Hmp Channings Wood

HMP CHANNINGS WOOD

ANNUAL REPORT

SEPTEMBER 2013

AUGUST 2014

Section 1: Statutory role of the IMB

Equality and Inclusion Statement Page 3

Section 2: Description of the prisonPage 34

Section 3: Executive summaryPage 4

Section 4: Mandatory reportsPages 516

Section 1 Statutory role of the IMB

The Prisons Act 1952 and the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 require every prison to be monitored by an Independent Board appointed by the Justice Secretary from members of the community.

The Board is specifically charged to:

(1) satisfy itself as to the humane and just treatment of those held in custody within

(2) its prison and the range and adequacy of the programmes preparing them for release.

(3) inform promptly the Secretary of State, or any official to whom he has delegated authority as it judges appropriate, any concern it has.

(4) report annually to the Secretary of State on how well the prison has met its standards and requirements placed on it and what impact these have on those in custody.

To enable the Board to carry out these duties effectively its members have right of access to every prisoner and also to the prison’s records.

Equality and Inclusion Statement

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of HMP Channings Wood is committed to treating all with whom members interact with respect and fairness, regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, religion, belief, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.

Section 2 Description of the prison

HMP Channings Wood is a medium sized Category “C” training prison in a rural area of South Devon close to Newton Abbot. Its population fluctuates around 700, a large proportion of whom are considered vulnerable due to the nature of their offences.

It has limited access by public transport with no public transport on Sundays. Offender’s accommodation is split into three separate areas: the main wings, the vulnerable prisoner unit (incorporating LB1) and the drug therapeutic community. Contained within the perimeter fence are a sports field and an area that is used for horticulture. Education, vocational courses and offending behaviour programmes are provided by Weston College. A4c are responsible for delivering Social and Life Skills provision and Tribal Group deliver the remainder of courses. Since April 1st, 2013

Healthcare has been provided by Dorset NHS University Trust. There is no Inpatient U nurses are on duty every day and out of hours GP service is provided by Devon Doctors

Section 3 Executive Summary

3.1 This has been another difficult year for HMP Channings Wood. Staffing problems and a change of No. 1 Governor have been unsettling for the Prison. The work of the IM increased. The number of applications to see the Board has increased from 276 last ye to 361 this year. There has been a 33% rise in Comp1 submissions. These were not always responded to within the designated time frame which in turn impacted on the number of applications to see the Board.

There has been an increase in serious incidents and the level of general dissatisfaction amongst prisoners remains high.

The No1 Governor is aware of the issues within the Prison and has stated his intention to redress these.

3.2 Questions for the Minister

Is the issue of Offenders coming to this Prison without OASYS plans in place mirrored at other Prisons? What will you do to ensure that all Offenders

have completed OASYS plans prior to ROTL, HDC and release?

3.3 Questions for NOMS

What can be done nationally to ensure that all offender’s property accompanies them when they move prisons?

Section 4 Mandatory Reports:

4.1 Last year’s concerns – an update

Healthcare provision has slowly been improving but still lacks consistency and many issues are due to lack of staff.

The Prison Kitchens have recently benefitted from the installation of a range of new equipment which should show benefits in the end product. The mix of prisoners in the kitchen has recently changed which has led to more harmonious working conditions.

Lost property continues to take up a great deal of our time. Missing property impacts hugely on offenders. This problem has been growing over recent years and this issue needs to be addressed nationally.

Changes to the core day and a reduction in staffing levels. Offenders are “banged up” for longer. Management attempts to reduce the impact of lockdowns by staggering the days and timings but it is still unsettling.

The Prison population continues to age but the supporting infrastructure to deal with the consequential issues continues to lag behind.

4.2 Equality & Inclusion

- currently, there is only a parttime dedicated discrimination officer within the Prison

- written equality, diversity and disability policies are available to all staff and prisoners

- direct and indirect discrimination are not allowed.

Offenders are fully allowed to exercise their rights under equality and diversity legislation and are not victimised for doing so

- discrimination forms (DIRFS) and envelopes are available on all living blocks and other communal areas around the prison. All complaints under the DIRF are treated confidentially and fairly

- wherever possible, offenders with mobility problems are located on ground floors and if sharing a cell, on the lower bunk

- there are several wheelchairs available to enable disabled offenders to move around the prison

- grab rails are provided where necessary, portable ramps are available and a stair lift is provided in the education block to enable access to the library

- aid is provided for those with visual impairment

- healthcare for older offender is compatible with the National Service Framework for older people. It has been difficult to obtain Occupational Therapists in order to assess those offenders with more physical needs. Some equipment has not been easily obtainable e.g. specialist beds.

The ethos of the prison, reflecting diversity, equality of opportunity and the absence of discrimination aims to ensure that the prison community totally rejects all forms of discriminatory behaviour and language whilst actively promoting equality of opportunity.

To that end:

● offenders are treated with respect and dignity

● the prison is clean and provides reasonable facilities

● there are planned daily regimes

● offender/staff relationships are good

● workshops and courses are attended by an appropriate ethnic mix of offenders

● incentives and earned privileges (IEPs) are fully explained and understood by offenders and staff

● ACCT forms are completed accurately, fully recorded and managed by Safer Custody staff

● all offenders are treated equally and with respect

● discrimination is not allowed under protected characteristics

● discrimination forms and envelopes are available on all living blocks and communal areas around the prison. All complaints under the DIRF are treated confidentially and fairly

● staff receive an induction in diversity awareness

● diversity posters are displayed throughout the establishment

● the prison rules are available (in several languages) and are clearly understood

4.3 Foreign National Offenders (FNO)

The Prison has around 25 FN offenders and the Board has not been aware of any issues with these offenders. Nevertheless:

- a FNO policy is in place

- arrangements for family contact are in place

- translation services are available

- free monthly phone credit for those who have not received a visit in the preceding month is available

- there is access to an offenders’ handbook and DIRFs in multiple languages

- there is universal access to healthcare

- there are canteen privileges for all offenders

4.4 Education, Learning and Skills

The teaching and administrative staffs are to be commended for their diligence, concern and attention to the details of addressing offenders’ needs. This includes instilling such values as work ethics, social and life skills and stretching the learners with extra homework. Their efforts were reflected in the outstanding Grade 1 OFSTED report in December, also in the good retention and achievement rates, 99% and 98% respectively. OFSTED also reported a general improvement in the working relationship with the prison. New courses, Story Book Dads and Toe by Toe and a Level 1 Catering course have got off to a promising start.

Two Resettlement days held this year have been extremely well received with

an enthusiastic response from the offenders and the through the gate employers and agencies. All felt the contact to be useful and enlightening.

There has been a cut to the budget which has resulted in a scaling down of some courses to more basic levels. There is a perception that the three mandatory awarding bodies are not as tuned in to the work specific qualifications that OFSTED expect.

Purposeful Activity

Work has been patchy through the year in some areas. Wood working and finishing have had some good contracts but also periods with none at all.

Similarly with laundry and tailoring.

Recycling has impressive financial results and gives useful skills to motivated workers.

Bicycle maintenance has won two awards over the year.

Embedding functional skills in the industries has a mixed reception from the prisoners especially those who have never really engaged with formal learning situations. These issues have been recognised and are being addressed.

Opinions on the general efficacy of this learning medium differ.

4.5 Healthcare and Mental Health

From the 1st April 2013, healthcare has been delivered under contract with the Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust (DHUFT). There have been improvements in the delivery of the service but there is still not an acceptable level of consistency.

DHUFT and HMP Channings Wood are working closely together to improve the delivery of the service within the Prison.

There are now salaried General Practitioners (GPs) appointed for the Devon Prisons Healthcare Cluster. This has provided more reliable and consistent GP sessions at CW. Out of hours service is provided by locum GPs from a local practice, which is contributing to a more consistent service.

Recruitment of more nurses is well under way and 2 Band 5 nurses have been recruited and are going through Prison Clearance procedures.

New dental providers are reducing the waiting lists and there are now 2 extra sessions per month.

Better management of dispensing of medicines at the Healthcare Dept. has reduced the previous congestion outside the building that has sometimes resulted in prisoner unrest.

Smoking cessation sessions have recommenced.

The Offender Healthcare Forum is proving to be a useful meeting for airing health related issues.

The structure of the current healthcare contract has contributed to the changes taking place in Healthcare delivery and indeed one quarterly payment was deferred until quality reviews were completed and any associated action plan implemented. A skill mix review and mapping exercise has already been undertaken this year.

Some clinics are not happening, e.g. long term conditions and health checks and Blood Borne Viruses detection.

The Prison has a dedicated fulltime Mental Health Nurse and the services of a Consult Psychiatrist. The assessment of a Learning and Disability annual health check is undertaken by the prison health service which employs a nurse with dual registration.

A community nurse skilled in risk management of people leaving forensic services including the prisons and hospitals is also available.

4.7 Resettlement

Offender Management Unit

With the OMU the same issues and concerns were reported by both prison and probation staff. Lack of consistency for prison staff was certainly the most difficult problem for the teams.

Prison grade 4 staff, who have chosen to work for the OMU, have a full caseload of offenders to work with. They are, however, being pulled away from this work (which they are extremely committed to) in order to 'fill in' for staff shortages elsewhere in the prison. This is leading to high levels of stress among staff members, as probation colleagues are forced to 'pick up' the urgent work that cannot be achieved by their 'Band 4' counterparts. OMU officers rarely get to spend a whole day doing their own work.

All staff reported high levels of stress and huge concerns about achieving targets under these circumstances. This results in a high level of stress in the unit as probation staff attempt to pick up the most urgent work.

The situation also impacts very badly on offenders, the majority of whom come to Channing’s Wood without completed OASYS plans in place. Delays impede their completion of sentence plans in order to be ready for ROTL, HDC and release.

Changes in the probation service are further causes for concern with a lack of clarity as to which agency – Probation or the newly created Community Rehabilitation Service – is responsible for some of the more serious cases.

Prison staff explained that, in their view, it is essential that, in order to work effectively with offenders, the men and the officers get to know each other over time. As they never know where they might be working in any particular day, it is not possible to achieve this and, consequently, they are worried that serious issues and problematic patterns of behaviour may be missed. In other words, they do not feel able to do the best job they can, either in the prison – or within the OMU. Officers and probation staff were extremely committed to their work and, understandably, they are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, 'hanging on with our fingertips' was the phrase used and one member of staff said that they are seriously considering leaving the unit to go back to the main work in the prison, despite the fact that they love the job.

Changes in the probation service outside of the prison are causing some concern. The CRC (Community Rehabilitation Service) have now taken over the majority of cases, leaving only the most serious public protection cases within the Probation Service. This is taking some time to settle down, causing some delays and frustration. In particular, it is still unclear what the process is for achieving agreement for a case to go from the CRC to the Probation Service, if risk escalates.

Work with the CRC (Community Rehabilitation Company) has now begun – delivering 'through the gate' services. There will be a focus on educational training and employment. This new working arrangement has not yet been tested and it remains to be seen how effective it will be.

A shortage of housing generally and uncertainties in the CRS /probation service create problems for the accommodation officer and insecurities amongst offenders. 95% are found some accommodation before release.

The two resettlement days run this year have been widely praised particularly by offenders.

There is now a welldeveloped process of embedding 'Functional Skills' into Industries and vocational training courses. On a positive note, this allows offenders to engage more proactively than in purely classroom based learning and has proved popular with some learners and teachers. It is set to continue into the next academic year. Some teachers feel enthusiastic but are not convinced that the highest standards can be achieved by this method alone

4.8 Safer Custody

Once again this has been a challenging year and HMP Channings Wood endeavours continuously to ensure a safe environment for all staff and offenders. Drug abuse, the u of mobile phones and isolated pockets of violence still occur within the Prison and staff are well informed as to these issues. The use of “spice” has become more prevalent in recent times and strenuous efforts are being made to combat its use.

4.9 Segregation, Care and Separation, Close Supervision

As mentioned in previous Annual Reviews, over recent years we have been impressed with the way the Segregation Unit has been run. Staff manning it and the Governor in charge set a very high standard of excellence. In July this year there was a change of the Unit’s appointed Governor and we hope that the Unit will continue to impress us under the new appointed Governor. Since April there has been many staff changes in the Segregation Unit with several new members of staff and on occasions the Unit is covered on a temporary basis by staff who are not usually detailed to this Unit.

The Segregation Unit staff has to deal with some of the most problematic offenders and the standard of care and professionalism we have observed is first class.