector waste management infrastructure. We will then be able to include, within waste disposal contracts, a requirement that waste materials should not be disposed to landfill. It’s not as simple as it seems and we have to be mindful that alternatives may offer poor value both in cost and environmental aspects. A prohibitively expensive solution would delay us in achieving our zero waste to landfill aspiration. However technology and processes develop and as alternatives become available so we need to be able to adapt in the light of these changes. CR What are these developments and alternatives you mention? DH The most well-known one is making energy from waste; a little controversial in this country but widely used across Europe and a familiar technology to many in the waste industry. It involves incineration, where the waste is burnt to produce energy. The other well known one is anaerobic digestion. Some of the newer ‘environmental’ technologies would not have been a cost effective consideration a few years ago but as the market has developed and the technology has become more efficient we consider what is available to identify where the MoJ can take advantage. For instance, a few years ago rainwater reuse was not considered to be a viable option in prisons, now rain water recovery systems have become part of the standard build options. CR What areas are the toughest for you to do something about? DH Transport is a big problem. The prison estate is substantial; there is a constant need to move offenders about from prison to court and from prison to prison and we cannot use public transport for it either! Prisons are usually in out of the way places so getting to them can involve travelling considerable Page 8
distances; this being unavoidable due to the nature of the organisation we are working in. We do minimise the environmental impact of travel for example through the contract for prisoner escort services that stipulates that the vehicles used meet with the latest standards for carbon emissions and engine efficiency. CR It would have been difficult 12 years ago to foresee what an industry waste management and recycling would become and how much the Prison Service would adopt it. Where do you see all this going? DH Ideally we want to see a waste management unit in every prison. There are creditable reasons why the few that have yet to set one up haven’t done so; resources not being available being a common theme. It may also be that the prison has a small population and a small waste foot print. This would mean that the business case for investing in the necessary equipment from its own budget just could not be made. However the escalation in disposal costs and also the landfill tax levy has meant that the point at which the investment is worthwhile has now changed dramatically. There is now a good business case for every establishment to have its own waste management unit and not to just pass on the waste en masse to a contractor. An in-house unit is the most viable option for prisons; it engages staff and prisoners in the environment issue, it provides purposeful work and training for prisoners, it realises significant environmental and cost benefits, it demonstrates a level of social and environmental responsibility. It is, in essence, the sustainable solution. You could contract it all out but at what cost? In effect, this would take prisons back to the 1990’s where all waste went into a skip and was removed from site – out of sight, out of mind, and at high cost. CR What about central funding for some of the more ambitious projects, or ones in establishments where the case for investing in recycling equipment is less obvious? DH We are hoping to introduce a ‘seed financing’ scheme in the near future where prisons will be able to bid for funding to introduce schemes that meet all the environmental and social objectives but where the budget argument is less clear. This should help kick start schemes and hopefully encourage the more ambitious ones to be planned and implemented. This issue will get more and more important as the cost of raw materials increases and the cost of waste processing and disposal escalates. I believe we have reached the point where the economics alone will prompt a unit in each prison, the social and environmental aspects make the case even more compelling. CR Thanks for talking to the Review again.
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HMP Wayland Drug Dogs win again! It’s a role that is not left at the gate when you collect your tally and is a lot more work after hours too! SH I have always been attracted to the idea of working with dogs, I have always had them as pets, my partner and I have a German Shepherd as our own dog, with the three drug dogs home is more of a kennel than a house sometimes! I have always seen myself as working in the Security department of the service, so the ability to combine being a Prison Officer and a dog handler was a very attractive one. Here in Wayland the dog unit is an integral part of Security. All in all it’s an ideal role and position for me. A square peg is now in a square hole! CR The competition you recently won, who organises it, where and what was it?
Steven Hyde is a security officer at HMP Wayland near Thetford, where his prime responsibility is to manage the activities of his three drug dogs. I went to meet him because he, and his dog Bruce, recently won the Passive Drug Dog championships at the Prison Service National Dog Trials for the second year running. Steve also won the Operational Search trophy which is considered highly prestigious because it represents excellence at what is considered to be the ‘bread and butter’ role of a drug dog in a prison.
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n 1995 Steve finished working as a carpenter and general builder. By then the construction industry was not a good one to work in, the conditions were similar to those that exist now. Prison work appealed as did the stability and career progression. He joined as a Prison officer at HMP Whitemoor near March in nearby Cambridge. After a couple of years a vacancy came up at Wayland, this didn’t happen very often and he was keen to get the post as it is very close to where he lives. He worked as a landing officer for two more years before the opportunity came up in 2000 to train and work as a dog handler. I met Steve in the visits area, this being the place where the dogs do some of their most effective work. CR Why did you choose to work with dogs? the Custodial Review
SH It’s the Prison Service National Drug Dog Championship. Its organised by Steve Allen, the Gov 1 Dogs, and takes place annually at Newbold Revell. Bruce and I won the Passive category, for the second year running. Bill Webster with Winston from HMPYOI Warren Hill won the Pro-active Drug Dog. CR What is the difference between the Passive and Proactive drug dog and how does that affect its handling? SH Passive searching involves the dog, typically a Labrador, and handler searching people. The active drug dog, typically a Springer spaniel, searches an area. The passive dog is trained to indicate the presence of banned substances and to let the handler know by a subtle change in its behaviour. The dog has to be very calm so not to distress the people it is searching. So it cannot go barking at a slight scent. It’s also not just the dog sitting down next to the source of the scent. It’s far more subtle than that. A passive dog will react differently to the amount of scent it can detect, or the type. The dog may show a heightened interest to a slight scent, or may sit down if they smell a lot of the substance. And there are a lot of different reactions in between. A dog is not a machine with an on off switch, they are an intelligent animal that can make some judgements. It takes a good deal of knowledge of the dog’s behaviour for the handler to tell what the dog is indicating. CR The competition, is there any specific training you can do for it or is it a case of turn up and try? SH There is specific training you can do. However the additional training is more to do with the obedience and control of the dog rather than its ability to do its primary role. These obedience skills are now considered a more important part of the competition than they were in years gone by. This sort of training is done in the handlers own time and is exactly the same as training any dog should Page 10
get. Walking to heel, stop, sit, fetch, etc. The competition isn’t set up to be just about the ability to detect drugs, it’s about showing the whole of the dog’s character and skills and how the dog and handler work as a team. This shows the dog is being correctly trained and looked after. You cannot have an effective team if the dog isn’t enjoying itself and has to be dragged around and it misbehaves. The actual searching part of the test is almost identical to the drug dogs’ prime function. So there is little extra training that can be done over and above the routine stuff it has to be good at. CR The obedience part must be similar to what we view at the major dog shows. What is the searching part of the competition? SH It’s called the operational search and involves fifty or more people who have to be searched. Some have drugs, the majority do not. They must be searched in a way that is operationally correct and the dog and handler have to show that they can do the work in a manner that would be effective in a real live situation. There is also the third stage which is the scent recognition test. This is where the dog searches sets of overalls that have been hung over clothing frames. Within these overalls will be drugs, and distraction scents like dog food and treats, cuddly toys etc. All with differing scents and they will be hidden in the pockets and sleeves. Just about anything that a dog may be interested in will be hidden somewhere in the testing area. The dog and handler loose points for false indications, showing undue interest in distractions and missing banned substances. There are 50 frames to search in total and these are done in two three minute sessions. So the dog has 180 seconds to search 25 frames. It then gets a break, and then the other 25 frames are searched in the same time. It’s a tough ask. CR Is that a realistic test, in real operational situations a dog is unlikely to be searching overalls on a clothes frame! SH No they are not, however the frames are on a polished floor that squeaks if a frame is moved. So if the dog makes contact it’s very obvious. We do not want the dog to make any contact with the visitor its searching, so this trains and tests the dog’s ability to search without making anything other than slight contact with its nose. This is an almost essential attribute for a dog working with people who are not used to animals. CR I have owned plenty of dogs, and one of the things I cannot imagine any of them doing is ignoring food. How do you train a dog to ignore something millions of years of evolution have conditioned it to search out because it needs it, yet make it want to be interested in something for which it has absolutely no need for?
SH It’s usually done by a system of reward, either a treat, praise or a play with a toy. When the dog is working for you it works for a reward. I use a ball and/or praise. Whilst training if the dog indicates interest in something you do not want it to then you simply wait.You don’t acknowledge it, pay it any attention, you can even turn your back. After a while, the dog will get bored and realise that it’s not getting anything where it is, so it will move on to an area where it might discover something that will earn it a reward. You keep going until it finds what you want it too. Then the dog gets a reward. We do not punish the dog for showing interest in the wrong items; we reinforce the behaviour we do want. In this respect dogs are very ‘on and off’ if they aren’t getting what they want they quickly realise it and move on! CR Why should a competition be required to help drive up standards? I recall a discussion on the topic of paying people bonuses the question being would they do their job any differently if they did not get a bonus! SH In my opinion you will do competitions for the right reasons if you are doing it because you like working with your dog! I found that preparing for and doing the competition hones the skill of working
Steve took me on a tour of the areas where the drug dogs operate, they include the visits and reception areas. Note the line of chairs that visitors are asked to sit on prior to visits.The chairs enable the dogs to get closer to the areas where contraband is most likely to be hidden. It also gives the handler a look at the top of the taller visitor’s heads.
together, also I can show to everyone he is the best passive drug dog and that increases the respect I have for him. There is another more tangible benefit though. He has won this competition two years running and therefore has a reputation. Everyone at this prison is aware that he is the best passive drug dog in the service. I have even received a couple
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of complimentary comments about the win from prisoners, so this cannot be lost on the inmates and their visitors and as we search all visitors with a drug dog then his reputation is probably helping to prevent smuggling of banned substances. continues overleaf
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HMP Wayland Drug Dogs continued CR What support do you get from the prison? SH Most of the preparation is done in my own time however the Security Governor, Cliff i`anson, is very supportive and rarely wastes an opportunity to tell anyone he has a National champion drug dog on his watch!
Bruce in his kennel at the prison
CR In the twelve years, since you started working with drug dogs, how has the policies, effectiveness and operating procedures changed? SH The basic principal hasn’t changed as we are using dogs to help prevent drug use in prisons. It’s evolved in its application. Here we have a slightly different way of applying their use as we operate on a stop at the gate principal. This means we stop everything and everyone at the gate of the prison and search before it or they enter. We would rather search fifty people in the corridor that runs into the visits hall than search the whole prison. I have found that we have become more intelligence led in our use of drug detection dogs within the prison, however we have found that a blanket search approach at the most likely points of entry combined with targeted intelligence led use within the prison gives the best results. We have now trained the active dogs to find a wider range of banned substances, such as mobile phones and illegal alcohol. These dogs have now been trained to indicate a find in the same way that the passive dogs do. So they no longer dig or tear at the find. This enables us to preserve evidence to assist in prosecution. It also enables us to search in areas where, in the past, dogs doing damage would be a real problem. For instance in the back of a delivery lorry. We don’t want the dog ripping parcels apart! CR What about the detection of drugs that are called ‘legal highs’? And what do you think will be the future developments in the use of drug detection budgets? SH We can train a dog to indicate the presence of anything that has a scent and it’s been proven that the dog is better than an machine when it comes to rapidly detecting the Custodial Review
the presence of something by its smell. It’s not correct, in my opinion, to just look at the cost of the machine and using it vs. the cost of the dog. We can do roles that do not involve the dogs, such as doing MDT’s, gathering intelligence and physical searches. CR Could you do all that and instead of a dog that needs 24/7 minding have a machine in the cupboard to bring out and sniff drugs when it’s required? SH I do not believe that would have anywhere near the same effectiveness. The dog has a presence, whereas the machine is just that. Both are effective at detection however the machine will be operated in the same way each time, has known operating parameters and is utterly predictable. It would have a predictable operating use too as the Prison Service is excellent at having standard and approved ways of operating. This would lead to people finding ways to beat the machines effectiveness. A dog based system has a random element built into it. It may be a different dog to last time; the dog may detect slightly differently or have been trained to detect something new since the last visit. It might just be feeling more effective that day and put its nose somewhere else!! CR You are in an arms race with the smugglers. The dog gets better, you get better, the smuggler gets more inventive. What have you noticed are the trends that have developed to beat your systems? SH It’s still based around where and how they are secreting the contraband. Assuming the dog is trained to detect all banned substances the smuggler might try to bring in it will always be that way. Hiding internally is the most successful route for the smuggler. We have Page 12
A cabinet in the reception area displays many of the trophies that have been won by Steven, Bruce and the other dogs.
found that if the package has been secreted for a while and the smuggler has been scrupulous about cleaning their hands and clothes then there is little we can do to detect the contraband prior to them entering. However we now try to engage people in conversation whilst the dog is working. If they don’t open their mouth then I’m a little suspicious and I’ll chat to them a little longer. We now have open backed chairs in the search areas and as people are sitting it enables the dog to be a little closer to areas of the body where drugs are more easily hidden. CR Thank you for talking to the Review. In the prisoner reception area a similar search happens to new arrivals they are asked to stand in the corridor whilst the dog is walked past. They are then processed through other search systems like the BOSS 3 chair that detects metal in body cavities. They are also searched with a hand held metal detector. Medical, records and possessions follow on from there.
CPD3000 System
Networked Surveillance • Monitor an entire prison from a single location • Detects both 2G & 3G mobile phone activity • Licence Free Radio link with a max range of 5km • Easy installation • Can identify phone usage down to an individual cell • Provides reports on how, when and where phones are used • Different types of detectors can be used on the same system allowing for new emerging technologies – Future proofing To combat the use of illicit mobile phones in prisons, PDA Electronics has developed the multi-purpose CPD3000 System which can monitor large areas for active cellular devices from a single location. The system is already in use in numerous UK prisons and is constantly evolving as new threats emerge. The CPD310 hub (shown above), can link link to remote detectors via radio to distances of up to 5km . All remote alarm information is logged and a special purpose printer provides a hard copy output. Alternatively the logged data can also be written onto a memory stick allowing quick computer analysis of reported alarms and augments traditional intelligence gathering methods. The CPD3000 is designed for both permanent and/or temporary installations. With no wiring issues to worry about, CPD351 detector units can be quickly located in areas where early detection of cellular activity is required. A CPD351 can be adjusted to monitor cellphone traffic from a complete wing to just a few cells. To hep identify areas of activity more than one unit can be used in a wing to help triangulate the source of the mobile signals. The CPD351 can also be located outside to cover areas such as market gardens close to the perimeter fence. The system can then detect outside sources liaising with prisoners via a cellphone prior to throwing contraband over the wall / fence. For monitoring individual cells, the CPD356 is an ideal product. This is used to monitor known offenders and let staff know instantly when a phone is being used. This enhances the chance of recovering the unit before it can be hidden. It’s magnetic fixing allows the unit to be placed on a cell door just above the bottom gap and is designed to detect GSM signals leaking from under the door. To camouflage to the unit a small cover can be placed over the unit which is painted to the same colour of the door.
Our Products CPD351 Remote Detector Main detector unit can be set to monitor an entire wing for mobile phone activity. The detection range (sensitivity) can be adjusted to suit local requirements Using directional antennas allows the unit to monitor specific areas. Internal rechargeable batteries will give an operational life of better than 4 days on a full charge making deployment much easier. Additionally the unit monitors frequencies from 400500MHz which are used to suppress false alarms generated by harmonics produced by prison radios. The unit is also fitted with anti-tamper measures to prevent unauthorised interference with the detector. CPD356 Cell activity detector Small detector designed to clamp magnetically to a cell door and pick up GSM signals radiating from within a cell. The unit which measures 65 x 90 x 27mm is powered by 2 x AA batteries for up to 1 month of continuous operation. Sensitivity is adjustable to suit conditions. CPD391 Repeater Unit Used when wing construction prevents direct access between detectors and the Hub. The repeater is then located in the roof area to pick up local signals and relays these signals back to the hub via an external antenna. CPD310FD Flash Drive Unit Plugs into the Printer port of the 310 hub and supports the normal printer as well if required. Supports flash drives up to 4Gb. The unit provide complete synchronisation with the hub even when the drive is removed and then later replaced. The FD unit automatically loads the drive with any missing alarms. The generated files are text files (.txt) which allows data to be input into programs like Excel or I2 for analysis. CPD310 Hub Unit The link protocol is specially designed to facilitate high transmission efficiencies which allow up to 200 units to be support from one hub. Multitasking software allows for the reception of up to 15 simultaneous alarm transmissions. Up to 4096 alarms can stored within the hub which can be recalled if additional reports are required. Display: 2 x 16 line LCD (white display on blue background with backlight)
Sensitivity can be adjusted to suit local requirements. The CPD3000 system allows a small team to provide the most intensive surveillance of prisoners and the instant detection of any cell phone traffic. The system is completely modular so can be expanded as and when required. Small portable systems are in use with regional dog teams providing even greater flexibility especially to smaller establishments.
For more details contact:
PDA Electronics Ltd Tel:01494 257911 or email: sales@pdaelectronics.com or visit www.pdaelectronics.com
Battery backed Real Time clock for accurate logging. A plug in Dongle to restrict access to management controlled features. Printer port: Supplies both power and data to attached thermal printer Printer: Thermal printer producing a printout on a 21/4 inch wide (58mm) paper roll. Alarm printout details the time off the event, the detector number, type of alarm, duration of alarm and the signal strength of the detected phone. Each paper roll can hold over 3000 printouts at a cost of less than 50pence.
The Howard League on solitary confinement Solitary confinement is regularly used in prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs), despite evidence of the severe negative impact it has on mental and physical wellbeing. Solitary confinement often consists of locking people up for twentythree hours a day in sparse cells with limited or no human contact. The Howard League is investigating the use of segregation; how it is used, when and why. One young person told the Howard League legal team that they had been kept in segregation for 9.5 weeks. Men, women and children have to live in an environment of social isolation and reduced stimulation.
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here is extensive evidence of the extremely damaging physical and mental impact of solitary confinement. A lack of access to fresh air, sunlight and long periods of inactivity are likely to contribute to ill health and problems such as insomnia Francis and a deterioration of eye sight. A young Crook person in prison described the level of inactivity in segregation: ‘You get no time off bangup – just half an hour for a phone call and shower.’ The most widely reported effects of segregation are psychological effects. Social contact is an essential aspect of human existence and a lack of human interaction impacts dangerously on mental health. In a YOI one young boy described how he lacked human contact even with prison officers ‘they say your attitude isn’t changing and they don’t even speak to you’. Psychological problems occur in the following areas and range from acute to chronic: anxiety, depressions, anger, paranoia and psychosis. An absence of external stimuli and prolonged inactivity result in the brain starting to create its own stimulation, often through fantasy and hallucinations. One boy remembered how he escaped the lack of stimulation by ‘daydreaming all day, for as long as I can’. Negative health effects can occur after only a few days in solitary confinement, and the health risks rise with each additional day spent in these conditions. Self-harm and suicides are more common in isolation units than in the general prison population. In England and Wales in 2004/5 a fifth of prison suicides took place in segregation units. Other forms of self-harm are also more prevalent in solitary confinement. The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, found that “the prison regime of solitary confinement causes severe mental and physical pain or suffering, when used as a punishment, during pre-trial detention, indefinitely, prolonged, on juveniles or persons with mental disabilities, it can amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and even torture.’ The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture also states that ‘Solitary confinement can, the Custodial Review
in certain circumstances, amount to inhuman and degrading treatment; in any event, all forms of solitary confinement should be as short as possible.’ Solitary confinement is used in England and Wales in a number of circumstances. The prison rules recommend that, “Prisoners are only segregated for reasons of good order or discipline when there are reasonable grounds for believing that the prisoner’s behaviour is likely to be so disruptive or cause disruption that keeping the prisoner on ordinary location is unsafe” or when a “prisoner’s safety and well-being cannot reasonably be assured by other means.” When segregation is enforced as a punishment there are time limits, up to 14 days (young people) or 28 days (adults). However, if people are placed in segregation to preserve good order or for their own protection, the period of time is worryingly open-ended. Anne Owers, former Chief Inspector of Prisons has described solitary confinement as ‘a prison within a prison’. She commented that solitary confinement has a pervasive effect on the entire prison population despite the fact that it usually only directly affects a small number of those living and working in a prison. A young boy described the impact of the threat of segregation on young people in prison. He explained how there was confusion amongst them as it was ‘not always clear why it’s used’. Another young boy commented that they could end up stuck in segregation, ‘I understand that the block is a punishment. But they review you and don’t let you go even when you get good order. And anyway, how can they review you when you’re in your cell all day and they don’t even talk to you.’ Segregation units are now known in England and Wales by a range of euphemisms including ‘intensive supervision units’, ‘reorientation units’, and ‘separation and care units’. Despite the changes in names these units are still little more than bare, dark and dank cells and they continue to function as traditional segregation units with a focus on separation rather than care. Wandsworth prison has renamed their segregation unit the ‘care and separation unit’, but they have relocated it underground to a location with very little natural light. Recent inspectorate reports have drawn attention to the problematic use of segregation units. The most recent inspection of Full Sutton prison found the segregation unit ‘inadequate’. Cells were cold, dirty and contained graffiti, and toilets were filthy. Segregated men had insufficient access to showers and daily facilities, such as telephones and exercise. It was revealed the longest resident had been in segregation for eight months. At Parkhurst prison on the Isle of Wight the inspection found men in the segregation unit had to choose between showers and exercise at the weekends. Solitary confinement is a particularly problematic issue in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). United Nations treaty bodies have consistently recommended that children should not be subjected to solitary confinement, yet the practice still remains. The length of time children are spending in solitary confinement varies amongst institutions. It can be a matter of hours in secure training centres but can Page 14
be almost a month for children held in prisons. This clearly flouts the requirement that children should not be in solitary confinement for more than 14 days. Despite the recommendation there is evidence children are banged up in solitary confinement for much longer stretches of time. A young person reported how they ‘can be in segregation for up to 3 months’, and added, ‘Governors are seg happy’. In 2006 The Howard League published an independent inquiry by Lord Carlile of Berriew QC into physical restraint, solitary confinement and forcible strip searching of children. Lord Carlile’s findings on solitary confinement were shocking. Isolation was used primarily to punish poor behaviour as opposed to dealing with an immediate threat. In one solitary confinement cell conditions were ‘very poor with a bleak and dilapidated cell and, an old and rusty metal bed frame. Children were allowed up to one hour of exercise in a tiny courtyard but this was optional and as there was nothing to do many children did not take it up.’ Children were held in this cell for between a week and ten days. There were also short term solitary confinement cells. ‘There was an unfurnished room which was exactly that – a stone room with only a blanket on the floor with no washing facilities or toilet.’ Many children were held in solitary confinement cells designed for adult men and that there were grave concerns about children being placed in them. Despite this shocking evidence it seems that solitary confinement is still in use for children in England and Wales. Figures released earlier this month revealed that boys at Ashfield YOI near Bristol were segregated from the normal prison wing and kept in solitary confinement 377 times in 2011, a sharp rise from the 188 incidents recorded in 2008. This means that there were boys held in bare concrete cells, denied human interaction, exercise and normal education in Ashfield everyday of 2011. At Cookham Wood YOI, between May and October 2011, there were 94 children segregated for disciplinary reasons. An inspection of Littlehey YOI in 2011 found one young person had been in the segregation unit for over two months. In Werrington YOI in March 2011 the cells in the separation unit were dirty and there was graffiti throughout. It was discovered that misbehaviour could result in young people in segregation being allowed only one shower and one telephone call a week. One young boy who recently spent nearly two months in segregation said there was ‘no education, no canteen, no TV, no association. I got used to it. They should at least let you out for one-to-one contact with people or one-to-one teaching, or ship you out if you can’t stay at that prison’. The use of solitary confinement is not receiving the attention it needs. The dangers and negative impact it has on men, women and children in prisons needs to be highlighted. The government need to make records on solitary confinement more freely available, in order for its use to be sufficiently monitored. Many prisons do not understand the rules governing solitary confinement, or they simply flout them. More freely available records would allow proper scrutiny of practices, and would force prisons to be more consistent in following rules.
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Ian Napper, save a watt, what a save! Ian Napper is the Head of Learning, Skills, Employment and Training at HMP Exeter. He joined the Prison Service five years ago after an interesting career history. He left school at 16 with very few qualifications and then embarked on a five year apprentice course at Exeter Print College becoming a print manager at the local newspaper the Express and Echo several years later. 18 months after qualifying with his HNC he left and spent 16 years as a professional musician specialising in the guitar, something he still enjoys playing to this day. 14 years ago he returned to print in a senior role at a large privately owned commercial printers. However at the age of 46 he decided that he wanted the ‘output’ part of his life to have a greater social impact. This resulted in 14 months of study to gain the teaching qualifications that resulted in a job with Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) who concentrated his educational efforts in the custodial field. Ian is responsible for the Environmental training at Exeter and a large part of his role is changing attitudes. CR Historically what has HMP Exeter done to instil a more environmentally aware attitude in the people within its walls? So that they think before littering and washing food down the sink? IN Prior to taking over the environmental services function there was little going on in this area. We had two yard’s officers (OSG’s) who supervised a party of prisoners who had the job of sweeping the yards, bagging up the rubbish and putting it in the bin. Four years ago we started to look at how we could recycle all the prison waste and I, along with other the Custodial Review
colleagues, became involved in a programme of upgrading the establishment’s environmental awareness. I took a course certified by the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) and when I became qualified was able to train and certify the OSG’s. We then registered HMP Exeter as a CIWM site. This means that for the last two years we have been able to train and issue qualifications to the prisoners backed by the CIWM, that certify they are trained in waste management. The training and certificates are recognised throughout the UK so the prisoners who hold one can get trained jobs with councils and waste management companies. CR The emphasis nowadays seems to be on external companies delivering courses and qualifications as they are usually more relevant and so more readily lead to jobs on the outside. How do you intend to progress this scheme? IN Nationally recognised qualifications is an important way forward to get people into jobs. To this end we have recently appointed a company in Plymouth to deliver NVQ’s in waste management under the Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board (WAMITAB ) banner. They will continue and develop the courses and principals we have begun. This should lead to better qualifications and so better jobs, as well as a more environmentally aware population. They are also interested in giving ex-offenders employment on release. CR What about changing the attitude and actions of the prisoners toward creating the waste in the first place? IN Within the prison we have begun schemes and actions that raise awareness of the issue. We have installed green bins for ‘wet waste’ in all the servery’s and have begun awareness programmes to ensure people know why waste must be separated. It’s a case of teaching people what is acceptable, and more importantly, what is not acceptable when it comes to disposing of waste material. We also have clearly identified wet and dry waste bins in all the offices. This has enabled the orderlies to keep the wet and dry waste completely separate when they are emptying the bins. This is then sorted in the recycling area where the dry is split into types of material and recycled. The wet waste goes into the gobbler at the end of the yard. The next stage is to introduce the same principal into the wings and association areas. We will train the wing officers and also introduce prisoner champions/peer mentors whose job it will be to spread the word and set an example to the other prisoners. CR What about the wider issues of saving resources such as energy and water? IN We have a principal here of ensuring everyone understands that energy is not to Page 16
be wasted; lights are to be turned off when they are not needed, so are items like printers. Additionally all computers not being used are switched off at night. It is a principal that is adopted and practiced by the Senior Management Team (SMT) so we are serious about our energy management. As one of our team would say ~ “save a watt, what a save!” CR When educating someone it’s possible to measure an improvement, is there any way of measuring how much someone’s environmental awareness has changed? IN No, at present we don’t have a way of telling how much someone’s attitude has changed. This is because we do not assess them on these grounds when they arrive or leave, so we have no data on which to work. This may one day be an option, but not now. Where we were four years ago is a lot different to where we are now. We can measure some of this now by the savings we are making against the costs of disposal and the changes in raw material usage. With regard to raised awareness though, anyone of the lads in the yards party could present you with a certificate that shows that they have been trained and therefore understand the principals of waste management and consequently are environmentally aware. They are also more employable. These lads change every 6/8 weeks so the number is increasing. We have come a long way, but there is still further we can travel. CR Thank you for talking to the Review.
Custodial Review is now accepting articles from serving officers and staff within the whole custodial industry and we are very interested in articles on recycling. 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.
Scooping new options in daylighting yields benefits for all Better aesthetics and performance in natural daylighting is being brought to market with the latest tubular rooflight from Passivent Ltd. Passivent, the UK’s leading supplier of eco-friendly strategies which harness natural resources and part of the Building Product Design (BPD) Group, says its new Sunscoop is also the only system of its kind to come with a 25 year warranty*, optimizing peace of mind for the long term. The new Passivent Sunscoop features a square, low profile roof dome. The square profile simplifies installation in all roof materials and eliminates the need to create complex flashing detailing inherent with conventional round tubular rooflights. The low-line polycarbonate roof dome improves aesthetics once installed, minimizing variations along the roof profile without any impact on the amount of natural daylight entering the building below down the highly reflective tube. A choice of two interior diffusers offers the flexibility to select light distribution according to requirements, be it diffused or a more direct light, whilst optional low energy light fittings incorporate into the diffuser further enable effective lighting even at night without the need for separate electric lighting. In the day, even the 250mm Sunscoop delivers more natural light into the room below than a standard 13W low energy lamp (equivalent to the old style 60W bulb), without any electrical consumption. Passivent is offering tube insulation to the system, which reduces both the risk of thermal bridging and surface condensation. Passivent- tel 01732 850770; e: projects@passivent.com; www.passivent.com
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Yarls Wood opens a new male unit Jason Prior is the Deputy Head of Male Services at Yarl’s Wood IRC in Bedford. He started his career at Yarlswood after his role as an engineer ceased at the local Cutler Hammer Engineering works in Bedford. After ten years as a toolmaker the opening of Yarl’s Wood was ideal for him as he was looking for a change of career direction. He joined it in April 2001 as a DCO. When the centre was destroyed by fire in the following February, he was seconded to HMP Rye Hill as a PCO and commuted there for nine months until the travel allowance ran out and another tool making role became available locally. So he left the centre and went back into industry. As soon as the centre reopened 12 months later he was asked to return to his original role. Subsequently in January 2005 he was promoted to Detention Custody Manager. During the following seven years he has managed many different parts of the centre including Security,Visits, Gate and control depts. In 2010 Custodial Review (CR) Why did you get the job of creating and managing the unit? Jason Prior (JP) I was asked to do the conversion because of the amount of experience I had in different departments in the centre, I was then asked to manage it because I had seven years’ experience of being a Manager here- and of course the experience of setting it up! CR Why was this location within the establishment chosen to become the male unit? JP When this area was the Induction unit it could hold 42 residents so it was the right size for the new male unit. Due to its location and size it was the logical choice to become the standalone male unit. Another factor was the reduced need for such a large Family unit due to us no longer taking children here. We were able to combine the Family and Induction unit into the area that once held only the Family unit. CR What sort of ‘family’ can you have if you don’t take children anymore? And if the family facilities have been reduced in size what has happened to the buildings that used to be the school? the Custodial Review
Serco won the contract to run the detention centres in Australia and he worked there for six months as an Operational Manager. He recently managed the preparations for last years HMIP inspection plus a handful of other related roles. 6 months ago he applied for and was selected to manage the conversion
of the induction unit into a short term male holding facility. This involved adjustment to the family and induction unit. 3 months later on February 1st this year the male detention unit was opened and first single male detainees were accepted.
JP We do get a few husband and wives, or mother and son/daughter as long as the ‘child’ is over eighteen. However the numbers are really quite low. Also as we do not have children we do not get family groups of 5+ taking up several rooms. Hence only a much smaller family unit being needed. The old Crane school, which was the two wooden buildings and conservatory, has now been turned into the new family unit association area. We have installed an I.T. room, Pool and games room, multi faith room, shop and library into it.
CR They are only here for a short time, so what facilities do you provide them with for those seven days?
CR How did the male unit come about and what’s the policy behind it? JP We won the contract to provide 38 beds for male detainees. It lasts until the end of Serco’s current contract to run Yarlswood. It is a big contract and I hope it expands so that we can hold more male residents. The males we hold here are classed as very low risk, they can only stay a maximum of seven days then they must be moved on to long term accommodation, released or removed. On average residents remain in Yarl’s Wood IRC for 5 days. Known as ‘lorry drops’, our residents have generally just arrived illegally into the country. Page 18
JP This is a stand-alone unit, so we have our own induction process, facilities and staff. Amongst the usual provision we have built a brand new gym. Dining facilities remain the same as when the unit was for our single women. All the rooms have kettles and TV’s there is a pool table, table tennis table and PS3 in the association room. There are outdoor sports and association facilities, legal and medical support. We provide communications and phones too. There is also a TV room where DVD films are shown every day. CR Staffing levels are an issue everywhere, what are the staffing requirements on this unit? JP We have 24 DCO’s that are for this unit alone. This allows for 5 staff per shift which is the ideal staffing level to meet the needs of our male residents. CR You say that the people here are low risk, at what stage of the immigration process are they at and what state do they arrive here in?
JP Usually they have just been apprehended, either by the UKBA or the Police and they arrive here with nothing but what they stand up in. Usually they have little or no money; they are hungry, tired, confused and quite often angry at being caught! All new arrivals are provided with a hot meal, healthcare assistance and a full change of clothes. Accesses to religious requirements are also provided. All arrivals are required to be screened by the UKBA Screening unit within 48 hours. After the interviewing stage UKBA make the decision on whether the resident has a right to follow the asylum process or whether they are to be removed from the country. CR In what quantity do they typically arrive in and do you have a ‘catchment area’? JP This really depends on how UKBA enforcement arrests the residents. Some times its ones and twos but sometimes it can be a large group of residents at a time. We mainly serve the Bedfordshire county, however the input of resident decreases and increases throughout the year, the weather has a big impact on this.
Part of the self service catering p
The new IT room q
CR What facilities have you had to build into the new unit in order to cater for a sudden midnight influx of a dozen needy frightened people? You could not just chuck them in a room and sort it all out in the morning! JP We process them as soon as they arrive; we will have some paperwork which comes in with them. This can inform us of any special needs or requirements and possible risks that have to be cared for. The new reception facilities enable us to fast track the initial reception process, so that the resident can be provided with the immediate essentials on arrival. The process is naturally a lot quicker in comparison to our women and families as they generally do not have any property with them. However, if they do we would provide the opportunity to come back to reception the next morning to collect what they wish in line with our in possession policy.
The new dining area q
CR The following morning, what happens then? JP The formal induction process starts. We have a practised procedure to ensure that the men are fully informed of the facilities and services they can access. Originally we had this procedure translated, on paper and video, into the twelve most common languages that Yarls Wood had historically needed for its single women and family intake. However we have found that the men have often come from very different parts of the world. So we have now had the procedure, video and documents translated into even more languages (Such as the Kurdish and the Arabic dialects.) Once they have been through the first part of the induction process we ask them to sign a compact, it lays out what we will provide and what we expect from them. We have a great continues overleaf u
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Yarls Wood opens a new male unit continued level of compliance from most of our male residents on arrival. Once that is over we give them a tour around the facilities and let them integrate for a while. CR What if the person is unable to communicate, for reasons of being upset or just unable to take part in the process?
The new gym p
Landline phones q
JP It’s very rare they are unable to take part at all, However many of these people will have paid a lot of money to be brought to this country, their family back in their own country may have gone into debt to finance their trip. Their arrest will place a huge burden on their family, so being very upset is very common! If the person is too upset, or we think we cannot communicate successfully with them we utilise a telephone interpreting facility. They stay on the phone for as long as they need to. It’s in their and our interests that the person settles down and understands what is going to happen, so we put a lot of effort into it. CR What issues regarding ID do you have to deal with?
The guidelines for the male unit- translated into all the commonly needed languages q
JP We do wet fingerprinting here. UKBA do the biometric fingerprint scanning that uses the Europe wide databases for identification. This saves a lot of time. If they have been arrested in any European country their identity will have been established already and they can be returned there almost immediately. CR Once they have cleared reception what level of security do they find themselves in?
The education unit has been incorporated into the reorganised family unit q
JP Within the male unit the security is quite low; they cannot get out of the unit without a member of staff knowing as the external doors are electronic. CCTV is monitored 24/7. Within the unit they can lock their own room doors but throughout the day and night they have free access to all of the communal areas and associate quite freely. CR How long did the conversion take from the contract being won to the first person arriving, what did you have to do and where did you get all the equipment from?
The multi faith prayer room q
JP I was given the go ahead once the construction work had been done and three months later the first person arrived. I was given a list of equipment that had to be obtained and a budget. There was an initial list that detailed what was needed, like mirrors, kettles, TV’s etc. I was supported very well throughout the set-up, especially when there was a requirement to purchase materials that were not originally laid out in the plan. We were able to save a lot of money on some areas of the project, simply by using common sense. These savings we were able to put back into additional facilities for the residents. It was helped because the contractor, was so good to work with. CR What about the security issues? You have a men’s unit in the middle of a woman’s
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establishment and the men arrive here with little or no information on the risk they may pose. JP The most noticeable security change was the reintroduction of razor wire. It had been removed eighteen months previously however it was now deemed necessary to replace. We also had to install the electronic doors that control access between the male and female areas. Safeguarding all of our vulnerable adults was paramount. Apart from those items the physical security hasn’t changed. CR What about the staff, how did you prepare them for the change? JP We discussed the changes with all the staff, we did not decide until quite close to the opening whom would be on the new unit, however we did hold additional training and consultation sessions. Males in detention have very different needs in comparison to our women and families and we had to ensure that the staff were prepared for this. CR What can you do with the men whist they are here, to keep them busy, it’s hardly worth any training taking place! JP 90% of the men are only here for three to four days, so it’s mainly recreational pursuits that we offer. It’s very rare that one is still here at our cut off point. We have a trigger point of four days and at that point we will raise the issue with UKBA who will act very quickly. The staff do engage with them a lot, we introduce them to the games and facilities we have. Many of them don’t know what a PS3 games console is, or how to play pool! Most of them have never thrown a basketball and they get into these very quickly. A pool competition is almost constantly on-going. One recent group were admitted at 5am and spotted the chess boards, they had been travelling all night however they spent until nine o’clock playing chess! CR What about access to the outside world? JP They have access to the internet, but not to any social media sites. Legal advice and news etc. are all available. We provide mobile phones for each of them and the landline telephones are always available. CR What do you see as the future? The season for people to get in illegally in a lorry is almost upon us and illegal immigration into the UK doesn’t look like it’s going to lose its attraction. JP For the last 10 weeks we have been running at well below capacity. We anticipate a change in this in the next 12 months. I look forward to the challenge that will present. I would like the capacity of the male unit to increase and operate a full unit consistently. We do a great job here and it’s a good place to work in. This is one of the best jobs I have ever had and I enjoy every day. CR Thanks for talking to the Review.
Explosives and drug detection just got easier A new breed of forensic test kit for detecting explosives, residues and drugs is now available in the UK. Rapid, safe and cost-effective, Identa kits, available from counter-terrorism specialists Strings Security, deliver reliable, almost instant results for personnel in the field, giving them the scope and confidence to accurately identify illegal substances safely, quickly and easily, allowing them to take remedial action on the spot. The Identa Explosive detection system utilises advance chemical technology in which reagents, contained in crushable, hermetically sealed glass ampoules, housed in specially designed protective plastic kits, react with the unknown substance in a closed, internal test tube chamber that prevents leaks and possible exposure. Designed for daily multiple field applications, Alert is claimed to be one of the most accurate, easy to use explosive identification kits on the professional market. Expected to appeal particularly to the law enforcement community and border control agencies, the general screening kit tests for 12 known explosive residues (including tests for TNT/PETN, RDX/ Nitrate, urea and ammonium nitrates, TATP and chlorates) and are highly sensitive to detecting trace amounts without the need to measure, mix or dispense chemical agents. There are then further tests available to confirm specific explosives.
Drug detection kit advance The Identa drug test kit works similarly to the explosive system and is a major advance in forensic detection of over 21 known substances, whether present in pill, powder or seed form, although it is not designed to verify if someone has taken drugs. Again there are then further tests available to confirm specific drugs Their application in education is also growing. Readily applied at home and in schools and universities, by the police, at customs points and in prisons, it provides reliable results in seconds. Increasingly, contracts of employment include the provision for the employer to test personnel for drugs when they have reasonable grounds for suspicion. “Inexpensive, portable and rapid test kits are part of the future for security and law enforcement personnel on the ground,” said Roger Ings, Managing Director of Strings Security, which has provided counter-terror security solutions for nearly 20 years. “Various techniques are available to detect explosive or drug residues or materials used in producing an explosive device or traces on people or their clothing, including the best known of all, the specially trained and trusted explosive or drug detection dog. “However, the breakthrough for the Identa explosives and drugs detection kits is that they provide convenient, safe sample collection, rapid identification and, importantly in this day and age, are cost effective to administer.” “Portable test kits have a major role to play among search teams and other security personnel in the right circumstances. They are ideal in those instances where they can deliver fast, convenient and accurate results and do not deliver the false positives that machines and equipment are susceptible to.” he said.
www.strings-security.co.uk
How to use Identa explosives and drug detection kits Step 1: Remove sampler from the top of the test unit. Step 2: Apply samplers adhesive tip to the suspected substance to be tested. Step 3: Return the sampler to the test unit and press firmly to lock it in place. Step 4: Press chamber 1 firmly until ampoule breaks. Gently shake test unit. Step 5: Read the results in seconds.
HMP Exeter, waste to water.... Gary Spilsbury is the Catering Manager at HMP Exeter, Custodial Review last spoke with him in 2008 when we discussed the many improvements and initiatives that had been implemented since civilianisation. Since then the menu cycle has been developed and now includes special diets for cultural and medical requirements. Kitchen workers are trained to level one Food Preparation, in conjunction with Richard Allen, service provider from Strode College, All the serverys have been refitted and the kitchen equipment has been replaced under the annual asset replacement schemes, new cold rooms, blast chillers, fridge temperature monitoring equipment and a food digester have all been replaced or installed as new.These projects have had the full support of the line manager for catering, Head of residence Governor Paul Kerswell and have come about due to the new positive, can do mentality created by Governor Jeanine Hendrick, and Ferdie Parker Regional Manager for Custodial Services SW.
waste as people are less likely to leave food they have chosen to eat. We use the “Menu Choice “ system in meal number collation to give prisoners a daily choice of meals chosen a week in advance. Their choices are scanned and give us the accurate number of meals to produce and the correct amount of ingredients required in a cooking plan and a serving schedule. This enables us to cook only what is required and so reduces waste. We allow for losses, errors and accidents by providing additional portions of “ Chefs Choice “. However this is strictly controlled and represents a small percentage. Any additional capacity is used as reception meals. CR How do you allow for people arriving or leaving, and moving wings? GS The system allows for movement within the prison and as long as the system is refreshed periodically during the day it will track the prisoners whereabouts, If there is still a problem then this is when the ‘chefs choice’ is used. CR How do you control portion size? If you are cooking to a tolerance of +5% it would not take much inaccuracy to reach the end of the tin and still have hungry customers who have ordered it. GS This can be an issue! To ensure correct portion control we pre mark the portion size on the gastronome tin and train the servery staff in how many portions we expect to get from a given amount of food, This, coupled with using the correct tool sizes help us to control waste and ensure all prisoners get the meal they ordered. We are a local prison with a transient workforce so this sort of training for kitchen and servery workers is on-going. CR What about the waste food, what’s left over on the wings once the meal is finished? GS Any food waste that is left is transferred to 10 kilo plastic green bins that we supply to The new food digester.
O
ne of the reasons for my visit was to see what developments had occurred in a new kitchen as waste recycling and energy efficiency have become more important in the last decade. Another article in this edition is about Derek Hannans work as the Sustainable Development manager and much of what has happened in this field at Exeter is connected with his work.
CR How do you go about stopping them putting food into the ordinary wing bins? GS This is about education, we try to instil in prisoners a sense of personal responsibility and explain that not only will bins smell after a short while but it also isn’t sensible from an environmental viewpoint. It’s not always possible but few prisoners like to live in an untidy or polluted environment so they are open to ideas that prevent it. CR What happens with the green plastic containers? GS When they are full they are returned to the kitchen with the heated trolleys. We use inmate labour in the kitchen and it’s the job of the pot washer to empty them into a new waste food processing unit. This unit turns the food waste into ‘grey water’ that can be emptied down the drain. CR What are you doing about reducing waste that is created before the food is even served? GS We also recycle all cardboard, tins are washed and their labels are removed. The yard team collect all this and take it to the processing area where it’s sorted and recycled with the rest of the prison waste. CR What do you do with the food waste and what made you decide on the solution? GS The event that brought this longstanding problem to a head was that we were being fined for the sort of rubbish we were disposing of and our Victorian drainage system could not cope with the amount of grease and food solids going down them.. We were sending our rubbish bins out with food waste mixed in with the day to day or dry waste. These fines were the catalyst to look at different options for disposing of the waste food. One option we considered was the ‘Big Hanna’ composting machine as used at other establishments we decided against this because we are an inner city jail without a garden or gardening facilities and compost produced could not be sold off site due to legislation. CR I’ll take a point with you there, I know an inner city jail, HMP Wandsworth has won ‘Wandsworth in bloom’ because it uses compost to grow huge amounts of flowers in planters all over the establishment!
CR Years ago waste was a consideration, now it’s a very important issue, not just for the environmental issues but also for economic ones. Due to land fill tax it’s now very expensive to throw things away. The new menu choices you have introduced give greater opportunity for waste to be generated. How do you go about resolving these seemingly opposing issues?
GS We don’t have its expertise or the facilities and space required to produce and use the compost!! However we needed to take action so I spent a long time researching this problem and discovered a company called Whitco that could supply a machine called a continues overleaf u
GS A wide choice of menu actually reduces the Custodial Review
every servery and wing. Any food left on the trays or not used during service is also put into these bins. We have to ensure that what’s put into them is closely supervised so nonfood waste is not put into them, sometimes we find an items that are non-biodegradable!
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HMP Exeter continued Waste20tm manufactured by a company called Mechline that would process the waste food into grey water that can be washed down the drain. The company arranged for me to get in touch with a private school who were already using one. The person responsible for waste gave it a glowing report in terms of effectiveness, ease of use and cost. We then did a feasibility study to see if it would work in a prison kitchen environment, we did costings to see if it would be cost effective, both as a capital investment and its running costs. We looked to see if it would physically fit in the kitchen and if our Victorian drains would cope with the output as we have had to call out the Works department fairly regularly to unblock the drains from the accumulation of food waste that has built up in them. What this waste processing unit promised was to break down all the food waste into grey water that would flush down the drain without creating a build-up. Our research showed it would solve many of the on-going problems we had, so one was ordered. CR It sounds a bit too good to be true! You are looking at 7 lots of 10kg of food waste 7 times a week! That’s a potential of 500kg of food waste a week! So what’s the process for making this ‘magic’ happen? GS With Menu Choice and strict portion control we anticipate no more than 10kg of waste daily from all the serverys and wings so it isn’t as large a problem as your maths indicate. Some wings are larger than others and we get their bins returned full more often but smaller wings obviously produce less It averages out that we are processing about 100kg of food waste per week and this technology can process up 45kg daily. CR How long does it take for the machine to process that before you can fill it again? GS It works continuously; when waste is available you just open the lid and tip it in. It maintains a temperature of 36 degrees, a moving bar keeps the food stirred and we have to add a small quantity of woodchips annually and an enzyme pack quarterly. All it produces is slightly brown coloured water. There is no output of solids, the water produced is not contaminated and it can go down the ordinary drains. CR What service connexions does it have and can it be overloaded? GS It has a cold water supply, a 13 amp plug and a pipe to the drains. If it’s overloaded it stops working and lets out an alarm. CR How long has it been in situ and what have you found from having it working. Does it meet the requirements you had in other words does it do what it claims on the tin? GS If it’s possible to get excited about processing food waste then I am! It’s been working for 6 weeks now and the simple the Custodial Review
Loading the waste digester from the green bins that have been filled on the wings.
answer to your question is yes. We are not producing any wet waste from the kitchen so the fines from that source have stopped. The running costs are low and we are running at a lower cost than we had budgeted for. The enzyme packs cost £30 each and the electric consumption can only be the maximum an ordinary 13 amp plug can supply. So for these costs we are processing all the waste food plus the waste organic material that the food preparation process produces. It’s a lot cheaper than sending the waste to landfill. CR What training is required to operate the machine? GS Only basic additional instruction is required as all personnel we accept into the kitchen have comprehensive safety training before they start. We train the pot wash person to load the waste machine during the kitchen induction training, he already does a vital and unsung job and this is another one! The machine is very safe to use, the top is opened and the food waste is tipped in. If something gets in that should not it’s easy, though not that pleasant, to put a gloved hand in and remove it. Once the top is opened then the rod that stirs the food waste stops moving instantly. CR Any unexpected benefits? GS Handling food waste is a much cleaner operation now, and that’s something we didn’t take into account in the buying process. We only have to put the waste in one place then wash the bins out. Before it had to be emptied into one container then tipped into a bigger bin outside. Now it just goes into the top of a machine next to the pot washer! So we don’t have piles of waste food rotting in the bins outside. We are also looking to process any office waste generated. CR Is the kitchen now ‘neutral’ when it comes to sending waste to landfill? GS Yes, and as stated we process and recycle all cardboard and metal and now all food waste is processed into water that goes down the drain. There are some remaining issues with food waste on the wings that the prison needs to resolve but that will be an on-going process of educating prisoners to be more environmentally aware. As we are a local prison with a very transient population and this involves human nature I doubt we will ever achieve 100%! But we aspire to it. CR The Asset Replacement Scheme is now used to supply all the equipment I your kitchen and you don’t get a choice in what make etc, so how come you were able to buy the food waste digester and where did the money come from? GS We are the first prison establishment to use this technology and there isn’t a ‘off the shelf’ or approved piece of kit on the central buying list so we were able to make our own choice. We needed a solution that Page 24
A look into the digester.
fitted our requirement and this was it. We obtained the funding because the Finance Director Margaret Evans found the funds after I presented a business case highlighting the fact that It would reduce expenditure by preventing the drains blocking and would stop the fines. We also had a lot of help from the Gov Jeannine Hendrick and the Area Manager Ferdie Parker and without their support it would not have happened. CR You have moved on a long way since we last met in 2008, where do you see the future taking you? GS It’s now about being competitive! We are aware catering is a prime target for contractors and to maintain our position we must provide the best, most cost effective service, be ready for market testing and give the governor no reason to look elsewhere for a service provider. Reducing the amount of food waste has been deemed critical if the UK is to meet international targets on climate change, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and meet obligations under the European Landfill Directive to reduce biodegradable waste going to landfill. HMP Exeter has a Recycling target to reduce waste by 25% by 2014/15 and the introduction of the Waste20tm food digester is going some way to meeting our responsibilities. CR Thank you for talking to the Review
Waste-2-0
Benefits over Waste Disposals : Waste Disposal Units and Macerators – Problems due to : • Hygiene • Smells • Infestation • Blocked drains + Maintenance • Poor food waste control. • Cost – Water/Sewer £7.7k pa* *Typical WDU, can use up to 36 Litres of Water per minute. If used for 4 hours per day, yearly consumption = 3,144,960 Litres (Olympic Swimming pool = 2,500,000 Litres). Typical water costs = £7,735 pa in Water and Sewerage. [Cost of Water supply and Combined Sewerage service = £0.246p per litre used.]. Vs Composting : On / Off Site Composting Nice idea, but... • Limits on where “compost” can be used • Infestation – smells and difficulty in processing certain foods • Constant management • Expensive – capital equipment. • Hygiene & Safety issues. • Storage of Waste Food product on site. Client experience with Waste 2 0 – Environmental benefits. We return around 56,000 litres of water to the water table from the food digesters. By not having our food waste collected to be disposed of elsewhere, we are saving around 7,800 truck miles per annum which gives us an impressive reduction of 6,123 tonnes of CO2 per year thus significantly reducing our carbon footprint. We have obviously reduced the cost of our general waste collections by digesting all of our food waste; therefore, we have reduced our tonnage by 70 per annum, saving around £10,500pa on this alone. The Waste20 machines have also improved our whole waste stream separation activities. We are recycling more cardboard and plastic as a result, and the income from this has increased from £5,000pa to in excess of £22,000pa. Key aspect is that it is just plain simple to use, by Staff – and can be kept indoors – secure. How is Waste 2 0 affordable ? : • Reduced collection costs / Landfill tax • Reduced Water / Energy Consumption • Reduced Staff & Management costs • Reduced Pest Control / Cleaning services • Reduced Waste consumables cost + More efficient Foodservice operations - Less wastage and Reduction in all aspects of Food cycle costs. + Increased effectiveness in Reclamation of other products – Card, Paper, Tin, Glass, Plastic, etc.
Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd Tel : 01832 735007 Fax : 01832 734433 Email : info@whitcoltd.com www.whitcoltd.com
Would you like to advertise your job vacancies free within this magazine? This is a new service where vacancies relating to the custodial industry will be advertised FREE on this page. For more information Tel: 01234 348878 Fax; 01223 790191 or email: jobs-custodial@pirnet.co.uk G4S are currently recruiting for Detention Escort Officers and Custody Detention Officers to perform a range of roles.This roles are performed in accordance with the powers as detailed in the Police Reform Act 2002, ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.They include: Prisoner transport
Monitor the custody suite environment, reporting issues, to ensure the general cleanliness and hygiene of the custody facility at all times
Custody Officer
Assist police officers and/or restrain detainees, as directed, in the execution of their duties to ensure the safety and security of those within the facility
Drug testing Constant watch officer Key Responsibilities Implement all relevant legislation and apply Company and Police policies and procedures to ensure high standards of security and safety Receive, record, care, escort and transport detainees Assist in the accurate and prompt maintenance of manual and computerised custody records to ensure the integrity of data held Complete antecedent forms, obtain fingerprints, photographs, and DNA samples from detained persons, as directed, ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation Search each cell before and after use to detect and arrange the repair of any damage caused, reporting and following correct procedures to maintain a safe custody facility
This role is a zero hour contract, working as and when needed and will require you to be reasonably flexible. Skills This role requires the ability to deal with vulnerable and sometimes difficult people whilst maintaining high standards of security and service delivery. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are vital. The role requires the flexibility to work across sites/ locations. This Role is open to candidates who have a passion for Police / custody work.
Prepare and serve all food and drinks, as required, for detained persons and other items as requested ensuring compliance with food hygiene regulations and maintaining the welfare and decency of the detainee
Due to the nature of the role successful candidates must have Category C1 on their driver’s license. You will automatically have this if you passed your driving test before 1st January 1997. Please ensure you mention this on your application.
Supervise visits by official representatives/agencies and ensure visits by relatives are continuously monitored to maintain security in the custody facility, in compliance with Force policy
There is also the necessity to be able to travel around the whole of Lincolnshire if needed.
Notify the Custody Officer of any changes in behaviour or well-being of detainees so that any welfare concerns are identified Receive, record, care and store detainees and evidential property in compliance with force policy to ensure the accurate return and or transfer of property
Job Title: Procurement Manager Location: Reading with UK wide travel Main Purpose: Working within the GEOAmey central support function, the Procurement Manager will manage the ongoing procurement process together with allocated category responsibility, ensuring maximum recovery of all contractual entitlements. Needs to do: Ensure compliance with the GEOAmey systems, processes and procedures to deliver post contract management on the PECS Contract Exercise full cost control of project(s) including providing and monitoring budgets and forecasts in conjunction with the Finance Director Assist the Operations Director/Finance Director/Commercial Director in producing monthly and/or weekly cost and value forecasts To identify all aspects of supply chain from bid documentation and operational needs Develop project specific supplier pre-qualification where appropriate Project specific supplier evaluation and selection Work with the supply chain to obtain competitive cost combined with security of supply/ service, considering quality, whole life costing and risk profile Raise project specific orders / contracts in line with strategy Manage procurement process from beginning to end Execute supplier contracts in accordance with procurement plan Project procurement cost savings against bid allowance Required skills: Significant experience in a procurement role Experience in the procurement subcontracts and materials A fully committed team worker who is able to communicate and implement procurement policy and process throughout the organisation An effective communicator and negotiator Ability to interpret data Have the vision to explore and develop leading edge procurement solutions Completer / finisher Literate, numerate and accurate. Good IT skills Delivery focused with the ability to organise, take ownership of problems and ensure effective solutions A track record in conducting firm, fair and ethical negotiations with supply chain Ability to demonstrate a successful track record in delivering procurement cost savings Ability to work under pressure Strong desire to further Client relationships whilst ensuring that contractual entitlements are not compromised
Please send your CV to heledd.gwilym@amey.co.uk along with a brief covering letter.
the Custodial Review
Please apply now by emailing ben.russell@uk.g4s. com, including your CV, contact details and mentioning your C1 category driver’s license. Please include the words “Custodial Review” in the Subject line of the email.
To apply for your free copy of the Custodial Review, please fill in the relevant information and fax back on: 01234 352737 or visit: www.custodialreview.co.uk/crsubscribe
Your details Name:............................................................................................... Job Title:........................................................................................... Establishment:................................................................................. Address:........................................................................................... .......................................................................................................... Postcode:......................................................................................... Telephone:....................................................................................... Email:................................................................................................ Custodial Review is FREE to qualifying individuals TEL : 01234 348878 FAX : 01223 790191 www.custodialreview.co.uk/crsubscribe Page 26
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PRODUCT NEWS GAME Engineering Adding Value
During the last year, GAME Security has been looking for partnerships with companies who share the same passion to provide the best possible security solutions, with products which are tested for their resistance to many forms of threat (for example, security, fire, blast, ballistic attack) with certification to important UK and European standards. GAME have therefore partnered with the following manufactures: ASD-Architectural/Forster - expanding their portfolio and capabilities to provide Innovative and Sustainable Framing Systems in steel and stainless steel. Guardian Glass - enabling us to establish the client’s requirements and offer recommendations on the best solution(s) whilst also ensuring other alternative options are considered; this may possibly provide a more cost effective solution without compromising on quality. Pickersgill-Kaye is a Yorkshire based engineering manufacturer of door locks, gate locks and multipoint locks for the Rail, Architectural, High Security and Custodial sectors. Surelock McGill Ltd, have been manufacturing and installing high performance door locking and bolting sys¬tems, as well as ancillary products for over 30 years. Kevin Bennett, Custodial Director of GAME Security stated “We see these additions to our portfolio as an important and significant step to the continued and dynamic growth of GAME Security; broadening the range of specialist security products that GAME offers to its clients in various sectors considerably....”
Pickersgill-Kaye’s locks are key to new cells at Pudsey Police Station
Pickersgill-Kaye Ltd has played a major manufacturing role in the new multi-million pound state-of-the-art custody suite which has helped transform Pudsey Police Station into one of the most modern and secure in West Yorkshire. Pudsey’s new 22 cells that make up the purpose-built complex have all been supplied with Pickersgill-Kaye’s robust 8-lever Kaye Class 1 Custodial Cell Lock, a lock developed by the Leeds-based cell lock manufacturer in response to a growing demand for more choice and innovation in the custodial sector. Kaye Class 1 is a heavy duty lock which can fit most standard UK cell doors. It has been installed by door manufacturers at a growing number of custodial facilities for authorities across the country, including the Metropolitan Police, Cleveland and Two Counties. In addition to manufacturing the cell and pass locks for Pudsey, Pickersgill-Kaye also supplied its custodial inspection hatches for the cell doors as part of the £2.5million project, a refurbishment programme described by divisional commander for north west Leeds, Chief Supt Ian Whitehouse, as “a landmark development for the division that provides vastly improved custody facilities”.
New Diploma heralds launch of Europe’s first fire door inspection scheme The new Diploma in Fire Doors is an important step towards the launch of Europe’s first Fire Door Inspection Scheme which is designed to transform people’s knowledge and understanding about the critical purpose and function of fire doors in buildings. It is a joint initiative developed by the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI), the two industry bodies behind the creation of the UK Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS). The FDIS online learning platform contains seven web-based education modules which are designed to be studied at a candidate’s own pace and location. A final examination can be taken at a local test centre, and successful candidates will be awarded the Diploma in Fire Doors and be entitled to use the designation DipFD after their name. For more information visit www.fdis.co.uk
Turtleskin Ltd
GAME’s Electronic Document Transfer Unit
Warwick Mills Inc of New Hampshire USA has created the joint venture business Turtleskin Ltd with Safety First Aid Group as a marketing and distribution partner for their product range in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
GAME have recently added the Electronic Document Transfer Unit to their product portfolio. The unit is designed to enable the safe passage of items to/from a secure area without compromising staff security. It provides a resistance against physical and ballistic attack.
In creating the joint venture business, Jenny Houston vice president of Warwick Mills said they were delighted to have been able to find a strategic European partner with experience in marketing and distribution of health & safety products. TurtleSkin patented materials are used to make a range of protective products; from puncture resistant protective clothing to more sophisticated body amour used by law enforcement officers and the military. Turtleskin Ltd, based in North London aims to support distributors by increasing brand awareness and stocking the products in the UK for ease of distribution across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. For more information regarding Turtleskin’s innovative products please contact David Knight at dknight@turtleskin.co.uk or visit at www.turtleskin.co.uk
The unit features an electronic interlock that makes impossible the opening of both doors at the same time. If one door is opened the unit’s ballistic performance remains intact. It can be fitted into brick walls, HD concrete walls and it is a tubular steel construction with both doors hung on heavy duty pivot hinges, incorporating oilite bearings. Overall control is provided by a key operated on/off switch. It can be installed in walls up to 450 mm, minimum wall thickness 230mm brick or 150mm HD concrete. The fully recessed control panel enables the unit to be fitted into a simple wall opening. No dismantling is necessary.
Sodexo Justice Services wins at International Safety Awards 2012
Helga Swidenban, director at HMP Bronzefield (third from right) and members of her team at HMP Bronzefield receiving the award from BSC Trustee, Lawrence Watchman (centre front) at the banquet.
Sodexo Justice Services has been recognised by the British Safety Council for its commitment to safety and security at the 2012 International Safety Awards for all four of its sites. HMP Bronzefield was recognised with an award of distinction, while HMP Addiewell, HMP Forest Bank and HMP Peterborough earned awards of merit. Sodexo Remote Sites in Scotland also picked up an award of merit.
Representatives from all four prisons attended the International Safety Awards Banquet at London’s Grosvenor House on Friday 18th May.
Sodexo Justice Services works closely with the Ministry of Justice, the Health and Safety Executive and the British Safety Council to demonstrate compliance and continuous improvement in health and safety across the custodial environment. And this latest recognition is testament to that hard work. the Custodial Review
Tony Leech, managing director of Sodexo Justice Services said: “I am delighted to see best practice by our teams recognised in this way. Through these awards we are able to demonstrate our commitment to safety and security which is critical to the success of our business.”
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