Report on Hm Prison Styal 3-8 November 1996 by Hm Chief

REPORT ON

HM PRISON STYAL

3-8 NOVEMBER 1996

HM CHIEF INSPECTOR OF PRISONS

PART B

CONTENTS

Paragraph Page

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

History 1.01-1.02 9 Prison population 1.03 9 What we were told : The Governor 1.04 10 Board of Visitors 1.05-1.09 12 Managers 1.10 18 Staff 1.11 18 Staff Association 1.12 20 Prisoners 1.13 20

CHAPTER TWO THE ESTATE

Site 2.01 25 Buildings and maintenance 2.02-2.09 25 Works Services 2.10-2.14 27

CHAPTER THREE MANAGEMENT AND STAFFING

Management Management general (structure and communications) 3.01-3.19 29 Management Services 3.20-3.28 34 Health and Safety 3.29-3.31 36

Staffing Staff training 3.32-3.36 36 Staff recruitment 3.37-3.39 38 Staff facilities 3.40-3.41 38 Equal Opportunities 3.42 39

CHAPTER FOUR LIFE FOR PRISONERS

Accommodation and facilities 4.01-4.33 40 Catering 4.34-4.43 48 Clothing 4.44-4.47 51 Prisoners’ earnings and private cash 4.48-4.52 52 Education 4.53-4.61 54 Employment 4.62-4.66 57 Farm 4.67-4.72 58 Library 4.73 60 P.E. 4.74-4.84 60 Prison shop 4.85-4.88 63 Race Relations 4.89-4.97 64 Religious activities 4.98-4.100 66 Request / Complaints 4.101- 67 4.103 Visits 4.104- 68

Paragraph Page

4.123 Mail 4.124- 73 4.125 Sentence Calculation 4.126- 73 4.127 Legal Aid Advice 4.128- 74 4.129

CHAPTER FIVE CUSTODY

Segregation Unit 5.32-5.40 76 Incentives and Earned Privileges 5.41-5.43 78 Anti-bullying Strategy 5.44-5.49 79 Drug Strategy and Mandatory Drug Testing 5.50-5.59 81 Suicide Awareness 5.60-5.64 85

CHAPTER SIX THROUGHCARE / RESETTLEMENT

Reception / Discharge 6.01-6.06 88 Induction 6.07-6.12 89 Sentence Planning 6.13-6.14 91 Tackling Offending Behaviour 6.15-6.18 92 Psychology 6.19-6.21 93 Probation and Aftercare 6.22-6.29 94 IDPR (Inmate Development and Pre-Release) 6.30-6.33 96 Temporary Release 6.34-6.42 97 Transfers 6.43-6.45 99

CHAPTER SEVEN HEALTH CARE

Introduction 7.01 101 Accommodation 7.02-7.06 101 Management 7.07-7.15 102 Staffing 7.16-7.24 105 Patients’ views 7.25-7.28 107 Specialist care 7.29-7.32 109 Pharmacy 7.33-7.37 110 Receptions 7.38 111 Maternity Care 7.39-7.42 112 Mother and Baby Unit 7.43-7.63 113

CHAPTER EIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS and EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

Secretary of State 8.01 119 Director General 8.02-8.10 120 Area Manager 8.11-8.13 121 Governor 8.14-8.135 122

Paragraph Page

APPENDICES I Proposed management structure II Weekday routines III Weekend routines IV Prisoner population: demographic details V Summary of main findings from questionnaire VI Inspection Team

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

History 1.01 HM Prison Styal is a closed training prison and Young Offender Institution for women and girls. It lies in open country about 1½ miles from Wilmslow in Cheshire and about 12 miles south of Manchester.

1.02 Styal was opened in 1895, as a home for children in care under the Victorian Poor Law Acts, and continued as a childrens’ home until 1956. From 1956 to 1959 it was used to house Hungarian refugees. In 1960 it was acquired by the Prison Commissioners, and it opened in 1963 as a semi-secure prison for women.

Prison population 1.03 The Certified Normal Accommodation was 245 with an operational capacity of 261. At the start of our inspection the roll was 248 of whom 205 were over 21, and 43 were young offenders. In addition there were 13 babies in the Mother and Baby Unit. Sentenced inmates are received from local prisons, remand centres and on transfer from other women’s establishments. Styal is a national resource receiving inmates from any part of England and Wales, and functions as a second stage centre for prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment. Details are given in Chapter 3.

What we were told

1.04 Governor ¨ there had been significant media interest after the last short inspection report, which was considered to be unfair: the phrase "they come in as shoplifters and leave as addicts" had been seized upon

¨ there had been a reduction in the annual rate of temporary release failures from 26 to 0

¨ the number of assaults had decreased from 41/183 [22.4%] to 20/231 [8.6%]

¨ the annual cost per prisoner place had been reduced from £32,000 to £24,000

¨ the Governor had been in post for only a few weeks when, two years earlier, Styal was listed to be market tested

¨ activity hours had increased from 24 to 31-32 hours (above national requirements) since the time of our last inspection. Some good quality work was provided with private sector involvement in the Telecentre

¨ education was being reviewed with the aim of improving provision for the increasing number of young offenders

¨ control had improved: the number of incidents had decreased

¨ staff sickness had reduced, but remained high [9%]; this was thought to be stress-related, and at least partially attributable to staff working in isolation with groups of inmates in the houses

¨ management encouraged those staff to return to work carrying out other duties until they had recovered

¨ there were three Voluntary Testing Units exclusively for drug abusers or those who wished to remain "drug free": there were no plans for more units because most women allocated to Styal were already entrenched in a drug culture and the pressure on accommodation nationally meant that rooms could not be reserved for particular classes of offenders

¨ vulnerable prisoners had been moved to Butler House which was separated from the main estate by a fence [which indicated separation, but could easily have been breached]: the women in Butler House were nonetheless less vulnerable to attacks from other prisoners, and an improved regime was being provided

¨ prisoners who harmed themselves were dealt with on normal location and there was no discrete accommodation particularly for such women (see para 5.64)

¨ there was one house (Howard) where the youngest of the young offenders were located together

¨ there had been steady progress in converting the eight bed dormitories to rooms for three or four prisoners: all but three houses had been converted. Prisoners had keys to the rooms which gave them a sense of ownership. Where dormitories were still in use, lockers were provided: these would be removed after conversion

¨ there had been security improvements: CCTV in the Visits Room, vehicle barriers at the main entrance to the prison, and cladding the perimeter fence so that the public could not see into the prison or talk to

prisoners through the fence. It was believed that these changes had reduced the volume of drugs entering the prison

¨ the hours worked by the Medical Officer [from November 1996] had increased: previously his time had been shared with Risley

¨ Styal was being used to pilot the sex offender Offending Behaviour Programme for women

¨ a staff re-profiling exercise, according to what the prison could afford and recognising the need to improve searching, was being carried out. Staff deployment had not been reconsidered since the publication of the Woodcock and Learmont Reports

¨ it was planned to increase the certified normal accommodation [245] and operational capacity [261] to 262 and 288 respectively

¨ a management structure with fewer levels was planned

¨ improved resources for personnel management were needed.

1.05 Board of Visitors Approximately one month before the inspection, we met the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Visitors. They expressed the following views:

Management

¨ the appointment of the Governor, two years previously, had given a new energy and direction to the prison. Staff and prisoner morale had

improved. Staff roles had been clarified, and staff understood their individual roles better

¨ because staff were more aware of their roles, the volume of complaints and requests had reduced: the Board considered that this was probably attributable to the development of the Personal Officer scheme

¨ relationships between the Governor and the Prisoner Officers’ Association appeared to be good. The Governor was an effective team leader. He kept the Board of Visitors informed, and held regular full staff briefing meetings. Staff sickness had reduced

¨ the full-time Medical Officer was not a woman: he worked part-time at Styal, and part-time at Risley. (The Governor had informed us that this arrangement had ceased: see para 1.04). Female prisoners should be able to choose a female Medical Officer; this was a major issue for some ethnic groups [we were satisfied that arrangements could be made for women who wished to see a female Medical Officer to do so]

¨ whether young offenders and adult prisoners should be mixed was debatable: long-term prisoners seem to find the mixture unsettling. Young offenders appeared to be more aggressive, and less influenced by older female prisoners. The assumption that older women would exert a positive influence was neither overt nor articulated, but was thought to exist

¨ Styal was often used to pilot projects for introduction throughout the rest of the Prison Service, because staff were adaptable and innovative

¨ the prisoners said the Governor was fair: they did not always like his decisions, but said that they knew where they stood.

Activities

¨ several of the opportunities available for work in the prison reflected the external employment situation, and indeed had led to employment after release. There was a Telecomm project; a soft furnishings course, which included NVQ qualifications; and the commercial manufacture of shirts, run as a successful business, from which women could learn enough about business procedures to open their own businesses when released

¨ there was considerable work in maintaining the grounds and gardens; since the new risk assessment procedures had been introduced, governors seemed more cautious, and it was therefore difficult to find suitable women to maintain the grounds and park outside the fence. Similarly, it was difficult to find prisoners who could work in the staff mess and club, or clean the building in which the administration offices were located (we thought that civilian cleaners should be appointed) and other administrative buildings outside the security fence

¨ because the opportunity for release on temporary licence was so restricted, prisoners taking the Duke of Edinburgh’s award could not go out of the prison

¨ the PE department hosted a group of disadvantaged people on Wednesday’s: helping to manage this group increased the self- confidence of the prisoners who were involved

¨ the chapel was outside the perimeter fence: the Board was concerned that access was denied for some prisoners (we discussed this with the Governor: he said that all prisoners who wished to attend the chapel could do so, as he was not prepared to deny access to the chapel, and had informed Headquarters accordingly); there were no facilities in the prison for minority denominations

¨ catering was carried out in each house: the Board of Visitors felt this was successful, although the Catering Officer did not

¨ Works Services provided useful employment for prisoners.

Induction

¨ prisoners received at Styal went to the Induction House where the positive elements of the environment, and of the programmes, were stressed. Prisoners had the opportunity to examine the programme, which focused upon the opportunities at Styal. The Board felt that prisoners’ attitudes, gained from their experiences in other prisons, were negative, and staff tried to deal with that during the induction period.

Offending Behaviour Programmes

¨ there were three drugs-free houses, used mainly by women who wanted to stop taking drugs. The Board felt there should be separate accommodation for people who had never abused drugs

¨ there was education about the effects of drug abuse but no Offending Behaviour Programme

¨ the Probation Officers undertook some work with drug abusers

¨ bullying was a problem, and was exacerbated by the increasing number of short term prisoners and young offenders; staff were trying to control bullying to the best of their ability prisoners who need segregation were located on Butler House, to which there was no casual access. However, the regime did not appear to be particularly creative.

Education

¨ education was a key issue. Basic level to open university level studies were available. NVQs were being tried, but the Board was not sure that they were being taught correctly

¨ the PE department was offering an NVQ in leisure, which led, potentially, to employment in the leisure industry.

Abused women

¨ probation staff provided counselling for prisoners who had been sexually or physically abused. Intervention from the psychology department, or by a psychiatrist, was available if required.

Miscellaneous

¨ the Suicide Awareness Group was very effective: there had been no fatalities, even among the core of people who regularly attempted to harm themselves. There was an Ears group, composed mainly of lifers and long term prisoners: this was the Styal equivalent of Listeners, and was very successful

¨ there was a new Visits Room, with new waiting facilities. There was CCTV surveillance of the Visits Room. Drugs were a problem: the Board believed that there should be sniffer dogs. Family visits had been introduced, and were valued

¨ there had been no allegations of racial discrimination: the Board believe that 10% of the prisoners were from ethnic minority groups (see Appendix IV: it was 19.4% at the time of the inspection)

¨ governors were extremely cautious about release on temporary licence; sometimes, this meant that prisoners were not temporarily released before discharge, and had no opportunity to familiarise themselves with, or ask questions about, the environment to which they were returning before they were released

¨ the Board approved the management of the process by which women were separated from their children when that was necessary; individual cases were reviewed and separation was effected only when most appropriate. The review process had been changed, and was not effective: Social Services departments were involved.

1.06 The Board of Visitors gave us a generally positive view of the environment, and the developments which had taken place within the last two years at HM Prison Styal. The Board had agreed to carry out some research for the inspection, even though the time available to them was limited. This method of liaison between the Board of Visitors and the Inspectorate was the first pilot project of this nature to take place, and we are grateful to the members of the Board for undertaking what was a considerable additional volume of work.

1.07 The Chief Inspector and Deputy Chief Inspector met the Chairman of the Board of Visitors. The Board were four members short of their full complement of 14 but we were informed that the Home Office appeared to be acting far more quickly than in the past to fill vacancies.

1.08 The Board was well served by its clerk to the Board of Visitors, who had been influential in helping the Board to acquire its own office together with a telephone and filing cabinet.

1.09 The Chairman reported very good relationships between the Board, the Governor and his senior colleagues. The Board received a full report from the Governor at each of monthly meeting.

Managers 1.10 We met a group of managers, who told us that :

¨ staff / prisoner relationships were good

¨ the staff detail did not match the work which needed to be done

¨ the range of employment for prisoners was too limited: more variety was required

¨ the strategy to deal with bullying was not effective

¨ the strategy for dealing with drugs was good but not fully implemented because of staffing difficulties

¨ the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme was difficult to operate

¨ there was still a coping culture at Styal: communications could be better, and staff should be empowered to make decisions

¨ there was not enough staff training.

Staff 1.11 We met a group of staff of various disciplines: they told us that

¨ the three Voluntary Testing Units, the Mother and Baby Unit and the family visits were all excellent developments

¨ the induction programme for staff was poor: it did not last long enough (3.38)

¨ staff had to be flexible because they were moved from department to department due to low staffing levels and high levels of staff sickness

¨ staff were isolated on the houses and there was insufficient management cover in the evenings

¨ there should be a locked door policy at night

¨ Mandatory Drug Testing was not being carried out because of staff shortages

¨ there was insufficient employment for prisoners [we did not find this to be the case]

¨ there was inconsistent application of rules and regulations

¨ prisoners like the relaxed environment and the amount of freedom they were allowed

¨ life sentence prisoners should not be held at Styal, as there were no facilities for them (see paras 4.15-4.33)

¨ the education programme was "O.K."

¨ there was bullying in the dormitories: identifying, removing and relocating the bullies was difficult

¨ the operation of the Personal Officer Scheme and sentence planning were inconsistent

¨ some regime arrangements were inappropriate: e.g. interruptions to work for prisoners to use the shop.

Prison Officers’ Association 1.12 We met two members of the local Branch Committee of the Prison Officers’ Association: among other matters, they informed us that

¨ there had been a key compromise at the establishment, which had not been properly and fully investigated (we discussed matters with the Governor: we were satisfied that proper investigation had been undertaken)

¨ industrial relations, although until recently good, were deteriorating because of the Governor’s attitude

¨ they were concerned with the health and safety arrangements with regard to the self-catering kitchens (we also express our concerns: see paras 4.36-4.40)

¨ the security of the establishment was poor: the units were insecure and there was a need for CCTV coverage of the perimeter (we discuss this under ”Security - not for publication”).

Groups of prisoners 1.13 We met two groups of prisoners who told us that

¨ the food was of poor quality; variety was limited and inadequate for special dietary requirements. The comments by staff in the Food Complaints book were not constructive, and were often sarcastic. There was no choice at mealtimes and no pre-select menu. Food was prepared and cooked on the houses, which led to wide variations in quality. There had been a food survey recently, but not all of the prisoners had seen this (see paras 4.34-4.42)

¨ a large number of them did not come from the local area, and consequently visits for their families were infrequent and costly. There were no visits on Sundays, which was a severe restriction . If the prisoner or their visitor[s] needed to visit the toilet during the visit, the visit was terminated (this was not borne out by our observations)

¨ there was very little constructive activity at weekends. Some of the houses had a pool or table tennis table and a few had sewing machines. PE was available at the weekends for some of them. Association facilities were generally poor (we agreed: see 4.06)

¨ the young offender house was not adequately supervised and there was a high level of drug availability and abuse (we agreed: see para 4.07)

¨ they rarely received clean blankets. They questioned whether the blankets were cleaned before being distributed to new prisoners (see para 4.46)

¨ the quality and content of the young offenders’ education course was not thought to be relevant to the prisoners. They thought that on the whole there was too little education provision (see para 4.56)

¨ the Health Care Centre (HCC) did not provide adequate care. They recognised that there had been several important changes in the HCC recently, but there were still significant delays in seeing the doctor. The nursing staff were unhelpful and inconsiderate. The psychiatrist did not visit often enough (see Chapter 7)

¨ there was a high number of bullying incidents. Not all Officers were prepared to act on information that the prisoners gave them

¨ prisoners who were at risk from suicide or self harm were isolated in the Health Care Centre. The prisoners did not feel this was an appropriate response (see paras 5.60-5.64)

¨ there was the same level of availability of drugs and of drug misuse in Styal as there was outside the prison. There was counselling for drug

users which they welcomed, but little counselling for prisoners with other problems

¨ prisoners were required to complete courses before qualifying for consideration for temporary release or parole, and yet the courses were not being provided for them at Styal (see paras 6.26 to 6.35)

¨ the majority of female prisoners had been abused physically or sexually before coming in to prison

¨ the Rape Crisis session in the induction programme was good: however, continuity of counsellors could not be guaranteed and trust had to be re-built with each new counsellor

¨ there was no preparation for their release - there was a Pre-Release course, but it only ran once every six months (we found that it ran every six weeks)

¨ the selection of goods in the prison shop was poor. Some ranges had been reduced and prices increased without notice (see para 4.88)

¨ the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme did not provide meaningful incentives. Moving between the regime levels was often delayed. The prisoners had not been consulted about what they might consider an incentive to behave well (see para 5.41 and 5.42)

¨ mail was often not distributed on the day that it arrived in the prison

¨ the prison did not issue any toiletries - they had to buy their own in the prison shop (toiletries were available)

¨ the cleaning materials they were given to keep the units clean were inadequate

¨ the process for taking a sample for Mandatory Drug Tests was embarrassing and humiliating

¨ the Governor was often seen around the prison, but he did not stop to talk to the prisoners [we did not perceive this to be so when we accompanied him: he appeared to know many prisoners by name]

¨ there was a long waiting list for the Voluntary Testing Units (VTUs) and there were known continuing drug users on the VTUs

¨ many of them had sentence plans, but they were not followed through (we found this to be the case)

¨ they did not always complete the full period of induction

¨ there was no Prisoner Committee with access to prison managers

¨ there was a long waiting list to see the NACRO Housing Officers and probation staff would not deal with housing for prisoners on release. Only 50% of the women had somewhere to live on release

¨ communications were generally poor. Information that they did receive was not consistent. Queries had to be dealt with at a formal level

¨ temporary release had virtually stopped

¨ access to the library was good

¨ overt lesbian activity and drug use by some prisoners in the grounds and in the houses was ignored by staff.

CHAPTER TWO

THE ESTATE

The site 2.01 The prison is an attractive estate of Victorian villas, in a parkland setting, each one used as a self-contained living unit, the whole supported by ancillary buildings of the same style. The whole environment is very pleasant, and suitable for its current role as a women’s prison. It is well built and has been maintained in good order.

Buildings and maintenance 2.02 Unfortunately, the pleasant picture had been progressively marred by new construction by the Prison Service over the years, using different styles, none of which matched that of the original estate. The latest addition, the new Segregation Unit, was perhaps the worst example. All future construction should be in an architectural style sympathetic to the Victorian structures to avoid turning a pleasant development into an unpleasant mixture of indifferent buildings.

2.03 Pedestrian entrance to the prison was through a gate in the perimeter fence. There was no protection from the weather on either side of the gate. Appropriate weather protection for staff and prisoners should be provided at the Gate.

2.04 The former Segregation Unit, Alderley House, stood empty and had been so for five months since the new Segregation Unit had been brought into use. Although the building was constructed at the turn of the century, and in need of some repair, it was capable of being brought back into use, at a reasonable cost. Not surprisingly there was some routine maintenance outstanding. The plan to refurbish Alderley House and convert it to cellular accommodation should proceed without delay.

2.05 There were a number of portakabins and other portable buildings on site. Whilst useful in the short-term they are more expensive in the longer term. They should be replaced by permanent structures.

2.06 The refurbishment programme for the living units included the replacement of wooden sash windows with identical windows. Sash windows are a safety hazard, difficult to make even reasonably airtight. The use of sash windows should be discontinued; casement windows should be fitted in future.

2.07 The large estate of decaying, expensive houses which the prison had owned on a large prime site in the centre of Wilmslow, and which were costing a significant amount to maintain, had been sold.

2.08 Buildings containing electronic equipment had been fitted both with lightning protection to modern standards, and also surge protection to the power supply. This is an extremely good way of preventing damage to expensive equipment. In particular the surge protection, at a modest cost of about £300 was to be commended and should be used through the service. The lightning protection should be extended to cover the rest of the site, especially the living units.

2.09 All the living units contained gas cookers used by inmates in domestic style kitchens. In five of the kitchens electronic gas detectors operating solenoid valves had been fitted to guard against gas leaks. This protection should be extended to all house kitchens in the prison. The use of gas in such situations is hazardous: gas cookers should be phased out and replaced with electric cookers.

Works Services

2.10 Responsibility for Waste Disposal had been placed with the Works Services Department. There were good waste disposal arrangements, with two compactors reducing the volume of waste to be removed, and also providing work for one inmate. It was a commendable arrangement. Disposal of compacted cardboard, paper, cans, cloth, had not been fully optimised but alternatives were being investigated.

2.11 The system of reporting accidents to prisoners was clearly described in the Statement of Arrangements, but not well applied in practice. A prisoner had injured herself on the Friday before the Inspection but as late as the following Thursday no accident report was available, even though a potential claim against the service was possible. All accident reports must be completed promptly.

2.12 Building users were not operating the small repairs system effectively. Although the Works Department appeared to process repairs satisfactorily, there was no up-to-date list of outstanding repairs. Consequently it was not possible to determine which repairs had been carried out. Proper records should be maintained to make the buildings repairs system fully effective.

2.13 The physical condition of the range of buildings at the lower end of the site had, quite reasonably, been allowed to run down as demolition, followed by new construction, had been planned for some time. As so often happens there had been repeated postponements. The condition of the buildings was such that either extensive repairs should be carried out or the planned demolition should be implemented.

2.14 Although the buildings due for demolition were undistinguished, except for the interior of the swimming pool, we felt that the clock tower at the end of the block was worth keeping for its own sake as an attractive feature, and its historical significance. The interior contained an attractive Victorian cast iron staircase which also was worthy of preservation. The clock tower should be incorporated

into any redevelopment, refurbished and the clock put into working order. Any new construction should be fully in keeping with the architecture of Styal.

CHAPTER THREE

MANAGEMENT AND STAFFING

Management

Communications 3.01 We found that the Strategic Plan, structured by the Governor soon after he was posted to Styal, was the principal mechanism for introducing a series of planned changes.

3.02 The Governor told us that, within a short time of his appointment, he was notified that the prison was to be market tested. The staff were therefore suspicious about his appointment, but the process of evaluating what services were being delivered, and at what costs, had been beneficial.

3.03 Initiatives introduced within the previous two years included the Telecentre work, a more effective management of sick absences, and the Drugs Strategy. The Governor took an holistic approach to drug abuse: prevention, identification and treatment were all important issues in managing abusers. Two Officers had developed an anti-bullying policy. Staff who had been away from work on stress- related sick leave were encouraged to return to work to undertake work which they did not find stressful, until they were fully fit; sick leave had been reduced by approximately 1000 days per year, we were told.

3.04 The principal issue exercising the management of the prison was that which we have found to be common to many establishments: dealing with all the problems and needs of an increasing number of prisoners - particularly young prisoners - at a time when finances were being significantly reduced.

3.05 We were concerned to note that as part of the cost reduction strategy it was proposed to close the Mother and Baby Unit in the financial year 1999 / 2000. Whilst this was projected to result in an increase in the overall number of prisoner places with a consequential reduction in unit costs, surely a decision about the disposal of the Mother and Baby Unit should be made only after a full examination of the need for such a unit by Prison Service Headquarters.

3.06 The Governor had published details of the budget for the financial year 1997 / 98, and proposals for introducing a flatter management structure. The model was rational, although the volume and quality of work which would be undertaken by managers at different levels had not, at the time of our visit, been thoroughly analysed. No details of grades in the Residential and Operational functions had been identified: the Governor stated that individual competence would determine appointments to particular management posts. We felt that such an approach was correct, as long as the competencies required for each post are identified, and the selection processes are open. Performance criteria and evaluation systems for managerial posts should be introduced as part of the change process, which should also empower staff.

3.07 Female representation among various staff grades, whose roles would involve daily contact with prisoners, was reasonable. 80% of the Officers were female, and 67% of all other staff with direct prisoner contact: that is to say, nurses, instructors, probation officers, education staff etc.: were also female.

3.08 The Governor identified a need for more female managers. At Senior Officer the balance was 45% female, at Principal Officer 50%, but at Governor grade just 24%. He intended to make the Head of Custody responsible for all aspects of personnel management in the 1997/98 financial year. He felt the function needed development, and that its importance would be signalled by appointing the second-in-command of the prison to the role.

3.09 Though there were two Governors V in post, one was a temporary appointment of a member from Prison Service Accelerated Promotion Scheme. The Governor said that the appointment had clarified a need for the second Governor V position to be permanent. He intended to develop the roles of the Governors V so that each would manage half the residential estate, and be responsible for a number of projects.

3.10 The Governor aimed to provide the same standards of health care to prisoners as members of the public received from the NHS providers. He told us that the child care provision in the Health Care Centre, including training in parenting and social survival skills, based on agreed protocols, had been recognised as a model of best practice. He had effected most of the planned changes to Health Care Services.

3.11 He envisaged that, with the reduction in the provision of funding for capital projects, Works Services would focus upon the maintenance of the existing estate.

3.12 We examined the minutes of the two most recent management meetings of every type. We noted that the outcomes of the Health and Safety at Work Committee meetings were not recorded, and that the Medical Officer and the Caterer did not attend the Health and Safety at Work Committee meetings: they should. Minutes of other meetings failed to clearly identify the issues being discussed or decided. Minutes of meetings should include an Action column, in which the persons required to deliver work within a specified time frame is recorded.

Staff Management 3.13 The total number of uniformed staff between the ranks of Principal Officer and Officer including specialists, was 116.5 against a target figure of 125.5 posts. In addition, four Auxiliary Officers (whose overtime budget was within target) and 26 night patrols were employed. There were four governor grades and 74 other support staff. Five members of the unified grade staff worked part-time duties.

3.14 Discipline staff were deployed in three groups as follows:

PO SO Officer Operations 1 3 18 Residential North 1 4 36 Residential South 1 3 36

3.15 Night staffing was a Senior Officer as Orderly Officer, two Officers and eleven Night Patrols. This provided permanent cover to the hospital, Segregation Unit, mother and baby unit and the young offender unit, with mobile patrols for the supervision of the other houses. Consideration should be given to providing permanent night supervision to all the house units (see para 4.10 Vulnerable Prisoner Unit).

3.16 At the time of the inspection, time owed in lieu (TOIL) averaged approximately 9 hours per Officer. However, the majority of this was owed in the Operations Department which had provided most of the staff for the many escorts to outside hospital over several long periods. This rise had been recent, but the levels of TOIL should be reduced.

3.17 There had been many changes in the work of the establishment - such as the Voluntary Testing Units and Mandatory Drug Testing - since the last staff profile had been completed. Consequently the SPAR ( Staff Planning and Reporting form) was not being completed and, in any event, did not reflect the reality of the work. It should. Other SPAR forms were often unsigned and thus unchecked. They should be signed and checked by managers.

3.18 The Governor had assembled a ‘Major Change Team’ to consider the efficiency savings / budget cuts required over the next three years, and to implement the changes in staffing profile and management structure. At the time of the inspection, staffing during the day was usually one Officer per house.

However, some Officers were routinely deployed to other duties, for example dealing with prisoners’ mail. This work may be more appropriately carried out by Auxiliary Officers. The geography of the establishment meant that adequate supervision could not be fully provided if a strict ratio of numbers of prisoners per Officer was enforced. The effective management of the environment depended on the provision of a positive, active regime. The need to adequately supervise prisoners and provide constructive regimes should not be overlooked in the drive to make budget cuts. The work re-profiling, which was at an advanced stage of development and should receive full support for its implementation, planned to re-deploy discipline staff into eight smaller work groups to improve continuity of staff and give them responsibility for specific areas of the establishment. Staff resources would be centrally managed. Given the structure of the establishment - geographically discrete, small house units - this seemed appropriate when combined with the planned flatter management structure. There was to be a small reduction in the number of uniformed staff and a greater (and appropriate) reduction in the number of managers. We express our concerns elsewhere (see paras 3.15) about the level of supervision on some units. Careful attention should be paid to the need to supervise specialist units, such as the Young Offender Unit and the Vulnerable Prisoner Unit, more closely before any reduction in staffing is finalised.

3.19 There were job descriptions for many staff, but no central register. Furthermore, the job descriptions we saw were procedural, rather than being objective or outcome based. The job descriptions should be reviewed, and a central register maintained.

Management Services 3.20 The Head of Management Services was responsible for a range of duties which included information technology, finance, personnel, health and safety at work, stores and procurement, office services, the prison shop, and prisoners’ private cash and earnings.,

Information Technology 3.21 There was a mixed team of unified and civilian workstation administrators (trouble-shooters): they did not arrange to met regularly to discuss specific issues, or problems. In a relatively small establishment this seemed to be reasonable.

3.22 An audit of IT equipment had taken place in February 1996, and an inventory had been drawn up. It was due for review in February 1997. There was a number of ‘stand alone’ systems within the establishment, including IT systems for sick leave monitoring, the enhanced earnings system, stock controls, and the cash system for catering. I.T. matters were generally regarded as very satisfactory.

Finance 3.23 As a means to meet the imposed financial cuts a number of former posts, through retirement, resignation or transfer, remained vacant. Although the action of not replacing staff may be convenient, we believe it owes more to opportunism than to appropriate planning. This should not be seen as a criticism of Styal: many other establishments have taken a similar line: but it is right to draw attention to one of the principal shortcomings of the management of budgetary cuts.

3.24 In some respects Styal had done well to anticipate the financial reductions, and to keep the uncertainties to a minimum. The Head of Management Services, as a consequence, expected to meet budget targets for 1996 / 1997. The picture for 1997 / 1998, however, was less clear. Further cuts had meant that additional savings were necessary in a number of areas; the scope of these savings was being discussed. They included potential reductions in building repairs and the regime provided, and the re-grading of some posts.

3.25 Despite this situation the Head of Management Services felt that staff were reasonably positive about the future. ‘Quantum’ was seen as a threat (this is an

exercise to see how, or whether, work might be better delivered by private sector resources) to reduce the numbers of staff or, perhaps to erode conditions of service, and pay. It was interesting to hear the remark that “staff were used to bad news”.

3.26 We perused the budget monitoring information made available to us and noted that in two areas, both within local control, overspends were recorded - a 7% overspend for victualling, and an 8% overspend for earnings. We mention more of this at paras 4.39 and 4.50 respectively.

Personnel 3.27 At the time of inspection sick leave was very high, reaching almost 9% (the national target is 3.1%); we noted that five members of staff were on long term (more than one month) sick leave. However, this figure represented a considerable reduction in actual days lost over previous years totals. Procedures were in place to manage sick leave absences, but these were thought to be in need of improvement: a sick leave management package, based on national guidelines, was under discussion. We were given sight of the plans, which seemed to be appropriate. The plans to better monitor and control sick leave absence should be introduced without delay.

3.28 The arrangements to monitor the progress of the annual staff reporting process (Performance Planning and Review System PPRS) appeared to be satisfactory, with no appreciable arrears. There were plans to include the prompt completion of PPRSs as an objective in the PPRS for each reporting Officer.

Health and Safety 3.29 The Health and Safety Policy and Statement of Arrangements had recently been rewritten and was a workable document, although some of the appendices needed to be added. It should be improved by the addition of a section on Waste Disposal, including the use of soluble bags for foul or

infected wash, a section on Portable Appliance Testing and a section stating where the Accident Book is held.

3.30 The Health and Safety Committee did not meet as regularly as required by the Statement of Arrangements although it was effective and well minuted. Meetings of the Health and Safety at Work Committee should be held as in the Statement of Arrangements. Safety Audits were well behind and should be brought up-to-date. A detailed and comprehensive survey of Health and Safety matters was carried out in June 1996, by the Home Office Health and Safety branch, resulting in a very detailed report in July, only part of which has been implemented. All the recommendations of the report should be implemented.

3.31 The Education Department was not represented on the Health and Safety Committee. Although the Education Service Contractor seemed to have an effective Health and Safety Management System, the Education Department, as tenants of Home Office property, should attend the prison Health and Safety Committee meetings.

Staffing

Training and Development 3.32 The establishment had a Principal Officer with responsibility for training, recruitment and staff development. He had developed an impressive, computerised database of staff training and skills. This was being further enhanced by a staff skills survey (which was incomplete at the time of the inspection). The database provided him with reminders for refresher training and was up-to-date for most members of staff. It also produced a monthly monitoring return for the Deputy Governor. The Training Officer had nominal control of the training budget. There was no Training Committee, but the Training Officer reported regularly to the Senior Management Meeting.

3.33 A training needs analysis had been carried out by the Training Officer who had sought the views of the Group Managers. This had been used to structure the current training plan, taking into consideration the many national training priorities. It was hoped to repeat the process for the next year. The training plan appeared adequate for the establishment’s needs, but there should be individual training and personal development plans for staff.

3.34 Moves of operational grades between work groups were by application in response to advertised vacancies and were linked to training and PPRS. This scheme had recently been introduced and as yet no moves had been actioned using this system.

3.35 The national staff training targets were not being met and staff training hours since May 1996, had been low. This was being closely monitored and there had been a marked increase since the end of the main staff leave period(September).

3.36 Internal training was arranged by the Training Officer. In recent months there had been Control and Restraint Breakaway Techniques training for non- unified grades staff, Short Duration Breathing Apparatus training, sentence planning training, and a five week (one day a week) drug awareness programme. However, none of the internal training had been evaluated, neither by course participants nor by any another body. It should be. No staff - with the exception of the chaplain - had been trained in working with female prisoners. The recently developed training pack in working with young female prisoners had not yet been introduced at Styal. This should be delivered as a priority. Suicide awareness training had not been provided for staff since 1993. Suicide awareness training should be updated and extended to all staff having contact with prisoners.

Recruitment

3.37 There had been little recruitment in the preceding months; however, we were told that during staff recruitment campaigns there was a positive drive to recruit from sections of the population which were under-represented in the establishment by advertising in particular job centres. During the last recruitment drive, an open day had been held for all interested applicants to visit the prison. As we mention elsewhere, the establishment did not have an Equal Opportunities policy.

3.38 New staff received an individualised two week Induction Programme. Records of these were made available to us. They included visits to many areas of the establishment during the first week and the opportunity to ‘shadow’ another member of staff during the second week.

3.39 Probationary staff were supervised for the purposes of the PPRS (Performance, Planning and Review System) by the Training Officer during their first 12 months at Styal. Staff were interviewed at three monthly intervals and given improvement objectives and training targets at each meeting. At the end of the probationary period, responsibility for PPRSs reverted to the appropriate Group Manager.

Staff facilities 3.40 Staff facilities were regarded as fair; there was an office and toilet facilities on each house, with tea making facilities, a rest room and locker rooms in the main office / Gate area. Administration staff were accommodated in a separate building outside the perimeter fence, with reasonable toilet facilities, a tea point and a rest room. Office accommodation was somewhat cramped, but additional space was planned, which would improve matters; accordingly we make no recommendation.

3.41 There was a staff dining room, situated in a large building at the entrance to the prison estate, which provided a good range of main meals and light snacks. Although there was no formal occupational health period staff had reasonable

access to the gymnasium. We found staff facilities to be generally clean and in a reasonable decorative state.

Equal Opportunities 3.42 There was no Equal Opportunities Policy or Committee. There should be. The policy should include prisoners, staff and visitors and include the needs of those with disabilities and should be fully communicated throughout the establishment. There should be a nominated Equal Opportunities Officer.

CHAPTER FOUR

LIFE FOR PRISONERS

Accommodation 4.01 Styal had an operational capacity of 281 prisoners held in ‘closed’ conditions. The structure of the accommodation (originally built as an orphanage), which consisted of a series of small houses built along named avenues was in reality more akin to open prison accommodation. One house was unoccupied for refurbishment and three others, though occupied, were scheduled for refurbishment. Each house held between 13 and 22 prisoners in a mixture of single and double rooms. In the un-refurbished houses there were dormitories containing three to six beds.

4.02 Each of the houses had an identified function:

Butler Vulnerable prisoners Brown Induction Howard Young offenders and juveniles Patterson Life sentence prisoners Fox and Mellenby Mother and Baby Unit Righton Long Term prisoners Size, Davies and Barker Voluntary Testing Units Bruce, Wilson and Gaskell General Purpose - un-refurbished Martin and Fry Settled prisoners / intermediate sentence lengths

General 4.03 Most houses were clean and in a reasonable state of repair. The furniture in the houses was comparatively new, of standard prison issue, and provided limited space for prisoners’ clothing. Most prisoners had a lockable cabinet in which to keep property. The houses awaiting refurbishment, particularly Wilson house, were in an extremely poor condition both decoratively and in terms of a general lack of cleanliness and furniture. The proposed refurbishment should not be delayed and a target date should be given for completion of the work.

4.04 Each house had several association rooms, a dining room, a small kitchen, laundry and drying facilities, and adequate showering and washing facilities. Prisoners had access to toilets and washing facilities throughout the night. There were notice boards for prisoners on each house, but the quantity, quality and condition of the information displayed varied enormously. All notice boards should display relevant, up-to-date information. There was a TV and a video on each house, but there was no access to commercial videos. This facility is available in almost all other prisons and should be considered. Prisoners had free movement within the houses until 21:00 hrs when the main association rooms were locked.

4.05 Each house, with the exception of the induction house, had a pay phone. It is particularly crucial that prisoners in their first hours in an establishment should have contact with their families, and a telephone should be installed in the induction unit. Telephones were located in the main corridors but none had noise-reducing hoods. All telephones should be provided with noise- reducing hoods.

4.06 There was open access to the grounds during specified periods of daylight hours: however, there was little staff supervision of the grounds. Prisoners reported to us that there was a high level of drug abuse and lesbian activity

displayed in the grounds which went unchecked by staff. Staff supervision of the grounds should be improved. General recreational facilities were limited. Some houses had pool tables, and some had sewing machines, but generally there was little for the prisoners to do during association periods. The recreational facilities for prisoners should be improved.

Young offenders and juveniles 4.07 The majority of the accommodation for young offenders and juveniles (15 - 17 years) was provided in Howard House; however, there were young prisoners (up to 21) dispersed throughout the establishment. The regime, staffing, supervision and accommodation was no different from the other units (with the exception of night cover which was provided by two members of staff on duty in the house). There was little for the prisoners to do when they were not participating in work or education and there was little structure to their day. The prisoners told us that there was a high level of drug abuse on Howard House (see para 1.13). The regime structure for, and supervision of, younger prisoners should be improved.

Vulnerable Prisoners 4.08 The Vulnerable Prisoners Unit (VPU) was similar in design to the other houses, but was surrounded by a fence which separated it from the rest of the establishment. This unit had opened in early 1996 and represented a considerable improvement in facilities for vulnerable prisoners. It also allowed for outside association during daylight house. We were told that the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit at Styal was for prisoners whose offences made it impossible for them to remain on other houses because of the high probability of victimisation. Prisoners who sought segregation because of debt or who were poor copers were not located in this unit, but were encouraged to continue on the houses with support from staff. The unit did not have a statement of purpose, aims and team objectives: these should be developed. Furthermore, while the staff were committed and enthusiastic, there was little direction to this. However, it

was an example of good practice that staff on the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit had received training in working with Schedule One offenders.

4.09 Prisoners had access to several association rooms and a workshop / classroom area. They also had access to many of the work areas used by other prisoners and limited education classes were provided for them within the unit. Some unskilled work was available for those who could not work in other parts of the prison, but this was of poor quality. The range of activity opportunities for vulnerable prisoners should be improved. We were told that there had been plans to develop the small garden area for the prisoners to maintain, but that there had been no funds. Nevertheless, this should be developed to provide additional valuable activity for the prisoners.

4.10 During the day the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit was normally supervised by at least one member of staff. At night however, there was periodic patrolling only. We were told that shortly before the inspection there had been a series of serious bullying incidents related to drug misuse. Continuous supervision for women in this group is necessary, and we recommend that the staffing of the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit at night should be reviewed (see para 3.15).

4.11 There was no Induction Programme for prisoners on the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit but we were told that the prisoners there had the same access to information and services as those in the rest of the establishment. Notice boards provided some information on counselling and support facilities. There should be structured provision of induction information for the vulnerable prisoners and clearer information on the facilities available to them. This could take the form of a ‘tick list’ reception information sheet supported by a written information pack.

Mother and Baby Unit [see further at para 7.61 onwards] 4.12 The Mother and Baby Unit was a well established facility for up to 22 women. Babies could remain with their mothers until they were 18 months old.

There were three nursery nurses attached to the Mother and Baby Unit and a team of midwives from the local hospital provided support. The Mothers Union visited regularly. Uniformed staff were drawn from a discrete pool of Officers. The facilities were spacious and well maintained. However, some of the furniture was in a poor state of repair and some of the rooms needed repainting. This should be rectified.

4.13 There was a large outside play area for the children and several small crèches. Education was available for the mothers on the unit, but, other than domestic cleaning, no other work was available. This was attributed to limited the child care options for mothers who wanted to work. A fuller range of activities should be available for the prisoners on the Mother and Baby Unit.

Schedule One offenders 4.14 The establishment held some 30 Schedule One offenders, that is those convicted of offences against children and young persons. Not all of these were accommodated on the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit and when asked, staff were unable to tell us their exact location immediately. The establishment had no protocols or policy for dealing with Schedule One offenders, which was of concern given the presence of the mother and baby unit and the number of young offenders and juveniles in custody at Styal. In addition, doors to both these units were often unlocked. Procedures for dealing with Schedule One offenders should be developed and implemented, the location of Schedule One offenders monitored and the security of the Mother and Baby Unit improved

Management of life sentence prisoners 4.15 There were 21 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment at the time of our inspection. Such prisoners were usually located on Patterson House, but six were located in houses catering for long-term prisoners.

4.16 Most prisoners were received from Durham or Bullwood Hall. Young offenders were often received from regional secure units, and were interviewed by a Governor to assess their suitability before being transferred to Styal.

4.17 An increasing number of life sentence prisoners were arriving with their sentence plans completed: all seemed to know about the “Lifer” system. However, some prisoners received from regional secure units were not aware of the implications of their life sentences. Life sentence prisoners in regional secure units should be advised early during their period of custody of the implications of a life sentence. Risk assessments were normally carried out by psychologists.

4.18 One Governor 5 was trained as the Lifer Liaison Officer, and one Senior Officer was available to assist. Other house staff on Patterson were not trained about the special needs of life sentence prisoners: they should be. We were told that it was intended that Probation Officers and the Senior Psychologist were to structure a course for the benefit of other staff.

4.19 There was a multi-disciplinary approach to the management of life sentence prisoners. Compacts were used, and the external Probation Officers assisted with the annual reviews. We were told that coming to terms with the offence was a major problem for many of the life sentence prisoners.

4.20 The Lifer Liaison Officer was responsible for the management of all Life Sentence Prisoners. Personal Officers were not trained about the special needs of life sentence prisoners: they should be.

4.21 Putting the majority of life sentence prisoners on Patterson House facilitated mutual support among individuals, and was considered a better option than dispersing the lifers throughout the establishment. Patterson House was a high quality residential unit; the special circumstances of life sentence prisoners were recognised.

4.22 The Lifer Liaison Officer saw his role as supporting the Personal Officers: there was a Deputy Lifer Liaison Officer, who was a Senior Officer, and who similarly provided consultancy support to Officers.

4.23 No particular events were organised by or for life sentence prisoners, and lifers were entitled to the same visits arrangements as other long-term prisoners. We were told that it was rare for many lifers to receive visits, because of the nature of offences which resulted in their life sentences.

4.24 Life sentence prisoners were able to see the Governor 5 who had informal responsibility for their management in Patterson House: he told us that most lifers who wanted to raise issues would do so, individually, with managers they knew. No life sentence prisoner worked outside the prison, which was a second stage of lifer establishment.

4.25 Life sentence prisoners did not attend the same Induction course as other prisoners. They were allocated straight to Patterson House, or one of the other houses.

4.26 We were told that only one Stage One lifer had ever been accepted, for domestic reasons: we were told that the staffing level required for a Stage One prison could not be funded at Styal.

4.27 Life sentence prisoners were allocated to carefully selected work, most of which involved relationships with staff, from whom prisoners could receive appropriate support. The Medical Officer, however, did not contribute greatly to the day-to-day management of lifers.

4.28 Review Boards were attended by the Personal Officer, the Education Officer, the Chaplain, the Psychologist, the Probation Officer and the Medical Officer: written submissions were made by the employer. Boards were chaired

by the Lifer Liaison Officer; the Deputy Lifer Liaison Officer also attended. External Probation Officers had been encouraged to attend Boards, and frequently did, we were told.

4.29 Lifers were always present at the Boards which considered their cases: however, some discussions took place without the lifer being present. The offence, and the reasons for it, were discussed in every case. Prisoners were able to submit their arguments for temporary release in writing, if they wished to do so.

4.30 Behavioural targets would be set at Review Boards: these were monitored by the responsible Personal Officer. Setting targets was co-ordinated by the Lifer Liaison Officer.

4.31 We were told that, when life sentence prisoners were being considered for release on parole, their applications to the Parole Unit were taking, in many cases, more than six months before a response was received. It did not appear that the particular circumstances of female lifers were being considered separately from those of male life sentence prisoners. Replies to applications for parole should be given more promptly.

4.32 We examined a number of life sentence prisoners’ files. The quality of documentation was, in most cases, very good, but for some prisoners, there was no information on file. All files on life sentence prisoners should be brought up-to-date.

4.33 We were told that it had been formerly the practice for life sentence prisoners to be accompanied to town, once every year, by their Personal Officer. This provided contact with the realities of the community, and involved women having to plan spending their budget on clothes and other items. Recent constraints on release on temporary licence had brought this practice to an end. Similarly, release on temporary licence for resettlement purposes, so that women

could remain integrated with their families, had been curtailed. We do not believe that the special position of women had been properly considered before the Prison Service issued instructions on this issue, and we recommend that the need for a more flexible approach to release on temporary licence for female prisoners should be evaluated.

Catering 4.34 Catering services were the responsibility of a Senior Officer Caterer, supported by two Officers Caterer; with a party of six prisoner ‘catering assistants’, all of whom worked in the kitchen. In addition to the kitchen workers, there were nine prisoner ‘house cooks’ who, as suggested, resided on the house units, and were responsible for cooking the rations sent from the main kitchen. A further five of the house units provided self catering facilities. Meals for the Health Care Centre, the Induction Unit and the Segregation Unit were provided from the main kitchen.

4.35 The main kitchen was used, principally, to store and prepare food for distribution to the house units every day. The kitchen itself was very clean, and tidy. In general terms it was well laid out, but the toilet / changing facilities for both staff and prisoners were poor. These should be improved.

4.36 Each house was equipped with its own kitchen. Selected prisoners from each house were given food handling and hygiene training, and trained as cooks. They were responsible for producing all house meals. The house kitchens were reasonably large, clean and generally well decorated and equipped: we mention the use of gas cookers at para 2.09.

4.37 The arrangements for serving meals were generally poor. It was normal for the house cooks, who worked largely unsupervised, and in some instances not properly dressed, to pull a table across the doorway to the kitchen, and serve from there. There were no hot plates or baine maries (except in the Health Care Centre and Segregation Unit) to maintain food temperatures, and food, as a

consequence, became less appetising if there was a delay. During the course of the inspection we saw several examples where food was placed on the unheated table, for between seven and eleven minutes, before serving commenced. In addition to this, we saw that chairs were placed on the tables in the dining room so that prisoners were required to lift chairs, from the tables, before eating. Arrangements for condiments, in some of the houses, were unhygienic, with salt picked, by hand, from an open tub. The arrangements for serving of meals in the house should be improved. There should be better supervision of house cooks by staff, who themselves should be trained in food handling and hygiene.

4.38 All the houses were checked each day by kitchen staff to ensure that cleaning schedules were fully implemented, and to check Food Comments books. This was an example of good practice. There was a schedule for a governor grade to visit the houses, in rotation, to sample food. Although we thought this to be sound practice, we felt that the rota of visits should not be published in advance. Each visit should, nevertheless, be recorded in house occurrence books.

4.39 Mealtimes were reasonable. Breakfast was served at about 8.15 am; lunch, which was a snack meal, at 12.30 pm; and the tea meal, which was the main meal of the day, after 5.00 pm. A supper bun or biscuit was served at about 8.00 pm. At the time of the inspection a four week menu cycle was in place, but options were severely limited. We saw considerable numbers of meals not taken, particularly at lunchtime. These were simply wasted. We saw plans to introduce a pre-order system. We considered this to be essential. We recognise that better liaison between house and kitchen staff will be necessary, but the pre-order system should be introduced without delay: this will help to reduce wastage and assist the catering department to reduce its overspend (see para 3.26). We were told that it would also provide more choice, including a healthy option each day, although choice would still be restricted because of the small numbers in each house. We thought, nevertheless, that the plans should be given every

support, recognising that control will be more difficult than in most systems, much reliant on house staff, and tied, perhaps, to the level of skill of the house cooks.

4.40 We noted, from the records made available to us, that a governor grade visited the main kitchen on most days. We were told that a governor grade visited everyday, but not all signed the Menu Book to indicate that they had done so: this should be rectified. More importantly the Medical Officer did not visit the kitchen, or the house kitchens. The Medical Officer should visit the main and house kitchens regularly, with at least one visit each week.

4.41 We had considerable reservations about the overall arrangements for catering in that the potential for error was much greater than with centralised cooking arrangements. This was also a concern of the local branch of the Prison Officers’ Association (see para 1.12). However, many of these concerns would be resolved by appropriate training for house staff. We were told that the post of house cook was not popular, because they bore the brunt of any complaint, and because it involved working for seven days every week. We thought this could be redressed, to a degree, by improving earnings for house cooks, which would also emphasise the importance of the task.

4.42 Although we felt that the catering arrangements would need to be reviewed if any additional accommodation was built, we considered that they were just about satisfactory, except for the provision of meals for some babies and toddlers. Because they were not considered to be part of the prison’s prisoner population, there was no allowance to feed them. There seemed to be two issues. The establishment was, as mentioned earlier in this report, overspent on its catering budget. The provision of food for the small numbers of children concerned was not a major feature of that overspend, but certainly a small contributor to it. The question was whether the caterer should be given an allowance for them, or, as the mothers of the children would be entitled to family allowance for the child, was it reasonable to deduct the costs for food from the mother? The responsibility for the costs for the provision of food to persons residing in prison

establishments, but not included as part of the daily prisoner population, should be clarified. In the meantime, the prison should make adequate provision for feeding infants and young children.

4.43 We tasted several meals and found them to be reasonably well cooked, warm if not hot, and satisfying.

Clothing 4.44 Prisoners were allowed to wear their own clothing. On arrival their clothing was checked, and additional clothing, usually underwear or night clothes, was provided as required. There was no formal clothing exchange: washers and dryers were on each house, and washing powder was provided for prisoners to do their own laundering. The system seemed to work reasonably well, but a more economical and efficient service might be provided by the use of house orderlies to provide a laundry service .

4.45 We particularly liked the pragmatic and sensible approach to the replacement of clothing, particularly underclothing, where the standard of issue was better than the national minimum (which is usually regarded as the maximum in the majority of male establishments). It was based on an 'according to need' basis, rather than fixed to the annual allowance. This allowed a degree of flexibility, but, used sensibly, did not generate waste. It was put to us, and we agreed, that the Prison Service systems for clothing women were based on those for the male population, and that a discrete system for provision and exchange of clothing should be introduced for the female population. The discharge clothing store was very small (see para 6.04).

4.46 The arrangements for the exchange of sheets and blankets left much to be desired. Whilst prisoners were able to change all of their bedding as required, few appeared to know this. The arrangements for bedding exchanges should be more widely advertised. Generally bedding was collected on the house, and exchanged, item for item, with clean bedding provided from the stores.

4.47 We felt that the arrangements fell short of requirements in that there was no system in place to ensure that prisoners regularly exchanged sheets and blankets. We were told that even if they did, there was no guarantee that each individual would receive back the same number of items that they had handed in for exchange. We were unable to confirm whether this was the case. The procedures for bedding exchanges in the houses should be improved to include these two points.

Private cash and earnings

Private Cash 4.48 The arrangements for dealing with prisoners’ private cash were, in the main, satisfactory. Some delays had been experienced with late receipts of private cash from some sending establishments. This seems to be a national problem, we have mentioned the problem in other reports, and it is an issue that should be resolved without further delay. There were some difficulties in the administration of expenditure in connection with the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme, and some inconsistency in determining what items were to be included / excluded from the cash limits. The Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme should be reviewed and the list of items which do not count towards the cash limits published.

4.49 An example of good practice was that of making available cash advances to new mothers. Advances were offered to ensure that they were not penalised financially for the delays experienced in getting the local registrar to register the birth at the establishment (this was not uncommon, we were told).

Earnings 4.50 There was no single manager with overall responsibility for the control of prisoners’ earnings, and, at the time of the inspection there was an overspend in

the earnings budget of about 8%. This may have occurred as one of the consequences of the absence of managerial control. We were told that a survey was being undertaken to ascertain the earnings levels for each work party, and a preliminary list was produced for the inspection team; unfortunately we found, of the two rates we were able to check, that the information was incorrect. The budget for earnings should be better managed and controlled.

4.51 The arrangements for the payment of earnings worked reasonably well, but there was no input from the Head of Inmate Activities, or a nominated Officer, to check earnings records for accuracy, before submission to Management Services for collation and calculation of earnings. As a consequence, there was no ‘filter’ for errors made by work providers. There was a need for a check of this nature because the computerised earnings system was unable to produce an earnings slip that the prisoner could be given prior to going to the shop. This meant that errors had to be dealt with at the shop counter, a less than ideal place (see para 4.87). A management check would help to ensure that any delays in submitting earnings sheets would be kept to a minimum (we noted, from the records presented to us, that this was a feature): and also ensure that the payments of bonuses were justified (this was not always clear from the records we inspected). Earnings sheets should be checked within the Activities group before submission for payment.

4.52 We examined the earnings records and noted that work changes seemed to occur on every day of the week, and, as a result, contributed to the rate of error in the pay records. The most notable example of this was work providers who, seemingly, ‘lost’ prisoner workers: that is they did not to put their details on an earnings sheet, presumably because, although they were working on the work party at the beginning of the week, they were not on the work party at the end of the week, and had been forgotten. This should be resolved by establishing a formal Employment Board, and a set day for work changes, tied into the initial work allocations at induction. The arrangements for work party changes should be reviewed.

Education 4.53 Only the flexible learning workshops, the kitchen, the hairdressing room and the computer room were an adequate size for the respective classes. Although good use was made of space available, the art room, pottery room and general classrooms were far too small. This restricted the curriculum. The education block was generally dirty and in need of maintenance, better decoration and display, and the upstairs floors should be made safe for the use of mothers with small children. The overall appearance was somewhat depressing.

4.54 Only the Head of Department and two half-time staff were employed on a permanent basis, with approximately 30 part-time and sessional teachers. Relationships between education staff, prisoners and prison staff were excellent. There was sufficient administrative support, with an element of added value in that the administrative assistant also taught. Regular staff meetings were held and departmental / curriculum meetings held as necessary. These were minuted and appropriately circulated. Although the department met the required standard for Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit, none of the teachers were qualified in dealing with prisoners with specific learning difficulties. Teachers used a good range of styles, teaching individually, in small groups, and whole classes. Lessons were delivered at a reasonable pace with a sense of enthusiasm with high standards demanded.

4.55 Education was provided by City College Manchester for 50 weeks during the day time, and for 42 weeks of evening classes, totalling 7,100 hours each year. This was a 4% cut on the previous year. Links with other educational establishments were weak but liaison had developed with a wide variety of examining bodies. Prison managers supported education and there was close contract monitoring. The Education Department was represented on a wide range of committees and other prison activities did not significantly interrupt the

education process. Communications with senior management were said to be excellent.

4.56 The Education Department was represented during induction by an education guidance worker who made an initial assessment of needs and made a major contribution to the range of activities within the prison. Education and the Probation and Psychology Departments did not work together on Offending Behaviour courses, nor was the Education Department involved in Pre-Release courses. We felt that there should be closer links with the Psychology Department and individual diagnostic testing to identify prisoners with specific learning difficulties. The department made particular efforts for those of under school leaving age and attempted to contact the children’s schools for information. The department made a valuable contribution to sentence planning. The lengths of stay for prisoners varied from a few weeks to many years and the Education Department made good efforts to provide for the range with courses of varied length and interest. The curriculum was enhanced from time to time by the provision of special projects such as music and drama and there was a writer-in- residence.

4.57 Monitoring figures revealed nearly 100% attendances levels which was good value for money. There was a comprehensive range of classes which catered for a range of abilities, from those in need of remedial attention to those taking external examinations; there was a good range of certification, but the curriculum should be produced for individual prisoner’s needs and “taster” courses introduced as part of the induction / assessment process.

4.58 Education was well advertised in the houses and was readily available to every prisoner. There was however a lack of flexibility concerning part-time attendance because of the poor arrangements between employment and education, although a recent innovation had been the Education Department’s input to some work areas. Vulnerable prisoners and prisoners with children were not getting sufficient education because for the latter, we were told, there were not

enough nursery nurses. Attendance was dependent on the availability of Officers for escort, punctuality was variable.

4.59 Whilst the curriculum was wide, some elements of good therapeutic value were not being given as much support as was required. The curriculum needed to be more flexible to respond to individual needs. There was a need to provide more educational after care to prisoners applying for and attending courses after release. There was also a need to enhance the education provision for the women in Butler Unit (VPU) and on the Health Care Centre. Opportunities for prisoners to undertake distance learning courses were limited by the need for self-sponsorship and there was no opportunity to attend outside colleges as part of a sequential treatment programme leading to release.

4.60 Prisoners were seen working in art, hairdressing, vocational cookery, child care, flexible learning, the soft furnishings Vocational Training course and evening classes in computers, art, cookery, self care and English for Spanish speakers. We were impressed by the levels of activity, the quality of relationships and the progress being made. Results in external examinations were impressive. However prisoners were taking great care with the presentation of their work in surroundings which did little to enhance its value.

4.61 There were some waiting lists and a needs assessment had indicated that the demand for evening classes was not being met. Records of progress related well to sentence planning and records of achievement. Photographic evidence of students’ work contributed to these. There was an excellent examination pass rate but little reward in terms of bonuses, and the prisoners’ earnings rate in education was low. The provision of an education guidance worker was excellent and this linked well to the work of the Careers Service.

Employment

4.62 There was no published statement of employment opportunities because, we were told, the pattern of work was constantly changing, and the work profile was not settled. This was partly true, but many of the work parties were permanent, and most changes related to the numbers of prisoners allocated to those parties, rather than changes of work activity. For example, although we had noted that a number of places had recently been lost on education, education clearly remained an activity opportunity. As it was usual for prisoners to be allocated to work or education as the final part of Induction, a statement of employment opportunities, together with information about earnings rates, bonuses, qualifications etc, could be useful in helping them to formulate ideas for their sentence plans. There should be a published statement of employment or activity opportunities.

4.63 Allocation to work included an assessment of the prisoner’s abilities, and was an attempt to match the worker to the work that was available. It was hoped, for example, that those with basic learning needs would be allocated to education. We were told that there was a plan to formalise procedures for sentence plans, and to introduce groupwork, counselling, and similar activities. We support this plan. We were told that links between work activity and the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) Scheme had been purposely avoided. We found it difficult to follow the logic of this decision, particularly when the distinctions between each level of the IEP scheme were, in prisoners’ terms, somewhat vague. The allocation of better paid work, or more attractive work, to those who achieve the enhanced levels of the IEP, has proved to be effective at many establishments.

4.64 There was a wide range of work, from the usual ‘domestic’ workforce: cleaners and orderlies, the farms and gardens, the works services department, and catering services, to a vocational training course in soft furnishings, a construction and industry training course in floor cleaning, and production workshops in textiles and tailoring, (for which NVQs could be earned), and contract service work (mending telephones and similar equipment). Work was also available on Telesales, a secretarial-type activity for commercial companies and for which NVQs were, again, available.

4.65 Prisoners in the textiles production shop earned enhanced wages: up to £30 per week. The scheme was group based, with enhanced earnings calculated on the efforts of the full team. This had the effect of making the workshop extremely busy, with much purposeful activity. In general terms the quality of work at Styal was good, and the level of activity purposeful. Our only concern was the work provided in Butler House (vulnerable prisoners) where plastic pipe mouldings were stripped of excess plastic, which was extremely repetitive and seemed to be very boring.

4.66 Sponsorship had been obtained for some of the NVQ courses: this was imaginative and appropriate, and an example of good practice.

Farm 4.67 The principal activity on the farm was vegetable production. There were a number of polytunnels, three of which were heated, and a substantial crop-growing area, all within the perimeter fence. 12,000 calabreses, cauliflowers and cabbages, as well as lettuces were grown. Most production was sent to HM Prison Kirkham, from where it was distributed nationally. We were told that tomatoes grown and boxed at Styal had been sent to Kirkham, only to be received back at Styal for consumption. In these circumstances, local demand for vegetables should be met without the requirement for it to be sent it for distribution.

4.68 It was recognised that quality was the key issue in production. We tasted some of the peppers: they were excellent, but many, it appeared, did not meet the European Community standards for size, and therefore could not be marketed. The same was true of lettuces. Ten varieties of bedding plants were produced, and supplied to many of the establishments in the area. The annual production was 100,000 plants, producing a profit of £20,000,

4.69 Selection of prisoners to work on the farm was critically important, we were told, because of the need to maintain quality and to make a profit. The employment of prisoners who did not work to the required standards could result in loss of revenue. Farm staff believed that many prisoners were indifferent because of the amount of private cash they were allowed to spend, which reduced the motivation to work productively. We considered that the farm had the potential to be more productive, and we recommend that an incentive earnings scheme, reflecting the quality and quantity production standards required, should be considered.

4.70 Farm staff were responsible for the maintenance of the grounds, including 22 acres of lawns, both inside and outside the perimeter fence. These were very well maintained. Farm staff told us that it was extremely difficult to allocate prisoners to work outside the perimeter fence, and they questioned why prisoners who had been judged suitable for progressive transfers to open prisons could not, after such a judgement had been made and, until the date of transfer, work outside the perimeter.

4.71 Much of the farm machinery was run down, and, we were told, broke down frequently. There should be a review of equipment needed to maintain the estate: necessary replacements should be acquired.

4.72 Facilities for the use of prisoners and staff working on the farm were disgraceful. The prisoners' rest room was filthy; there was no heating, a tap was leaking and the furniture was broken and unsuitable. There was nothing which would have encouraged prisoners to take care of the facility. The staff rest room was no better: the standard of the seating was appalling, the toilet was filthy and offered a poor level of privacy; there were no staff lockers. Although there was a LIDS terminal farm staff had not been trained to use it. The Farm Manager's office was no better: the heating was ineffective, and there was no shower, although there was a toilet for female staff!. The rest rooms should be redecorated, and staff lockers and suitable furniture provided. Effective heating

systems should be installed. There should be better privacy for the staff toilet facilities. Staff should be trained to use LIDS. The Head of Regimes should inspect the farm premises regularly.

The Library 4.73 This was an excellent facility in an attractive well cared for building, administered by enthusiastic staff and a prisoner who had gained qualifications in librarianship. Monitoring of lending rates, by houses, revealed good use was made of the library, which was well stocked, though the replacement allowance was very low. The loss rate was high, and there should be better liaison with house staff about the retrieval of books. We were told that it was difficult, on occasions, for prisoners to attend the library due to shortages of staff for escort purposes.

PE 4.74 There was a large gymnasium, with a discrete area for weight training, an area fitted with couches, where physiotherapy for prisoners requiring remedial physical education could be provided, and a classroom. We felt that the facilities were adequate for the population. We were particularly impressed by the purchase of secondhand refurbished weights facilities, which had cost approximately one third of the price of new equipment. The environment appeared to be clean, cared for, and safe. Arrangements for the storage of PE equipment and kit were satisfactory.

4.75 There was, in the grounds, a hockey field. We were told that, during the winter months, it was often waterlogged.

4.76 The PE Department had produced a booklet which contained the Statement of Purpose, the PE objectives and a list of activities and full-time PE courses, and the awards which could be obtained. The PE Programme was included in the document. The PE Programme was also comprehensive; six full- time PE courses were offered, and, on weekdays, a full programme of activities

took place between 8.45 am and 4.30 pm. From 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm the gymnasium was available for use by staff: and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, evening classes for prisoners were provided between 5.30 pm and 7.00 pm. There were programmed sessions for prisoners in the Health Care Centre, for those over 35 years of age, for the indications, and for young offenders. At weekends, there were PE activities until 3.30 pm on Saturdays, and between 1:30 pm and 8.00 pm on Sundays.

4.77 The list of activities was impressive. PE staff told us that most women preferred to develop individual fitness programmes, and that team games were not as much in demand as was the case in prisons for male offenders. The programme appeared to be well balanced, and prisoners spoke highly of the gymnasium facilities and PE Programme. The PE staff operated an open door policy. There was an excellent relationship with the Health Care Centre, and the medical staff would refer prisoners requiring remedial therapy to the PE Department, because one of the staff was a qualified physiotherapist. The PEIs were also qualified as teachers for RSA.

4.78 The Senior Officer (PEI) also undertook discipline duties: he had trained the PE Officers so that they could undertake all the duties required in the gymnasium, and the Senior Officer had an agreement that, if he assisted with discipline duties from time to time, sports and games trained Officers could be released during the working day, when required, to help to supervise PE activities. This seemed to be a pragmatic, and sensible, arrangement. Most PE sessions were of one hour’s duration, which we believed was reasonable. Prisoners could attend PE activities for up to two hours each week without losing pay. We were told that there was no conflict between the opportunities offered to women to participate in PE, and the demands from other programme providers. We were told that women offenders liked individually tailored programmes which met their individual interests.

4.79 PE staff had promoted a “Health Awareness Week”, which had been successful. Prisoners were able to undertake aerobics, using commercially available video tapes.

4.80 We were told that the contract to maintain the PE equipment had been sub- contracted to persons who were not qualified to undertake the work. PE staff felt that, as a consequence, they would be liable if there was an accident. We recommend that the contract to maintain PE equipment should be reviewed.

4.81 There was information in Reception and in the Induction House about the PE Programme. PE staff tried to provide courses according to demand, and national vocational qualifications in Sport and Recreation was one of the courses available.

4.82 A programme was provided for prisoners who were in the Segregation Unit: step aerobics, using a video, was available in the Segregation Unit. Some individuals (mainly those segregated under the provisions of Rule 43 in their own interests) were taken for individual programmes to the gymnasium. Six out of ten RSA aerobics graduates had gained employment in the leisure industry following release. Trampolines were available for rebound therapy: a group of severely mentally and physically handicapped persons came to the gymnasium for two hours each week, and we were told that prisoners gained a sense of self-worth and esteem by helping disadvantaged people to use the recreational sporting facilities.

4.83 Examples of good practice included the maintenance of individual training records on a computer, thus the aggregation of data was possible. Additionally PE staff were providing staff training in Control and Restraint, first aid and incident management.

4.84 We were shown records of activities in the financial years ending April 1994, 1995 and 1996. In every year, the actual hours service provided by the PE Department had exceeded the hours for which they were contracted: by 11%, 10% and, in the year ended March 1996, by 50%. The commitment of the PE staff, and of the Officers who supported their activities, was commendable. It was therefore disappointing to learn that the PE staff felt that Headquarters did not understand the need for particular activities to raise the self esteem of women whose level of achievement was often low, and whose histories of being abused had destroyed their self-confidence. We were told that the Area PE Supervisor had not visited the establishment for 12 months (we learned that he had been absent on long-term sick leave). PE Officers had identified a need for appropriate recreational PE activities for prisoners who were mentally or physically disadvantaged. We were disappointed to learn that it had been suggested that PE should be provided only to the equivalent standards to that available in community halls: such a remark undervalued the work and commitment of the PE staff, and ignored the existence of PE activities in Leisure Centres, most of which are much better equipped than was this gymnasium. We endorse the need for recreational physical education, particularly in female establishments, where individual programmes are, in our view, particularly important.

Prison Shop 4.85 The prison shop was staffed from a group of four store persons. It was tucked away, towards the rear of the prison, in the stores / workshop area. It held a range of about 300 items, including a small range of items for ethnic minorities. There was a shop committee, with inmate representation; meetings were held and appropriately minuted.

4.86 The shop, whilst of adequate size, was protected only by a long low counter, from which prisoners were served; it provided minimal security, which, noting that 30 or more prisoners might be in the area at a given time, should be improved.

4.87 We were told, because prisoners were unsupervised when they visited the shop, that there was a degree of ‘taxing’ (prison terminology for protection), which could not be prevented by shop staff on the other side of the counter, particularly when there were high numbers of prisoners in the shop, or when staff were trying to resolve queries (see also para 4.51). Although we did not witness any actual taxing, we thought that this was highly likely, and considered that prisoners should be better supervised within the shop.

4.88 Prisoners had complained about shop prices (see para 1.13), and we found that the pricing policy, whilst suitably controlled, provided profits in excess of the required 10%. Shop prices should be reduced in line with national guidelines.

Race Relations 4.89 The Race Relations Management Team (RRMT) was chaired by a residential governor. The Race Relations Liaison Officer (RRLO) was a House Officer. The Deport Liaison Officer (see para 4.95) also attended. A member of the African Black Prisoners Scheme was a member of the team and attended meetings, which was excellent but there should also be prisoner representatives on the RRMT. The agenda of the meetings was wide ranging and thorough and each member of the team provided a report for the meetings (written if they were absent). Both the RRLO and the Deport Liaison Officer (see below) were given, when possible, up to eight hours per week to complete their duties. The RRLO had an office, in the education department. There were several cultural groups which regularly visited the establishment.

4.90 The ethnic minority population of Styal remained at around 20%. Many areas of the prison were monitored, including accommodation, and attendance at education, employment and other activities. However, at the time of the inspection, adjudications and the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme were not being monitored. They should be.

4.91 The local race relations policy was not displayed throughout the prison. We were told that permanent signs were being prepared to include the names of members of the RRMT. When these signs are ready they should be displayed on all houses and in other key areas of the establishment. Photographs of the RRMT should also be displayed. Not all staff in the prison had received training in racial awareness issues. Which should be available for all staff and prisoners.

4.92 Several items were available in the prison shop specifically for black women’s hair and skin. We were told that these often ran out and a considerable time elapsed before these were replaced. Given the size of the population, a greater selection should be available. The opinions of the women should be sought before these items are obtained.

4.93 Dietary choices in the establishment were considered ‘preferential’, thus it was easy for a prisoner with a cultural preference to receive an appropriate diet. However, we heard many complaints about the quality of all types of diets. (We mentioned more of this, para 4.34 onwards). There should be events in the prison, including special food days, to raise prisoners awareness of other cultures.

4.94 The provision for non-Christian workshop was poor, there was no permanent multi-faith room and a series of temporary rooms were used. There should be a dedicated multi-faith room for use by prisoners and visiting ministers.

Deport Liaison Officer 4.95 At the time of the inspection there were 16 foreign national prisoners at Styal. The Deport Liaison Officer was responsible for liaising with the immigration services. We felt that the title Deport Liaison Officer was

inappropriate and that he should be more appropriately named the Foreign National Liaison Officer.

4.96 He maintained a file for each prisoner with ongoing issues identified therein. He was allowed up to eight hours a week to complete his duties as Deport Liaison Officer (FNLO), he also attended the RRMT meetings. Information about his role was displayed only in the induction house. The role of the Foreign National Liaison Officer (DLO) should be developed to include particular cultural events for foreign nationals and to developing the provision of other facilities such as same nationality visitors. Information about the role of the FNLO (DLO) should be displayed throughout the prison.

4.97 There was a telephone line for incoming calls on each house. Foreign nationals made particular use of this facility. However, this was due to be removed following a national directive. Difficulty was expressed in the ability to provide a suitable alternative for foreign nationals to maintain contact with their families. A system for allowing foreign nationals continued contact with their families should be developed.

Religious Activities 4.98 There was a full-time Church of England Chaplain, a part-time Roman Catholic Chaplain and access to many visiting ministers of a wide range of religions and faiths.

4.99 There was a large chapel, divided into two areas, one for Roman Catholic worship and one for Church of England worship, outside the prison perimeter. This restricted both prisoners’ attendance and the frequency of use [the Governor told us that he had told Headquarters that he was not prepared to deny prisoners the right to attend religious services]. It was used only for the main weekly services, once on a Saturday and once on a Sunday.

4.100 Chaplaincy facilities were inadequate for the programme that the chaplaincy team were trying to develop. Activities had to take place in a variety of multi-purpose rooms throughout the prison. This severely limited the programme and any prospect of improving it. Prisoners in the segregation unit could not attend chaplaincy activities, but the chaplain visited them if required. There was (as we mentioned in para 4.94) no permanent multi-faith room. Furthermore, during the winter, when prisoners were not allowed free access to the grounds, the chaplain experienced difficulty in securing prisoners attendance programmed activities. This should be rectified. Prisoner access to Chaplaincy facilities should be improved.

Request / complaints 4.101 During the course of the four months prior to the inspection a total of 132 request / complaints forms were issued. This appeared to be high for the population which averaged 250 prisoners, until an examination of the records revealed that (excluding 20 which were being dealt with by Headquarters), of the balance of 112, 45 (40%) were either withdrawn by or not returned returned from the prisoner. This high ratio of withdrawn / non-return suggested that wing staff might not be making sufficient enquiries of prisoners at this initial stage, but we were informed that this was not the case.

4.102 The actual number of requests / complaints from the period was 77, which we consider to be reasonable. Records indicated that 54 (70%) received a prompt response, which we felt again to be reasonable, although with room for improvement. We were told that prisoners were often given a verbal internal reply, although this was not recorded. We inspected a number of replies, all of which were made by governor grades, which were satisfactory.

4.103 We were pleased to hear that requests / complaints were monitored for race relations. We were satisfied with the processes for handling requests / complaints, and the records, which were in good condition.

Visits

Facilities 4.104 There was a Visitors’ Centre, in which visitors were invited to wait after producing their visiting order at the main Gate, located outside the prison. Although generally clean, there were some areas of the Centre which were unacceptably dirty and there was graffiti on the walls. It was apparent that the Centre was neither cleaned nor checked for readiness to receive visitors everyday: there were no toilet rolls, and bare wires were exposed where a light fitting had been removed. Responsibility for the management of the Centre was unclear although we were told that the Auxiliary Officers at the Gate checked the premises regularly. We were told the Centre was cleaned by a prisoner. The Visitors’ Centre should be checked daily. There was good provision for those with disabilities, and baby changing facilities were provided. There was a wide range of information for visitors displayed within the Centre on notice boards, including statutory warning notices and information concerning the assisted prison visits scheme. Parking facilities were inadequate.

4.105 Once visitors had arrived and were directed to the Visitors’ Centre, there was no system to ensure that that they were dealt with in the order that they arrived at the prison: it depended on the length of time it took the prisoner to arrive at the Visits Room. Visitors were called to the Gate by a tannoy system, which was very loud, and then escorted to the main Visits Room.

4.106 The Visits Room was reasonably large and clean, although rather sparsely decorated; it was furnished with 32 tables, each with three chairs. The tables were low to discourage any attempts to pass drugs underneath them. The old Pre- Release posters on the walls were inappropriate and should be taken down.

4.107 Visits were not pre-booked, so overcrowding could not be predicted and was not uncommon. We were told that staff never turned visitors away and that this often led to the need for more furniture to accommodate extra visitors. There

should be a booking system. There were facilities for three closed visits, and individual rooms for official visits. On the day of inspection the closed visits area was significantly cooler than the main Visits Room.

4.108 There was a WRVS tea bar which was supervised on Saturdays. There were also two soft drinks machines and a confectionery machine. There was a crèche facility, also supervised on Saturdays, although this area was the only section of the room without a carpet: we felt that the crèche should be carpeted and the provision of toys and play equipment increased. There was a no smoking policy throughout the Visits Room.

4.109 The atmosphere in the Visits Room was relaxed and informal. Staff were unobtrusive and amicable in their dealings with visitors, and when searching prisoners after visits. We were told that there was no policy regarding physical contact between prisoners and their visitors, which should be established to control potential trafficking.

Security 4.110 Visitors’ property could be left in lockers which were situated just inside the main gate. They had been removed from the Visitors’ Centre due to vandalism, although many needed repairing.

4.111 There was nowhere for prisoners to leave their belongings on entering the main Visits Room. We were told it was unnecessary, as prisoners knew not to bring any items with them. This did not always appear to be the case and when we inspected some prisoners items left on the top of a locker just inside the entrance. There should be small secure lockers available for prisoners’ personal valuables.

4.112 Visitors were not searched on arrival, although we were told that if it was suspected that a visitor was carrying drugs then they would be searched.

4.113 When visiting time ended all prisoners were asked to remove their shoes and socks and were rub-down searched before leaving the building. Strip searching only took place on grounds of reasonable suspicion: dressing-gowns and blankets were provided for the use of the prisoners. Such searches took place in a small linking corridor to the prisoners exit in conditions of reasonable privacy.

4.114 CCTV coverage of the visits area was provided. This is discussed further in the unpublished section on “Security”.

Management 4.115 Visits took place every afternoon from 2.00-3.30 pm except Sundays. We have found that Sunday is invariably the most convenient day for visiting: unless there are overwhelming reasons, there should be visits on Sundays. Supervision was provided by three Officers. Official visits took place in the mornings.

4.116 Prisoners on the enhanced level of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme were entitled to four visits per month, those on Standard level received three, and those on Basic level two. More visits were allowed for Young Offenders depending on status: management had recognised the importance of enabling this group to maintain regular links with their families. Convicted and non- convicted prisoners received the same number of visits, and visits lasted at least an hour and a half.

4.117 Visits for prisoners from Butler House took place at the same time and in the same room as other visits, although they were seated in a particular area. In this way staff were aware of their location and could observe them accordingly. Vulnerable prisoners were escorted to and from visits by staff.

Family Visits

4.118 A purpose built centre for family visits had been built at Styal about five years ago. It was housed in a portacabin and comprised a large sitting area with TV, four small, well equipped play / activity areas, including a quiet room: kitchen and changing / bathing facilities with a toilet and shower. In addition there was a small office from which staff had a view of the central sitting area and the entrance. The centre was clean, warm, spacious and pleasant. Food was provided so that the women could prepare meals for their children at any time throughout the day. Outside the building was a good sized play area which was fenced off to prevent children from wandering and which had large play equipment.

4.119 The centre was open from 9.00 am to 4.15 pm Monday to Friday and prisoners, whose children were being cared for outside the prison, could apply to see them for the full day. Children up to the age of 16 were allowed to visit their mothers in this facility. This was considered to be the upper age limit for which the centre was suitable: children over the age of 16 used the normal procedure to visit their mother in the Visits Room. There was no limit on the frequency that mothers could apply to see their children, other than that imposed by giving as many women as possible an opportunity. The centre could take up to eight children at any one time, although staff were flexible about the numbers, particularly if the number included small babies.

4.120 Staff were enthusiastic about the facility and showed a high degree of commitment to making it work well for both mothers and children. Supervising staff were dressed in civilian clothing and made all efforts to contribute to a relaxed, child-friendly atmosphere. The two mothers present in the unit at the time of the inspection used the facility regularly and spoke very positively about it.

4.121 The centre was open only during the week, this meant that school aged children could visit only during holidays or had to miss school attendance. We were told that no-one had requested for the centre to be open at weekends. A survey of demand for the Family Visits Room to be open at weekends should be conducted.

4.122 Staff were aware that children might be used to carry drugs into the prison. They used a room at the Gate where children could be searched if staff had suspicions. It was clear that this was done with sensitivity to the child’s fears and always in the presence of mothers.

4.123 Schedule One offenders were allowed access to their children in the centre and were normally supervised by the family’s social worker or a prison Probation Officer. Due consideration was given as to whether other mothers and children could use the centre at the same time as a Schedule One offender. It was evident that, if a woman was serving her current sentence for a Schedule One offence, it would be known to staff, but staff would not necessarily be aware when a woman had been previously convicted of such an offence, or was unconvicted, but posed a risk to children. While staff were alert to the issues of child protection, none had received formal training: nor did they have written child protection procedures. All staff who supervise family visits should receive copies of the procedures produced by the Probation Department and undertake the training that they were organising via the NSPCC.

Mail 4.124 Incoming mail for prisoners was dealt with by a small censors department, which was situated in a temporary building close to the main administration area. Two Officers opened the mail, took out any enclosures, which they registered in a supplementary property book. The enclosures, if they were moneys, were forwarded to the cashier, or, if property, forwarded to Reception. The censoring staff then sorted the mail, and placed it in a rack for collection by House Officers. Mail was almost invariably delivered by lunchtime. Censoring was restricted to 5%, unless there was intelligence to suggest that a particular prisoner’s mail needed to be examined.

4.125 In general, the system worked well, although there were occasional problems with getting moneys credited to prisoners’ accounts after the weekend

in sufficient time to enable them to spend in the prison shop. This, we were told, was one of the consequences of the attendance system. We drew the attention of the Governor to the use of unified staff on what was considered to be inappropriate duty. He felt that, as the censoring duties were only part of their task, he was getting value for money; however we recommend that the use of non-unified grades to deal with the mail should be considered as part of the planned review of staff deployment.

Sentence Calculation 4.126 The number of new receptions each week was difficult to predict, ranging from nil to perhaps 20. Sentences were recalculated (Styal received prisoners from other establishments, rather than direct from the courts ) by an Administrative Officer and checked by a governor, with the information conveyed to the prisoner, usually within 24 hours.

4.127 As part of the induction process (see paras 6.07-6.12) the Administrative Officer responsible for sentence calculation spoke to new prisoners, to answer any queries, offer advice where necessary, and to ask whether there was any police remand time that had not been taken into account; we felt this to be an example of good practice. Prisoners who indicated that remand time had not been taken into account were given a locally produced pro forma to complete; this information was then used to make enquiries of the police . On receipt of confirmation from the police, the sentence was recalculated, and the revised dates passed to the prisoner. We considered that the arrangements for sentence calculation at Styal were sound.

Legal Aid Advice 4.128 Styal had seven trained Legal Aid Officers, but, we were told, that only four of these were routinely used. A Legal Aid Officer interviewed every prisoner during the Induction Programme alongside the explanation of sentence calculation and the Criminal Justice Act (see above). This ensured that prisoners were aware of the facilities available to them and that any problems were identified at this early

stage. Any prisoners who could not read or write or who had difficulty understanding legal aid issues were also identified. This was good practice. While the information provided to prisoners on induction was good, there was no written information provided for prisoners on the role of the Legal Aid Officer and no notices displayed around the prison. There should be written information for prisoners on the role ofn the Legal Aid Officer. This should be available in several languages. The prison’s legal information books were out of date, for example the most recent solicitors directory dated from 1993. Up-to- date legal books should be provided.

4.129 One of the Senior Officers had prepared an information booklet for staff outlining the role of the Legal Aid Officers. We were told that this ensured that applications following induction came to the Legal Aid Officers appropriately related to legal aid matters. This was good practice. Legal Aid Officers did not have time detailed to answer legal aid applications, but the level of applications was such that this was not routinely necessary. We were told that prisoners who chose to represent themselves were given extra letters and phone calls as required.

CHAPTER FIVE

CUSTODY

Segregation Unit 5.01 The Segregation Unit, which had been built since the last inspection, benefited from a modern design which produced a light and airy building with comparatively wide corridors and high ceilings. It was decorated in light colours and was very clean and well maintained. Prisoners before leaving the unit were required to clean their cell after which it was cleaned again by unit cleaners.

5.02 The unit comprised ten ordinary and two unfurnished cells: there were no signs of graffiti on walls or doors. There was a common room, showers, a servery, offices for staff and a well appointed adjudication room. An adjoining exercise area was suitable for its purpose. The special cell was in good condition and its record of use properly completed. It was used comparatively rarely: wrist cuffs had been authorised by the Governor on only one occasion for a woman prisoner who repeatedly assaulted staff.

5.03 At the time of the inspection all prisoners were located properly under Prison Rules: the Governor and the Chairman of the Board of Visitors were working to improve the arrangements for Board members to authorise segregation under Rule 43 of Prison Rules.

5.04 Every prisoner on entering the unit was handed a copy of the regime: this included exercise and meal times as well as periods for association. Prisoners could shower daily, received their incoming mail promptly and could use the card telephone during periods of association. We were informed that those with reading difficulties had the regime explained to them by unit staff. Depending whether privileges were withdrawn as part of a Governor’s

award following an adjudication, prisoners could retain four sets of clothing, letters, writing materials, books, magazines, a radio, tobacco and a watch.

5.05 The unit was staffed during the day by two officers with an additional officer being present during adjudications. The approach by staff to prisoners we observed was formal but helpful. Officers applied the rules with good sense: we were informed that not all of them had been trained in suicide awareness they should be. An anti-suicide kit was readily available in the unit office.

5.06 Most prisoners appeared to comply with the regime without difficulty. If prisoners were to be transferred to another prison they were given the opportunity to inform their family by telephone. We were informed that Personal officers visited women located on the unit and frequently women returned to their houses after agreeing a behaviour compact.

5.07 The Segregation Unit [in a purpose built building] and the regime therein had improved significantly since the last inspection.

Adjudications 5.08 Although the prisoner population had increased by approximately 50 the number of women charged with offences against prison discipline was reducing. When on duty the Governor himself normally took the adjudications as he (rightly) felt that by doing so he was able to set the tone for acceptable behaviour throughout the prison.

5.09 We observed three adjudications conducted by the Governor. In each case the formal protocols were properly observed; the Governor satisfied himself that the accused woman had every opportunity to state her case, explain her actions and in cases where charges were proven, and put forward mitigating factors. Awards were fair.

Incentives and earned privileges

5.10 The Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme at Styal was divided into three levels - basic, standard and enhanced. The main incentives were being permitted to spend increased amounts of private cash, and additional and longer duration visits. A system of differently coloured Visiting Orders had been introduced to ease the administration of this. There were also some restrictions on property in possession. Prisoners moved regime level on a points system - which included requiring the prisoners to participate in sentence planning. All prisoners on enhanced and basic regimes were supposed to be reviewed monthly: however, we saw many examples of incomplete review forms in the prisoners' personal files.

5.11 The regime levels were fully integrated on the houses. The scheme was not structured around a compact based on reciprocal obligations. It should be. The incentives were more limited than we have seen elsewhere, and did not provide adequate incentives for the population. These should be improved. There are many examples of how incentives could be better tailored to the population:

¨ access to the TVs and videos after the 9 p.m. limit imposed on other prisoners

¨ a larger number of personal clothing items

¨ access to dedicated association facilities

¨ access differential levels of pay or different types of work.

5.12 We felt that many aspects of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme indicated the need for a review. Prisoners' and staff views should be sought during this process.

Anti-bullying Strategy

5.13 It is always difficult to estimate accurately the extent of bullying and intimidation in an establishment but it was a welcome sign of management’s commitment to tackling the problem that it had supported an impressive research project into bullying by a post-graduate student. We read the findings, conclusions and recommendations of this report with interest.

5.14 Opinions as to the extent of serious bullying varied between individual members of staff and prisoners. Certainly there was not an observable overwhelming bullying culture among prisoners such as we have found in some other prisons. Equally, however, we were told there had been incidents of serious sexual assaults involving the smuggling of drugs. Staff and prisoners also expressed anxiety about certain routines such as shopping from which there were reported to be frequent incidents of stealing from weaker prisoners.

5.15 The most significant counter to bullying was the progress which had been made in constructing a healthy regime throughout the prison. The prison had a sense of vitality for most of the time: sensible improvements had been made, such as resiting the unit for vulnerable prisoners: courtesy locks were being fitted to rooms which had been converted from large dormitories in most of the houses. There was a pro-active approach prescribed in the induction programme which was intended to open up the issue of bullying as soon as women arrived at Styal. Regrettably, more often than not, these sessions did not take place as scheduled due, we were told, to the unavailability of the Officers responsible for running the sessions. We recommend that a careful approach is taken to the way in which bullying is presented during the induction programme with emphasis on indirect as well as direct bullying. This session should never be omitted from the Induction Programme and should be followed up by house staff in a planned way after prisoners are allocated to their training houses.

5.16 Undoubtedly the design of the units militated against staff having sufficient control over bullying behaviour. Even with the welcome improvements, particularly

the conversion of dormitories into single or double rooms, Officers had limited influence. Prisoners in Bruce House, Wilson House and Gaskell House stretched house staff to the limit. The level of staff supervision in these units, as in Howard House which contained young offenders, was the same in other units. We recommend that the level of staff supervision be reviewed in these houses. To facilitate control over prisoner behaviour we strongly support the construction of a modern prison wing such as we have seen at New Hall prison. This unit, which would be easier to supervise, could hold women during their induction period and those who were on the basic and standard levels of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme. Any prisoner suspected of bullying could be held in this unit until staff were satisfied that she had modified her behaviour. It would also enable better use to be made of the existing houses at Styal to encourage responsible behaviour.

5.17 The staff had no clear idea where Schedule 1 offenders were located and had received little training on the subject of bullying although a staff committee had been formed to push through the anti-bullying policy. It is only in establishments where staff and prisoners consistently face up to the day to day issues of bullying does a culture develop in which intimidation is kept under control. We strongly recommend that action against bullying should pervade every programme in the prison. Unless this is tackled other treatment and training initiatives are seriously devalued.

5.18 The training of staff should enable them to recognise signs of bullying and the different forms bullying can take, to appreciate the importance of vigilance, and to hold frequent discussions with prisoners about their own roles as bullies and / or victims.

Drug Strategy and Mandatory Drug Testing 5.19 The report of the unannounced inspection undertaken in July 1994 highlighted concerns about the high level of illicit drug taking. The report made a

number of recommendations, including research aimed at assessing the extent of illicit drug taking in the establishment and ways of tackling this problem. The position regarding the level of drug abuse was still unclear. The prison had commissioned a local management consultancy firm funded by the Directorate of Health Care to assess the nature of the problem; their detailed findings had not yet been published, but indicated nearly 40% of the women reported drug abuse in Styal. Our survey of the women showed that nearly two thirds regarded the level of drug use in Styal as either "quite" or "very" high. Compared with these figures, results from Mandatory Drug Testing (MDT) indicated a positive testing rate of just over 10%. There were problems with drug testing, which we describe below, at Styal, but the discrepancy between what prisoners, staff and members of the Board of Visitors felt to be the true level of drug abuse, and the abuse detected by the MDT programme, suggests that more research in this area needs to be undertaken.

5.20 The potential for a high level of drug abuse within the establishment was not surprising. Staff estimated that some two thirds of the women used drugs before coming to prison and that at least half of these women were chaotic drug users with long histories of addiction and injecting behaviour. With such a population it was to be expected that there would be a high demand for drugs from a significant minority of the women.

5.21 The establishment had taken several positive steps to deal with the problem by providing for the assessment and treatment needs of women who were drug misusers. A Multi-disciplinary Drug Strategy Team, which included representatives from outside agencies, had been established in January 1995 and met monthly. The team had developed a clear policy document which addressed the major areas of illicit drug taking, and which included links with throughcare and sentence planning. The Chairman of the team, the Head of Custody, was aware that some elements of the policy needed updating and reviewing in light of experience and the recommendations made in the management consultancy document.

5.22 We were told, and the women confirmed, that all prisoners were seen and assessed either on reception or as part of their induction programme by a substance misuse worker, a nurse funded by the North West Regional Health Authority. Her services were highly regarded by both staff and prisoners. The establishment had also been granted £35,000 from the Prison Service’s Directorate of Health Care to fund work with a community based drug agency, Newstart. Because of delays in actually allocating the funds the whole amount of funding was for seven instead of 12 months. This was not economical and we questioned the value for money of such arrangements, especially when more modest requests for funds had been rejected at other establishments. Funding might more appropriately have been made on a pro rata basis. The actual work proposed appeared to be highly relevant, including sessions on drug awareness as part of the Induction programme, and individual counselling for prisoners. We especially liked the idea that agency workers would train and work closely with Officers. It was not clear if future funding after this financial year would be available; a decision on such funding should be made immediately.

5.23 In addition the establishment ran a locally designed multi-disciplinary drug group, administered by Officers and Psychology and Probation Staff. The programme consisted of five sessions lasting for two hour over a period of five weeks, with a follow up session some four weeks later. Prior to attending women were interviewed to assess their suitability and motivation, and agreed a contract for the work to be undertaken. The programme was based on the “Stages of change” theory and aimed to move women from the pre-contemplation stage to the contemplation stage: to make them aware that they had a problem (in the widest sense of the word) with drugs and that they could, if they wished, tackle the problem. The programme was being evaluated, although only by means of self report from the prisoners, and there were plans for a more thorough and objective evaluation of effectiveness to be conducted by the Probation Department in the near future. At the time of the inspection women who tested positive for drugs were not specifically targeted. All women testing positive should be interviewed,

informed of the group and offered the opportunity to attend. This might be a role which could be developed by the Segregation Unit staff.

5.24 Three of the accommodation units had been declared “drug free” and had been designed to either provide a place for women who had taken drugs previously but wished to abstain in the future, or for those who had never taken drugs and who wished not to be contaminated by drug takers. No formal programme of help was offered in these units but women were told they would be tested for drugs every two weeks. The integrity of the drug free units was, in our view, being seriously compromised by the failure to test for drugs. There should have been approximately 40 tests a month in each house: we examined the testing logs which showed that less than 50 tests under the voluntary procedure had been undertaken in the four months prior to our inspection. This represented, even if the population had remained static in those units, less than a third of all tests that should have been undertaken. We were told by some women that known drug dealers were resident in the drug free units. Since the opening of the first drug free unit in July 1995 some 234 voluntary tests had been completed of which 29 had been positive: a third had revealed opiate abuse.

5.25 Few of the women appeared to have been tested before being placed in the unit. We felt the establishment of the drug free units was an excellent initiative. But all the women should be tested before being placed in one of the drug free units and then tested regularly and randomly: we thought an average of every two weeks was appropriate. One of the reasons why there was a failure to test the women, we were told, was because the same procedure as for the Mandatory Drug Testing process was followed. The requirements for voluntary testing are very different and we thought that possibly a quicker, cheaper form of testing might be introduced for voluntary testing, especially as Styal had testing equipment which was not being used. The failure to use their own equipment was, we were told, because voluntary tests were sent to the analysts that dealt with Mandatory Drug Testing, and if Styal conducted their own testing they would have to pay for it. We thought that as part of the drugs strategy establishments

should be centrally funded to allow them to conduct voluntary local testing.

5.26 Mandatory Drug Testing had started at Styal in September 1995 and up to the end of October 281 tests had been undertaken, of which 44 had proved to be positive: half the positive results had been for opiates, 14 for cannabis and the remainder of the tests had detected multiple drug abuse. Whilst the figures were low there appeared to have been a trend towards increased opiate detection but a decrease in detection of cannabis. There have been suggestions from some sources that some prisoners will move from cannabis to other drugs (mainly opiates) because other drugs are detectable for shorter periods after they are taken. Some staff and women at Styal felt this was the case; whilst the figures available were too small to make any reliable judgement we would welcome some further research on this issue.

5.27 We were told that no funds were ring-fenced for Mandatory Drug Testing [though it appeared that initially funding for half an Officer was provided], and that testing was often cancelled due to lack of staff. Despite this approximately 10% of the population was being randomly tested if the population was viewed as a static figure. This figure disguised some large discrepancies between individual months: for example in April 1996 twenty-six tests were conducted whilst in September 1996 only three were carried out. We were told that very little testing was undertaken at weekends; this was a source of frustration to some staff as they claimed that most drugs entered the establishment during visits on Saturdays and that women knew they were unlikely to be tested before Monday at the earliest. We received some complaints from women that the testing did not ensure enough privacy; we observed the testing procedures and felt that the criticisms were unjustified.

5.28 Only 23 tests had been undertaken on the grounds of “reasonable suspicion” of drug taking: the majority had proved positive. Given the perceived (by staff at all levels, and the women) high rate of drug abuse, the rate of testing

on suspicion appeared low. We would have liked to have seen more targeted testing. As in some other establishments testing for drugs at Styal was largely driven by the commitment of an individual member of staff. More formal mechanisms should be introduced to ensure that voluntary testing takes place as frequently as planned, that at least 10% of Mandatory Drug Testing random testing takes place every month, and that there is a higher level of targeted testing. The deficiencies we identified in the Mandatory Drug Testing procedures may at least partially account for the discrepancies between the reported level of drug use in Styal and the number of positive tests.

Suicide awareness 5.29 The only suicide at Styal had taken place some five years before this inspection, but it had a great effect on some members of staff and there was a widely shared determination to prevent future suicides. The Suicide Awareness Committee was multi-disciplinary and included representatives from the Samaritans as well as one of the women Listeners. This was excellent practice. There were five women listeners who played a key role in the Suicide Awareness Strategy; we met them as a group and were impressed by their commitment. They received, they felt, good supervision from both the Samaritans and from the Senior Psychologist.

5.30 We examined all 14 forms (F2052 SH) that were current. We were extremely impressed by the amount of detail that each form contained and the monitoring that was taking place. However, some of the forms had been opened months previously and there was no indication from the notes as to why the women was still regarded as a risk. It was clear that regular case conferences were not taking place on individual women. There should be a regular case conferences on every woman for whom there is a current F2052SH. It was also impressive that only one of the women deemed to be of risk of suicide was living in the Health Care Centre; staff were obviously managing some quite

disturbed women on normal location. It was disappointing to note that no suicide prevention training had taken place since August 1994.

5.31 Aside from the formal mechanisms of trying to prevent suicides we were impressed by the culture of care we found. We found staff prepared to devote time to disturbed women. There was true multi-disciplinary work in suicide awareness with the views of listeners and Samaritans given high priority. The women were also supportive of each other and often helped each other through crisis. The actual layout of the houses and the regime meant that women were rarely, if ever, locked up with no-one to whom to talk.

5.32 Women felt to be a high risk of suicide were located in the Health Care Centre. The only room available was totally unsuitable and contained numerous obvious ligature points: it was not always possible, because of its design, to maintain continuous observation. Staff expressed serious reservations about using this room and we shared their concerns. A much safer room that allows staff to easily and continuously observe women at risk must be provided.

5.33 Until 1994 all women who were known to have a history of self harm were located in the same house. It had been decided [rightly] to integrate all the women who self harmed throughout the establishment with other women on normal location; this had led to a dramatic decrease in the incidence of self harm. Good statistics were maintained: there was an average of six incidents a month, though the number of incidents per month fluctuated wildly. Many of the incidents involved young women and girls and we felt that both a support group, as well as group aimed at preventing self-harming behaviour, should be established, and the results fully evaluated.

CHAPTER SIX

THROUGHCARE

Reception and Discharge 6.01 The Reception area was one large main room, with several small changing cubicles and store rooms off. Sight lines were clear in the prisoner areas. It was clean, bright and well maintained throughout. However, the toilet for prisoners was in a poor state of repair and we were told that the roof leaked during wet weather. The prisoners’ toilets should be repaired and redecorated.

6.02 We observed excellent staff interactions with prisoners during the reception and discharge process. Reception was staffed by one Officer during the main part of weekdays. The majority of receptions and discharges were predictable and diaried and thus additional members of staff could be provided for support during reception and discharge activity. There was a core team of four staff who worked in Reception, but there was a job specification prominently displayed should any Officer be unfamiliar with the procedures.

6.03 Prisoners were held in Reception for short periods of time on reception or before discharge - normally under 45 minutes. This was appropriate, as the holding facilities were limited. There was little for the prisoners to do during the wait in Reception. Prisoners were issued with bedding or other items on arrival on the induction unit. There were no showering facilities in Reception - these were available on the induction unit. Medical interviews were also carried out during induction. If prisoners were in Reception during a meal time, sandwiches could be provided. There was no facility for prisoners to be provided with a hot drink. There should be.

6.04 There was a small store of clothing for prisoners without adequate clothes of their own. This was very limited and depended on the generosity of prisoners leaving prison. We mention this further at para 4.45.

6.05 The recent introduction of volumetric control of property for prisoners had considerably reduced the quantity of prisoners’ property stored in the Reception area. Notably, prisoners were allowed to have clothing above the limit allowed by volumetric control. This is good practice, particularly in prisons for women where prisoners are required to wear their own clothing. However, some of the areas which had previously been used as store rooms were untidy and contained miscellaneous items. These store rooms should be tidied and put to better use. We checked a selection of property record cards against items which remained in stored property and these were accurate.

6.06 On the day before discharge, prisoners were brought to Reception to examine their stored property and to account for property in possession. This was a thorough and sensitive process. On the morning of discharge, staff accompanied prisoners to the gate to ensure that their transport arrangements were satisfactory.

Induction 6.07 All new prisoners, with the exception of mothers with babies, lifers, and vulnerable prisoners, were allocated immediately to Brown House for their initial week (mothers with babies attended the house for the Induction Programme during the day and vulnerable prisoners and lifers had their own Induction Programme on the unit). Brown House could take 10 women at any time in single rooms, with one exception, which was a double room. Rooms had integral sanitation, but were cold and in a shabby condition.

6.08 On arrival, women were immediately issued with a basic kit, comprising bedding, toiletry and sanitary items. They were offered £5.00 advance on their first week’s earnings, and £4.25 per week whilst on the induction house.

6.09 A programme for the week was written on a white board kept in the office. Women did not receive any written information from induction staff other than the NACRO Prisoners’ Pack; some speakers provided leaflets and written information. The programme was comprehensive and included talks by a wide range of organisations within and outside the prison: e.g. the Board of Visitors, Probation, Health Care, NACRO, CAB, Newstart, Rape Crisis: and provided an opportunity for women to visit the library, gym, etc. There was no guided tour of the establishment, but women were given opportunities to familiarise themselves with the site during association.

6.10 Women interviewed on the house were not aware of the planned programme and claimed that many of the events had not occurred. They indicated that they spent much of the time in the common room with very little to do, and were bored.

6.11 Arrangements for the delivery of the programme should be reviewed; women should receive a copy of the programme at the beginning of the week; consideration should be given to using prisoners to contribute to the induction. We were told that one prisoner had written a glossary of prison terms and some guidance on how to make beneficial use of the prison and the sentence. This should be printed and distributed to new prisoners.

6.12 The sentence planning process did not commence whilst women were in the induction house, due to the lack of crucial information: the pre-sentence report, information about previous convictions, etc. Women were allocated to houses via an assessment process undertaken by a Board chaired by the Head of Residence, and including the Senior Officer and induction house staff. They tried to consider the women’s needs, particularly in relation to their previous history of, and current motivation to avoid, drug abuse. The women did not attend the Board and their views were not formally sought. Minimal records were maintained on the house and we felt that the induction period should be structured more

effectively to begin to assess women’s needs and behaviours to inform the initial profiles, sentence plans and risk assessments.

Sentence Planning 6.13 In theory all the women at Styal were assessed by a number of staff and these assessments began the sentence planning process. This process was expected to start during the induction programme (though see "Induction", paras 6.07-6.12). Little formal planning was undertaken with those serving less than a year. Initial plans were drawn up by house Officers working in the houses; the Personal Officer Scheme should be developed to undertake this role but staff told us they were frequently asked to write plans on women who they rarely saw and whose progress they could not monitor. None of the Officers writing sentence plans appeared to have been trained. The draft plans were then discussed by a Multi-disciplinary Board chaired by a Governor: the Officers who wrote the plans were rarely present because, we were told, of staff attendance system arrangements.

6.14 The quality of the sentence plans we sampled was varied, but even where relevant and constructive targets had been set there was little indication of any subsequent follow up or monitoring which is essential. Staff were making references to activities that did not seem to take place, and no central referral point for targets appeared to be maintained. There was no sense in which the needs identified during sentence planning were being used to drive the regime. Information about prisoners' needs should be aggregated and used to inform developments of the regime. The lack of training meant that some staff were obviously unskilled in making assessments and did not possess sufficient knowledge to make meaningful referrals. Staff should receive training in the purposes and processes of sentence planning. Women were not offered a copy of their plan and completed plans were held outside the prison in the administration building. Women should be given a copy of their sentence plan; plans should be retained in a place to which staff enjoy ready access. We felt that sentence planning was not much more than a paper

exercise. Whilst the Sentence Plan Review Boards were an excellent idea, they should involve, as the key individual, the Personal Officer, who should be present. We saw no reason why the Personal Officer should not actually chair such reviews and be empowered to work with the women monitoring targets.

Groupwork and tackling offending behaviour 6.15 A great deal of information was collected in sentence plans and a number of targets for tackling offending behaviour were specified. However none of this information was collated in any usable form, so it was impossible to say if women’s identified needs were being systematically met. Aside from the Drugs Group (see paras 5.54) and some Inmate Development and Pre-Release work, there was little formal group work, and a programme of future groupwork was not available. The Probation Officers were running some short programmes on topics such as Coping Skills but there was little formal evaluation. Prison Officers were hardly involved in running any programmes.

6.16 Two workers from Rape Crisis worked regularly in the establishment with women who had been raped and/or sexually abused. This work was much valued by staff and women.

6.17 There were some sensible plans by the Psychologist and Senior Probation Officer to develop and co-ordinate groupwork and other offending behaviour work (notably a Sex Offender Treatment Programme) in the establishment. There should be a needs analysis to ascertain what programmes the establishment should develop. All subsequent work should be based on sound theory and be fully evaluated. Courses should be run as far as is possible by Officers, and supervised by an appropriately qualified Programmes Manager.

6.18 At present the Prison Service has established, or is developing, a number of national accredited programmes for male adult prisoners and male young

offenders. No such programmes are being developed for women prisoners. Research into developing appropriate programmes, for women, that tackle serious offending behaviour but that also deal with issues that face many women prisoners [such as histories of abuse] should be undertaken. The development of such programmes for women would give offending behaviour work in women’s establishments a clear focus.

Psychology Department 6.19 The Psychology Department consisted of a Senior Psychologist and a Psychological Assistant; a further Psychologist post had not been filled for over two years. It was not clear when, if ever, the post would be occupied. Much of the work of the Psychology Department has been discussed elsewhere in this report (see, for example, the sections on "Suicide Awareness", "Offending Behaviour" and "Drug Strategy").

6.20 Much of the Senior Psychologist’s work lay in dealing individually with life sentence prisoners, and we were impressed with the quality of work undertaken. He was also responsible for running the “Care Team” for staff and supervising the Listeners.

6.21 We felt that if the current post was filled a great deal more could be achieved in working with the women (individually and in groups) and supporting Officers in such work, and also in areas of local research and evaluation of various initiatives. A Psychologist should be appointed to fill the current vacant post.

The Probation Department 6.22 The Probation Team consisted of one Senior Probation Officer and three Probation Officers, a reduction of one Probation Officer during the current financial year as part of the Governor’s savings. Each member of the team had their own

room in the administration block and they used interview facilities in the houses. The team had no facilities for group work, and this was reported to create problems, with rooms either not being available or being double booked on many occasions. A suitable group work room should be provided.

6.23 The Senior Probation Officer had been in post for approximately nine months and was an experienced manager. She was in the process of reviewing the team’s contribution to the establishment, starting with the Governor/Chief Probation Officer contract, which was poorly written. It lacked a clear sense of vision for the probation team’s work, listed tasks and activities rather than setting clear, measurable objectives, and did not indicate priorities. She had inherited a department without management information systems in which staff’s work was not monitored effectively. She had already taken steps to gather regular information on, for example, the number of applications being dealt with and the time they took, the amount of individual work being done with women, the number and types of groups being provided, the number of sentence plans and risk assessments to which staff contributed. There had been no review of the Governor/Chief Probation Officer contract for 1995/96; the current year’s contract had been signed only in October 1996 and no review process was in place.

6.24 The Senior Probation Officer had worked with the Governor to identify objectives which were related to the Governor’s Business Plan’s key deliverables. The objectives were still in draft stage and it is recommended that the Governor should clarify the key priority services he wishes the Probation Department to provide to the prison and to prisoners, that the Senior Probation Officer should develop simple, measurable objectives in relation to those, ensuring that the objectives are routinely monitored and regularly reported on to the Throughcare Policy Committee, the Governor and the Chief Probation Officer. A written review of the current contract should be formulated prior to the preparation of the contract for 1997/98, which should be in place by the start of the new financial year.

6.25 The Probation Team had moved away from providing traditional reactive welfare services, and was contributing to a range of group work programmes: for example Coping Skills, run as a one day programme six or eight times a year by two Probation Officers: a Drugs Group run jointly with psychology and prison staff (see para 5.54): they were also in the process of planning a cognitive behavioural Offending Behaviour Group, jointly with psychology and prison staff, based on “what works” principles. The Senior Probation Officer was committed to including in all programmes an effective evaluation of group work, and was exploring the possibility of accreditation in due course.

6.26 The demand for places on the groups outstripped supply and the Senior Probation Officer indicated the difficulties of providing Probation Officers with sufficient planning time, given the wide range of demands on them. Although a Personal Officer Scheme operated for lifers, a less effective arrangement for other prisoners resulted in Probation Officers dealing with too many applications which did not require their skills and the Senior Probation Officer also acknowledged that Officers often had to undertake the training and group work in their own time, coming in off leave and rest days. The lack of a group work room and equipment caused major frustration.

6.27 The Senior Probation Officer and team are to be commended for the progress they were making. The effectiveness of joint work with the Psychology Department was particularly impressive and the inclusion of Officer grades in group work is to be commended. As noted above, there is a need for greater co-ordination by the Throughcare Policy Committee of the various group work programmes provided in the prison. The paper produced in May 1996, jointly by the Senior Psychologist and Senior Probation Officer, proposing a framework for the delivery of Offending Behaviour Programmes, was a useful document which should be acted upon by the Throughcare Policy Group.

6.28 We were told that probation staff were valued for their contribution to the work of the institution with lifers and for the quality of their inputs to risk assessments and sentence planning.

6.29 The Probation Officer had written child protection procedures for staff in the prison which had been ratified by the Child Protection Co- ordinator for Cheshire Social Services Department and had been added to the Area Child Protection Committee’s manual. Imaginative plans were in hand to produce, on a pocket size laminated card, the basic emergency procedures and necessary telephone numbers. The Senior Probation Officer was in the process of organising specific training in child protection for prison staff through the NSPCC, to build on the basic course which staff already attended within Cheshire Social Services.

Inmate Development and Pre-Release Programme 6.30 A Senior Officer and five Officers had been trained to deliver Inmate Development and Pre-Release (IDPR) Programmes. The one week programme was run each morning approximately every six weeks and up to 12 women were able to attend each programme.

6.31 We observed a session which was well planned and managed by enthusiastic staff who demonstrated skills in leading the group. Nine women were attending and both prisoners and staff were working hard. The programme included a mix of sessions designed to enhance women’s social skills (e.g. communications and relationship skills) and provide practical life skills (e.g. job applications, basic first aid, DIY, etc.).

6.32 There was no evaluation of the effectiveness of IDPR beyond asking the women’s opinion of the week and the programme was not based on the known principles of effective programmes to tackle offending behaviour. Nor was there any integration of the IDPR staff or programme planning with other staff and programmes provided by the probation and psychology departments. IDPR staff

had no knowledge of the group work programmes being provided by their colleagues and probation staff commented that IDPR was a mystery to them.

6.33 There is undoubtedly a place in the prison for the different programmes being provided by different staff. However, in order to avoid wasteful duplication, or significant gaps, with some women missing out on group work programmes entirely, the Throughcare Policy Group needs to co-ordinate its group work provision more effectively and to ensure that all group work programmes are targeted, clear in purpose, well planned and evaluated for their effectiveness.

Release on Temporary Licence 6.34 Between 1 April 1996 and 31 October 1996, release on temporary licence was used 47 times for the following purposes:

resettlement 24 compassionate 21 facility 2.

All meetings to consider applications were chaired by a Governor 5 Head of Residence: risk assessments were completed at about the same time.

6.35 House Officers, trained by line managers, completed the assessment forms. Boards were held every week: it took approximately two weeks from the date of application for prisoners to appear before the first Board, and approximately three to four weeks later for the second Board to be convened. If the preliminary assessment was that release on temporary licence was to be granted, reports were sought from social services, police and the Home Probation Officer. Prisoners with behaviour problems were expected to have shown some determination to address those problems: alcoholics and drug abusers, for example, would have been expected to attend appropriate Offending Behaviour courses. Prisoners were invited to contribute to discussions, including information

about their criminal behaviour, on the decision. For inarticulate prisoners, the Governor 5 acted as proposer. Much sifting was carried out informally: attempts were made by the Governor 5 to structure prisoners’ expectations realistically before Boards met.

6.36 Prisoners appeared before the Board by individual appointment. Board members tried to be sensitive about the primary care responsibilities of applicants, who were not told whether or not the application would be recommended to the Governor.

6.37 Home Probation Officers were not normally invited to Boards, because of the cost of travel, and because of the wide areas from which women originated.

6.38 If prisoners were refused release on temporary licence, for reasons connected with their offending behaviour, behavioural changes were encouraged by target setting: information about such targets was relayed to the House Office. Prisoners were supplied with written reasons for refusals on request. If young offenders’ cases were being considered, case conferences, occasionally including the family, were held. This was good practice. We were told that prisoners were informed of the decision about their application within one week of the date of the second Board.

6.39 Information to prisoners about release on temporary licence was displayed on notice boards in the wing, and was an issue which was discussed during the Induction Programme: we recommend that prisoners are provided with better information about the management of the scheme as it applied in Styal prison. Information was available in the Library in English, and in other languages: we were told that the Race Relations Management Team took an active interest in the issue of communication with prisoners whose command of English was less than perfect.

6.40 We were told that release on temporary licence had to be earned, and had to be merited. Release was structured to meet identified needs, particularly when prisoners were released on resettlement licence. Requirements to attend appointments with, for example, housing providers were incorporated into the licence. Each prisoner temporarily released, for whatever reason, was required to see her supervising Probation Officer - even at weekends.

6.41 Prisoners were not formally interviewed on return from home leave, although we were told (and we saw evidence) that prisoners approached the Governor, or other managers, to recount their experiences. However, no record was kept of these conversations. We recommend that Personal Officers should formally interview prisoners returning from release on temporary licence, and note the F2050: such interviews should include an assessment of whether the objectives for release on temporary licence were met.

6.42 We were pleased to learn that, during the last two years, every prisoner temporarily released had returned to the prison.

Re-categorisation and Progressive transfers 6.43 Prisoners who requested a transfer or a move to an open establishment were considered on a board which sat weekly. This Board was chaired by a Governor 5 and included a Probation Officer and a Group Manager. House staff and the Security Office submitted written contributions. The prisoners record was considered on the Board and if the prisoner requested attendance, this was allowed. If there was a sentence plan for the prisoner, this was also considered.

6.44 Records of the decisions were kept in a central file. The decision of the Board was given to the prisoner by the Group Manager who gave the prisoner reasons for the decision. The application and Board was closely linked to temporary release risk assessment procedures. The management of prisoners

applications for re-categorisation or transfer were an example of good practice.

6.45 Individual places for prisoner transfer were secured on a one-to-one basis with other establishments. A considerable amount of time was spent by management on this task. There was little central contribution by Prison Service Population Management Section.

CHAPTER SEVEN

HEALTH CARE

Introduction 7.01 We inspected the Health Care Service at HM Prison Styal during a time of significant change. The Medical Officer, having been part-time, became full-time in the week preceding our inspection. The Clinical Nurse Manager (G grade) and the Charge Nurse (F grade) took up their posts in the two months before our inspection. As a consequence of new personnel in senior clinical appointments, a number of improvements and changes in the way the Health Care Service was provided were planned. Both the Senior Nurses were Registered Mental Nurses (RMNs).

Accommodation 7.02 The Health Care Centre accommodated Primary Health Care Clinics, pharmacy, an observation room with two beds, one single room for disabled patients and offices on the ground floor. The upper floor accommodated an inpatient facility of seven single rooms and one room with three beds. Only one of the single rooms on the upper floor had integral sanitation. The room with three beds had an accessible toilet and bath. The twin room on the ground floor which was used to observe patients who may self-harm was bleak and depressing with a number of ligature points. This room should be upgraded to a suitable standard to care for sick, distressed and depressed women and freed of ligature points.

7.03 Inpatients were locked up from 8.45 p.m. to 7.45 a.m. Security gates sealed the upper floor inpatient area from the Night Nurse who remained outside the gates and supervised patients on the ground floor also.

7.04 When a patient in one of the rooms without integral sanitation on the upper floor, wished to go to the lavatory, the Night Nurse called the security patrol who visited the Health Care Centre; the patient’s door was then unlocked.

7.05 We asked patients if they were bothered by having to wait to go to the lavatory. They said they were not - “The nurses are very good. The Patrol Officer usually arrives quite quickly”.

7.06 What did bother patients very much indeed was being locked in their rooms at night and being deprived of human contact during night hours, particularly because patients often felt desperate at night and needed company and support. Patients could not understand why women in the houses had their room doors open at night and patients in the Health Care Centre were locked up. Patients said it made sense to lock the gates at the end of the in-patient corridor on the upper floor, but leave the door of patients’ rooms open. This we support. Patients could then go to the lavatory when they wished and help one another if the occasion arose. We recommend that the practice of locking patients in their rooms at night should be reviewed.

Management 7.07 The budget for Health Care and the services provided was historically based. There had been little preparation to conduct the Health Care needs assessment that was required by 1997 by Health Care Standard (HCS) 3. In the absence of a full assessment commissioning of Health Care is likely to be unduly based on existing activity rather than need. A Health Care needs assessment should take place to the timetable required by HCS 3. It is likely to be helpful if, in planning and conducting this exercise, the advice of specialists in the field (e.g. in the local NHS Health Authority) is sought. However, valuable information was available from the MMO’s annual reports and from the Health Care activity data from the Directorate of Health Care. We noted that the 1995/96 MMO report considered the previous year’s priorities and reported progress on their achievement providing details of progress towards meeting the HCSs.

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This is unusual in MMO reports. The Directorate of Health Care should require that all MMO annual reports include commentary on progress towards achieving the HCSs and on their monitoring after they have been established. In the absence of such reports and monitoring it will not be easy to assess the degree to which HCSs are being met.

7.08 A week before the inspection the Managing Medical Officer, a Senior Medical Officer, had changed from being half-time at Risley and half-time at Styal to being full-time at Styal. A new senior nurse had been in post for only eight weeks. In consequence the two key people had not had the chance, by the time of our inspection, to consider and implement necessary changes to Health Care provision at Styal.

7.09 Both were members of the Health Care Management Team. Assessing needs and planning the deployment of resources to meet the identified needs should be treated as priorities in their work.

7.10 It was explained to us that relationships between the Health Care Centre staff and the wider prison had fragmented and that a priority of the new Clinical Nurse Manager was to build a flexible and supportive service to the prison as a whole.

7.11 The Clinical Nurse Manager on appointment had assessed the quality of the Health Care Service provided for women and had decided on some immediate priorities as follows :

¨ to focus on care planning and to have Health Care more relevant to women's’ health.

¨ to build better relationships with the rest of the multi-disciplinary team

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¨ with the Probation Department, to develop a discharge policy for women prior to release from a health perspective

¨ to forge links with NHS outlets and education, to promote professional competence and minimise professional isolation by secondment and exchange of staff

¨ to review the skill mix of staff

¨ to agree service standards and staffing of primary care and in-patient care.

7.12 We were pleased to hear of the Preliminary Service Review carried out by the Clinical Nurse Manager and that priorities had been identified for management action. We would like to see these priorities discussed and agreed on a multi-disciplinary basis. The Multi-disciplinary Management Team should meet monthly and should include the Medical Officer, the Clinical Nurse Manager and her deputy, the Pharmacist, the Senior Probation Officer, and others as appropriate.

7.13 Priorities for service provision for women must arise from an audit of their Health Care needs. The success of the Health Care Service will depend on the skills and commitment and team work of all Health Care staff. Staff with whom we spoke were anxious about the future and the changes taking place. Some felt excluded. Consulting and involving staff at the outset by the new management team and including them in all aspects of decision making was fundamental to achieving the improvements required in the Health Care Service for women prisoners.

7.14 We stress the importance of staff involvement, respecting and valuing their views and ideas, particularly because the whole staff group was so small, 10 persons in all. Any splintering in the staff group could have a serious negative

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impact on patient care. An over-arching and constant value therefore for the management team must be to see all the staff as the agents of change and as the keys to success. The management team should consider how best to value, include and communicate with staff in developing plans and deciding priorities. Staff meetings should be held monthly.

7.15 We also suggest that all women prisoners at reception should receive written information on Health Care and the range of services available in the prison.

Staffing 7.16 Primary care was provided by the Senior Medical Officer who prior to joining the Prison Service had been a principal in NHS general practice. The provision and standard of primary care appeared satisfactory but will only continue to be equivalent to NHS primary care so long as the Senior Medical Officer maintains his expertise and qualification to act as a principal through continuing professional development (CPD). This he aimed to do, proposing to attend the full 30 PGEA sessions each year. However, at the time of the inspection the Senior Medical Officer was single-handed and was continuously on call. He did not have a mobile telephone; one had been promised but had not materialised at the time of the inspection. A mobile phone should be made available to the Senior Medical Officer as a matter of urgency. This situation was clearly both unsatisfactory and unsustainable. “Burn out” is an inevitable early consequence of such an arrangement. It makes the availability of adequate time for essential continued professional development highly unlikely. The Senior Medical Officer must not continue as the only qualified primary care doctor available to Styal. Urgent arrangements must be made to allow the Senior Medical Officer time free of on-call responsibilities, and time to undertake continuing professional development [CPD]. This CPD provision must be sufficient to enable him to remain eligible to be a principal.

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7.17 There had been recent changes. Some staff had been employed at Styal for many years and were finding change to a more managed style of working difficult to accept. There was a feeling of resentment among some long serving staff, and a significant level of long-term sickness absence. There had until recently been little clinical supervision of nurses, only limited training (and that often not in the NHS), and a relative neglect of the psychosocial aspects of illness and imprisonment. However, discussions revealed constructive suggestions which if implemented would make nurses' work more satisfying and more patient- centred. For instance nurses complained of having to spend an undue amount of time answering the phone and letting people in and out of the Centre. A receptionist and a Health Care support worker should be appointed, to free the nurses from such inappropriate work.

7.18 The constructive plans being developed by the newly appointed Senior Nurse, when completed, will address many of the problems faced by nurses in Styal. Implementing them will require commitment from senior managers, including commitment of additional resources to ensure necessary training, much of which will need to be in the NHS, can be provided.

7.19 Both nurses and doctors at Styal, as in other prisons, work in an environment that is much less professionally supportive than that of the NHS. The almost complete absence of professional support and guidance for those working in prisons from the organisations such as the medical and nursing royal colleges leaves professionals with less help than their NHS colleagues, even though the environment in which they work is often more inclined to erode professional standards.

7.20 The funded establishment was 10 full-time nurses with one Nursing Sister on secondment to the prison. There were three nurses on long-term sick leave. Short-term sickness was 4% per annum. A Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) visits patients. We were told that there was a real need for an increased input from the CPN. This was a matter which should be assessed by the

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management team and prioritised following the completion of an Health Needs Audit.

7.21 During our inspection we found no nurse personally charged with the responsibility for inpatients on the upper floor. During each of our visits, we found no nurse present. We find this unacceptable but understand the pressures arising from staff shortages as explained to us. To maximise the use of the skills of the two Senior Nurses appointed, the F grade Charge Nurse should be given personal responsibility for the inpatient area, as well as deputising for the Clinical Nurse Manager. All patients should have a named nurse with responsibility for full care planning.

7.22 Watching television was the main occupation of patients. Each patient should have a minimum of six hours of activity that is clinically advised. Patients should be involved in their own care planning.

7.23 We looked at the Skill Mix Review covering primary care and inpatient care which was a priority of the Clinical Nurse Manager, to improve the quality of care and therapeutic environment for patients. We would like to see the Skill Mix Review informed by the outcome of the Health Needs Audit. The therapy needs of inpatients should be considered as part of the Skill Mix Review.

7.24 Options should be examined to increase the therapeutic contact between nurses and patients at night. Twilight shifts to 11.00 p.m. or midnight, as in the NHS, could be introduced as a way of moving towards a 24 hour therapeutic environment for patients.

Patients’ views 7.25 Patients were aggrieved about delays in seeing a doctor. Other Inspectors also heard women complaining about delay in seeing a doctor and in receiving the results of tests and X-rays. We heard so many complaints from patients about these delays that we discussed them with the Medical Officer who thought the

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reason may be that “appointments have gone missing in the system - appointments sent out in writing get lost”. We do not find this a satisfactory explanation and recommend that:

¨ a Patients’ Charter should be prepared to include standards on women’s health generally, health screening, maternity, named doctor, named nurse, maximum wait to see a doctor, maximum wait for an X-ray report, etc.

¨ the system for making an appointment with a doctor should be reviewed and improved

¨ the results of X-rays and tests should be given to patients within a time limit as set out in the prison’s Patient Charter

¨ the clinical audit process should review compliance with the standards set out in the prison’s Patient Charter.

7.26 We recognise that the part-time nature of the Medical Officer’s appointment until the end of October 1996 may have contributed to delays in patients seeing a doctor; the new full-time status of the Medical Officer should eradicate such problems.

7.27 Inpatients complained of food being freezing cold as the trolley was left downstairs for three quarters of an hour waiting for the server to come over.

7.28 Inpatients complained of boredom and lack of therapy. Patients praised nurses for listening and talking to them.

Specialist care

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Mental Health 7.29 That there was little problem in arranging necessary transfers to the NHS was a tribute to the quality of the co-operative working between the Styal staff and visiting psychiatrists, mainly from the Edenfield Centre at Prestwich Hospital. Sessions had been reduced very significantly recently, apparently because court assessment and diversion schemes had significantly reduced the number of seriously mentally ill people being imprisoned. However, in the view of the psychiatrists, the introduction of mental health trained nurses had led to a higher rate of identification of people with mental disorder and a rise in the number of referrals. The psychiatrists would have liked to be more involved in working with the many difficult personality disordered prisoners who at present rarely received specialised mental health care. Particularly they would have liked to have had more involvement with prisoners being seen by the Parole Board. The need for specialist mental health services should be assessed as part of the Health Care needs assessment exercise.

Dentistry 7.30 The dental service was directly contracted rather than an NHS service, with the prison paying the patient’s contribution. For those serving short sentences only emergency treatment was provided. For those serving longer sentences all necessary treatment was provided, subject to approval by the Senior Medical Officer. This regime had been instituted to control costs. The dentist provided a dental nurse, but there was no dental hygienist service despite the very poor oral hygiene of many prisoners. The arrangements for the provision of dental services should be reviewed particularly the need for the services of a dental hygienist.

7.31 Although this arrangement appeared to be working satisfactorily it was inherently unsatisfactory. Since prisoners are entitled to NHS dentistry they should receive the appropriate care, and costs should be controlled as they are in the rest

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of the NHS dental service by (e.g.) the Dental Reference Service. Doctors are not usually qualified to make valid judgements about the need for dental treatment.

Other services 7.32 Genito-urinary medicine, chiropody, and optometry services were available, and no complaints about them were made to the Inspectors.

Pharmacy 7.33 The pharmacy service at Styal was provided from HM Prison Risley where the Supervising Pharmacist was based. Having ascertained that the Supervising Pharmacist had not visited HM Prison Styal during the five months preceding our inspection, we contacted him by telephone. He took up his appointment in September 1995 and his first priority was to establish a legal dispensing service in each prison within his sphere of responsibility but the service he was able to provide had been compromised by staff shortage. He explained to us that because a Senior Pharmacy Technician had been on sick leave since January 1996, he had been unable to provide the necessary supervision of the pharmacies in prisons in the cluster. He had informed the Pharmacy Advisor at the Directorate of Health Care that he could only provide a basic service and not the quality service that he desired.

7.34 Great difficulty had been experienced in finding a relief Pharmacy Technician during the previous 11 months; intermittent cover only was possible and was provided, we were told, by more than twenty relief Pharmacy Technicians during this period. The Supervising Pharmacist was unable to obtain clearance for these short-term relief staff to carry security keys - the explanation being that security staff said they were too busy.

7.35 We discussed with the Supervising Pharmacist our concerns at the lack of supervision of the Styal pharmacy, in particular professional supervision in the checking of medicines, medicine cards and pharmacy audit, and the disposal of old stocks of medicines.

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7.36 Each prison in the cluster budgets for its drugs bill only; the pharmacy service of professional supervision of each pharmacy which is an essential requirement was not budgeted for in each prison: consequently the costs of pharmacy supervision falls on HM Prison Risley. The provision of a safe, professionally managed and supervised pharmacy service in each prison is a legal requirement; consequently we would expect each prison to budget for such provision, which includes the costs of drugs plus the manpower costs of professional supervision. Each prison should consult with the Supervising Pharmacist at HM Prison Risley on the costs involved. We were told that from January 1997 the Supervising Pharmacist at Risley hoped to provide a full supervisory pharmacy service monthly to HM Prison Styal, increasing to a weekly service as soon as resources were available.

7.37 We recommend that :

¨ the Supervising Pharmacist should visit HM Prison Styal on a weekly basis to check medicines, their storage, medicine cards, undertake prescribing audit and attend a multi-disciplinary staff meeting on a regular basis

¨ the Governor should budget to pay for professional supervision as part of the pharmacy service required to have a fully legal service, in addition to the drugs bill

Receptions 7.38 All receptions were seen by a nurse on arrival and by the Medical Officer within 24 hours. The Medical Officer explained that now he was full-time, he would probably do medical screening on the day of arrival.

Maternity Care

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7.39 There were 18 pregnant women in Styal during our inspection. There were 16 women and 13 babies. We were very pleased to see that the South Manchester University Hospital Trust had agreed to provide a full maternity service in line with Changing Childbirth for all pregnant women, mothers and babies at HM Prison Styal. We were also very glad to see the good working partnership between the prison and the midwives. One mother and her baby had very recently returned from the local maternity unit following a caesarean section and was being visited by the Community Midwife during our inspection.

7.40 Guidelines and protocols had been drawn up as part of the contractual agreement ,and were being finalised at the time of our inspection. These guidelines and protocols comprised four documents as follows :

i) Guidelines for contacting Midwives in an emergency/non- emergency situation for HM Prison Styal.

ii) Protocol for anti-natal care for women in Styal prison who were pregnant.

iii) Protocol for intra partum care for women in Styal prison who were pregnant.

iv) Protocol for post-natal care for mothers and babies in Styal prison.

7.41 The aim of the maternity service provided was to ensure that all women who were pregnant received anti-natal care, intra partum care and post-natal care which was sensitive to their individual needs in a dignified and private environment.

7.42 We congratulate the South Manchester University Hospital NHS Trust and HM Prison Styal on the good practice initiative in the

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development of protocols for the provision of a maternity service for women prisoners by Midwives from S Blantern Midwifery Group Practice.

Mother and Baby Unit

Accommodation 7.43 Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) was located in Fox House and Mellaby House which were linked by a connecting corridor. Each house could accommodate 11 mothers and 11 babies.

7.44 During our inspection, Fox House had seven mothers (age range 21-37 years) and six babies from eight months to 18 months old in residence. Mellaby House had nine mothers (age range 17-37 years) and seven babies from seven days old to 12 months old in residence.

7.45 The SSI Inspection team from the Department of Health inspected the Mother and Baby Unit at Styal on the 1 and 2 November 1995. The SSI team’s letter recording their main findings and recommendations was issued on the 6 March 1996. We were told that most of the SSI team’s recommendations had been implemented and that the remaining ones were being progressed. We were satisfied that this was the case.

7.46 As evidence of action on the recommendations of the SSI team, we were given a copy of the written procedures for child protection, prepared by the Senior Probation Officer. As child protection, child development and training issues were covered by the SSI specialists, our inspection did not duplicate their work. The SSI team’s report is available separately.

Management

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7.47 We spoke to the Governor 5 and to the Principal Officer responsible for the MBU. Both were committed to improving conditions and services for mothers and children and to implementing the recommendations of the SSI team.

7.48 We were concerned about the clarity of roles of senior staff and with the existence of a set of values which underpinned and guided the attitudes of staff and the provision of services for mothers and their children. We found a significant difference in the attitude to the well-being of mothers between the House Officers and the experienced Nursery Nurses. We cautioned the Principal Officer to be aware of this. A set of values should be agreed by the managers and staff of the MBU to guide the way the service was planned and provided and to guide the conduct and attitudes of staff. Management must ensure that all aspects of the service provision for mothers and babies are identified, integrated and co-ordinated.

7.49 We were pleased to hear from the Governor that a Multi-disciplinary Strategic Planning Group for the MBU had been established in line with the SSI team’s recommendation. The Team should set priorities in a Business Plan and develop a strategic direction by a set date for the development of services for mothers and babies.

Staffing 7.50 Staff provision was

¨. four Officers in each house (all volunteers)

¨. three Nursery Nurses (managed by Cheshire Social Services Department)

¨. two Night Patrol Officers, based in the Mellaby House office, from 9.30 p.m. to 7.45 a.m..

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7.51 Six volunteers from the Mothers’ Union attend the crèche as childminders in rotation throughout the week during afternoons, giving mothers an opportunity to pursue activity outside the MBU.

7.52 The visiting Librarian from the Toy Library Association encouraged play and directly involved mothers in play with their children. The combination of the work of the experienced Nursery Nurses, childminders and the Librarian promoted a positive environment to enhance the lives of young children.

Child Care Planning 7.53 Nursery Nurses were responsible for Child Care Planning and operated a key worker system with individual children.

7.54 The SSI team recommended the integration of individual Child Care Plans drawn up by Nursing Officer, personal Child Health Records held by mothers, and sentence plans drawn up by prison staff, in order to ensure that the interests of the mother and child were fully taken into account and co-ordinated. We endorse this approach.

Medical care of babies and child health 7.55 The Medical Officer expressed a need for a general practitioner to have responsibility for the medical care of babies; the Governor had given him “free range to negotiate contracting a local female G.P. and money was available”. The Medical Officer hoped that the G.P. would be engaged in the week following our inspection.

7.56 We heard a number of complaints from mothers about the medical care of their babies and children. The appointment of a G.P. dedicated to child health and supported by the Community Paediatrician who would visit monthly should reduce the anxiety of mothers. Out of hours G.P. cover for babies and children should form part of the contract with the G.P. The G.P.,

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Community Paediatrician, Community Midwife, Health Visitor, Nursery Nurses and Social Worker should work together to produce a programme for child health development.

7.57 We were told by the MBU Governor that mothers and babies from Styal were never handcuffed when travelling when the baby was present.

Education for mothers 7.58 Mothers complained of lack of access to education as they had to take their children with them to the Education Department. Mothers felt strongly about pursuing Educational courses and considered it extremely difficult to care for their children and focus on the course content simultaneously.

7.59 We recommend :

¨ childminding by nursery nurses should be available in the MBU to free mothers to attend education without their babies

¨ mothers should be consulted and involved in selecting a ‘childminder’ for their child

¨ sentence planning should take account of the educational needs of mothers and childminding support they require for their children.

Communication with mothers/community meetings 7.60 We spoke to several mothers who raised a number of problems, which were all capable of quick resolution if an appropriate forum had existed for staff to listen to the worries and concerns that they expressed. We believe that a workable solution would be for each house to be seen as a community of mothers, children and staff. This should improve mutual understanding and provide greater

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support. We recommend that each house should hold regular community meetings, arranged by the mothers and staff, to discuss and resolve problems.

Interviews with mothers 7.61 The following were the main issues of concern to mothers about their own welfare and that of their children:

¨ the medical care of their babies (“My baby is not a prisoner”)

¨ being a mother was very tiring - the need for a break from babies sometimes; more childminding support so that mothers could attend education: “Just give us a break”

¨ suitable food for babies was often unavailable from the baby canteen, which women could visit only on Thursdays: the stock available in the baby canteen should be reviewed, and the baby canteen opening times should be reviewed

¨ fresh food was needed for babies’ diets; a choice of juice was particularly identified, as was the lack of availability of desserts. The Health Visitor should advise on the diet available for babies and children and recommend a healthy balanced diet, taking account of cultural preferences

¨ the cost of baby food

¨ better cleaning materials were necessary

¨ Nursery Nurses were often away

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¨ staff were rude, and prisoners reacted [we saw no evidence of this]

¨ there were no black staff: only one mother was white; this meant that there were no role models amongst staff for most of the children: further efforts should be made to improve the ethnic balance of the workforce

¨ access to the Race Relations Officer was difficult: mothers should be given information on how to contact the Race Relations Officer

¨ it was sometimes freezing cold - drafts from the windows were a serious problem.

7.62 We believe that most of the worries that mothers had could and should be resolved as they arrived. A climate of trust and mutual respect, focusing on the welfare of each mother and her child, was essential to a healthy environment in the MBU. We reiterate the importance of the conduct of all staff in the MBU being guided by a sense of the values to which they had agreed, and which should provide consistency of approach, in what, for so many women in custody with their babies, was a sensitive situation.

7.63 The roles and responsibilities of Nursing Officers and Prison Officers should be explained to mothers, to improve understanding and avoid confused expectations from the different roles.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

RECOMMENDATIONS

To the Secretary of State 8.01 Life sentence prisoners held in regional secure units should be advised, early during their period of custody, of the implications of a life sentence (4.17).

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To the Director General 8.02 Central funding for work with drug users should be more economically distributed (5.53).

8.03 Replies to parole applications by life sentence prisoners should be provided more promptly (4.31).

8.04 Research should be undertaken into developing appropriate programmes for women to tackle serious offending behaviour and deal with issues that face many women prisoners such as histories of sexual and physical abuse (6.18).

8.05 The criteria for release on temporary licence of female prisoners should be reviewed (4.33).

8.06 The funding of the costs of provision of food for infants and young children should be clarified (4.42).

8.07 A discrete system for the provision and exchange of clothing should be introduced for the female estate (4.45).

8.08 As part of the drugs strategy establishments should be centrally funded to allow them to conduct voluntary local testing (5.56).

8.09 The Directorate of Health Care should require all Managing Medical Officer reports to include details of progress since the last report (7.07).

8.10 more educational aftercare should be provided for prisoners attending colleges after release (4.59).

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To the Area Manager

Farm 8.11 The arrangements for the distribution of vegetables from Styal should be reviewed (4.67).

8.12 The Supervising Pharmacist should visit HM Prison Styal on a weekly basis to check medicines, their storage, medicine cards, undertake prescribing audit and attend a multi-disciplinary staff meeting on a regular basis (7.37).

8.13 The Governor should budget to pay for professional supervision as part of the pharmacy service required to have a fully legal service, in addition to the drugs bill (7.37).

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To the Governor

Accommodation 8.14 General ¨ Portakabins should be replaced by permanent structures (2.05)

¨ the use of sash windows should be discontinued; casement windows should be fitted in future (2.06)

¨ the plan to refurbish Alderley House and convert it to cellular accommodation should proceed without delay (2.04)

¨ the proposed refurbishment of the houses should not be delayed and a definite date should be given for completion (4.03)

¨ electronic gas detectors should be extended to all house kitchens in the prison; gas cookers should be phased out and replaced with electric cookers (2.09)

¨ all prisoner notice boards should display relevant information in good condition (4.04).

¨ staff supervision of the grounds should be improved (4.06).

¨ the recreational facilities for prisoners should be improved (4.06).

¨ the regime structure for, and supervision of, younger prisoners should be improved (4.07).

¨ there should be a telephone installed in the induction unit (4.05).

¨ all telephones should have noise-reducing hoods (4.05).

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8.15 Vulnerable prisoners ¨ the Vulnerable Prisoner Unit should have a statement of purpose, aims and team objectives (4.08)

¨ the range of activity opportunities for vulnerable prisoners should be improved (4.09)

¨ the Vulnerable Prisoner Unit garden area should be developed (4.09).

¨ the staffing of the Vulnerable Prisoner Unit at night should be reviewed (4.10, 3.15)

¨ the information available for Vulnerable Prisoners should be improved (4.11).

8.16 Mother and Baby Unit ¨ the proposal to close the Mother and Baby Unit should be reviewed (3.05)

¨ damaged furniture should be repaired or replaced (4.12)

¨ rooms in a poor state of decoration should be repainted (4.12)

¨ a greater range of work and activity should be available for prisoners on the Mother and Baby Unit (4.13)

¨ the security of the Mother and Baby Unit should be improved (4.14).

Activities 8.17 Information about prisoners' needs should be aggregated and used to inform developments of the regime (6.14).

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8.18 There should be a published statement of employment or activity opportunities (4.62).

Anti-bullying strategy

8.19 Action against bullying should pervade every programme in the prison (5.48).

8.20 The training of staff should enable them to recognise signs of bullying and the different forms bullying can take, to appreciate the importance of vigilance, and to hold frequent discussions with prisoners about their own roles as bullies and / or victims (5.49).

Catering 8.21 Toilet and changing facilities in the kitchen should be improved (4.35).

8.22 The arrangements for serving meals on the house units should be improved (4.37).

8.23 There should be better supervision of prisoners by house staff who should be trained in food handling and hygiene (4.37).

8.24 A pre-ordering system should be introduced (4.39).

8.25 The Medical Officer should visit the kitchen more frequently (4.40).

Clothing 8.26 The arrangements for changing bedding should be improved (4.46).

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Drug Strategy

8.27 More formal mechanisms should be introduced to ensure that voluntary testing takes place as frequently as planned, that at least 10% of Mandatory Drug Testing random testing takes place every month, and that there is a higher level of targeted testing (5.59).

8.28 There should be research into the apparent discrepancy between the rate of positive drug tests and the perceived level of illicit drug taking (5.50).

8.29 A decision on funding the continued drugs treatment programme by Newstart should be made immediately (5.53)

8.30 Women who test positive for drugs should be interviewed, informed of the multi-disciplinary drugs group, and offered the opportunity to attend (5.54).

8.31 All the women should be tested before being placed in one of the drug free units and then tested regularly and randomly (5.56).

8.32 There should be research into the apparent increase in positive drug tests for opiates and the apparent decrease in positive tests for cannabis (5.57).

Education 8.33 More flexible timetabling should be devised to enable individual prisoners to take part in a broader curriculum (4.57).

8.34 The education input for vulnerable prisoners should be enhanced (4.58 and 4.59).

8.35 The Education Department should be redecorated and made safe for children who accompany their mothers to classes (4.53).

8.36 There should be better arrangements for retrieval of library books (4.73).

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8.37 There should be close links with the Psychology Department and individual diagnostic testing to identify prisoners with specific learning difficulties (4.56)

Equal Opportunities 8.38 An Equal Opportunities policy should be developed; an Equal Opportunities Committee should be established, and an Equal Opportunities Officer appointed (3.42).

Farm 8.39 Farm activity should be considered for an incentive earnings scheme (4.69).

8.40 There should be a review of farm equipment and machinery (4.71).

8.41 Rest room, toilet and washing facilities for staff and prisoners should be improved (4.72).

Health and Safety 8.42 All accident reports needs to be completed promptly (2.11)

8.43 The Statement of Arrangements should contain a section on waste disposal (3.29).

8.44 Health and Safety meetings should be held regularly (3.30).

8.45 Recommendations in the recent Home Office Health and Safety Branch report should be fully implemented (3.31).

8.46 The Medical Officer, Education Co-ordinator and Caterer should attend Health and Safety Committee meetings (3.12,3.31).

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Health Care 8.47 There should be a Health Care needs assessment (7.07).

8.48 The multi-disciplinary management team should meet monthly, and staff meetings should be held monthly (7.12, 7.14).

8.49 A mobile phone should be provided for the Senior Medical Officer (7.16).

8.50 Satisfactory arrangements should be devised to ensure cover for absences of the Senior Medical Officer (7.16).

8.51 A receptionist and Health Care support worker should be appointed (7.17).

8.52 The F grade charge nurse should be given responsibility for the inpatient area, and all patients should have a nominated nurse (7.21).

8.53 A Patients’ Charter should be prepared to include standards on women’s health generally, health screening, maternity, named nurse, maximum wait to see a doctor, maximum wait for an X-ray report, etc. (7.25).

8.54 The system for making an appointment with a doctor should be reviewed and improved (7.25).

8.55 The results of X-rays and tests should be given to patients within a time limit as set out in the prison’s Patients' Charter (7.25).

8.56 The clinical audit process should review compliance with the standards set out in the prison’s Patients' Charter (7.25).

8.57 Options should be examined to increase contact between nurses and patients at night (7.24).

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8.58 The need for specialist mental health services should be assessed as part of the Health Care needs assessment exercise (7.29).

8.59 Arrangements for the provision of dental services, particular the need for the services of a dental hygienist, should be reviewed (7.30).

8.60 Each patient should have a minimum of six hours activity that is clinically advised. Patients should be involved in their own care plans (7.22).

Mother and Baby Unit 8.61 A set of values should be agreed by the managers and staff of the Mother and Baby Unit to guide the way the service is planned and provided and to guide the conduct and attitudes of staff. Management must ensure that all aspects of the service provision for mothers and babies are identified, integrated and co-ordinated (7.48).

8.62 The Multi-disciplinary Strategic Planning Group should set priorities in a Business Plan and develop a strategic direction by a set date for the development of services for mothers and babies (7.49).

8.63 Out of hours GP cover for babies and children should form part of the contract with the GP The GP, Community Paediatrician, Community Midwife, Health Visitor, Nursery Nurse and Social Worker should work together to produce a programme for child health development (7.56).

8.64 Childminding by nursery nurses should be available in the Mother and Baby Unit to free mothers to attend education without their babies (7.59 and 4.58).

8.65 Mothers should be consulted and involved in selecting a ‘childminder’ for their child (7.59).

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8.66 Sentence planning should take account of the educational needs of mothers and childminding support they require for their children (7.59).

8.67 Each house should hold regular community meetings, arranged by the mothers and staff, to discuss and resolve problems (7.60).

8.68 The stock available in the baby canteen should be reviewed, and the baby canteen opening times should be reviewed (7.61).

8.69 The Health Visitor should advise on the diet available for babies and children and recommend a healthy balanced diet, taking account of cultural preferences (7.61).

8.70 Further efforts should be made to improve the ethnic balance of the workforce (7.61).

8.71 Mothers should be given information on how to contact the Race Relations Officer (7.61).

8.72 The roles and responsibilities of Nursing Officers and Prison Officers should be explained to mothers, to improve understanding and avoid confused expectations about the different roles (7.63). Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme 8.73 The Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme should be reviewed, and structured around a compact based on reciprocal obligations (5.42).

Induction 8.74 The arrangements for the delivery of the induction programme should be reviewed, with a copy given to course members (6.11).

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8.75 The programme should be reviewed, better co-ordinated and evaluated (6.33).

Legal Aid Advice 8.76 There should be written information for prisoners on the role of the Legal Aid Officer. This should be available in several languages (4.128).

Lifers 8.77 Staff should be appropriately trained to meet the needs of life sentence prisoners (4.18, 4.20).

8.78 Files on life sentence prisoners should be brought up-to-date (4.32).

Offending behaviour 8.79 A needs analysis to ascertain what programmes the establishment should develop and run should be undertaken; such programmes should be based on sound theory and be fully evaluated (6.17).

PE 8.80 The contract to maintain PE equipment should be reviewed (4.74).

Prison shop 8.81 The security within the shop should be improved, and prisoners better supervised while they are shopping (4.85-4.87).

8.82 Shop prices should be within the range specified in national guidelines (4.88).

Private cash and earnings 8.83 The Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme should be reviewed (4.48).

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8.84 The budget for earnings should be better monitored (4.50).

8.85 Earnings sheets should be checked within the Activities group before submission for payment (4.51).

Probation 8.86 Probation staff should be provided with a room in which to manage groups (6.22).

8.87 The Probation contract should be reviewed (6.24).

Psychology 8.88 The vacant Psychologist post should be filled (6.21).

Race Relations 8.89 There should be a dedicated multi-faith room (4.94).

8.90 There should be prisoner representatives on the RRMT (4.89).

8.91 Adjudications and the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme should be monitored for racial bias (4.90).

8.92 The race relations policy statement and the names and pictures of the Race Relations Management Team should be displayed on each house and in other key areas of the establishment (4.91).

8.93 There should be racial awareness training for all staff and prisoners (4.91).

8.94 A greater selection of items should be available in the prison shop to meet ethnic minority needs (4.92).

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8.95 The Deport Liaison Officer should be renamed the Foreign National Liaison Officer (4.95)

8.96 A system for allowing foreign nationals continued contact with their families should be developed (4.97)

8.97 The role of the Foreign Nationals Liaison Officer should be developed to include particular cultural events for foreign nationals and to developing the provision of other facilities such as same nationality visitors; information about the role of the Foreign Nationals Liaison Officer should be displayed throughout the prison (4.96).

Reception and Discharge 8.98 There should be the facility to provide prisoners with a hot drink in reception (6.03).

8.99 The unused store areas should be tidied and put to better use (6.05).

8.100 The prisoners’ toilet should be repaired and redecorated (6.01).

Release on Temporary Licence 8.101 Prisoners should be provided with better information about the scheme as applied at Styal (6.39).

8.102 Prisoners returning from temporary release should be interviewed by a Personal Officer to evaluate whether the purposes of the release have been realised (6.41).

Religious Activities 8.103 Prisoner access to Chaplaincy facilities should be improved (4.100).

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Schedule 1 Offenders 8.104 Procedures for dealing with Schedule 1 offenders should be developed and acted upon (4.14).

Sentence planning 8.105 The Personal Officer Scheme should be developed (6.13).

8.106 Personal Officers should chair Sentence Plan Review Boards (6.14).

8.107 All staff completing sentence plans should be appropriately trained (6.14).

8.108 Targets set in sentence plans should be regularly monitored (6.14).

Staff Complement and Deployment 8.109 The planned changes in staff deployment should proceed without delay (3.18).

8.110 The level of TOIL should be reduced (3.16).

8.111 The planned new sick monitoring procedures should be introduced without delay (3.27).

8.112 The SPAR A should be completed and updated to reflect the work being done (3.17).

8.113 SPAR forms should be signed and checked by managers (3.17).

8.114 The administration of prisoners' mail should be carried out by Auxiliary Officers (3.18).

8.115 Job descriptions for all staff should be held on a central register (3.19).

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8.116 The level of staff supervision should be reviewed in Bruce, Wilson, Gaskell and Howard houses (5.47).

Staff training 8.117 There should be individual training and development plans for staff (3.33).

8.118 Staff should receive training in working with young female prisoners as a matter of priority (3.36).

8.119 Internal training should be evaluated (3.36).

Suicide awareness 8.120 All staff coming into regular contact with the women should be fully trained in the Prison Service suicide awareness strategy (5.36, 5.61, 3.36).

8.121 A safe room allowing for continuous observation should be provided in the Health Care Centre (5.63, 7.02).

8.122 Support groups and group work aimed at preventing self-harm should be introduced (5.64).

8.123 Regular case conferences should be held on all women with open suicide prevention forms (5.61).

Visits 8.124 The Visitors’ Centre should be checked daily (4.104).

8.125 There should be a booking system for visits (4.107).

8.126 Facilities within the main Visits Room should be improved (4.108).

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8.127 There should be a policy on physical contact between prisoners and visitors (4.109).

8.128 Lockers should be provided for prisoners’ personal belongings (4.111).

8.129 There should be visits on Sundays (4.115).

8.130 Extended use of the family visits room should be considered (4.121).

8.131 Staff who supervise family visits should receive appropriate training (4.123).

8.132 Appropriate weather protection for staff and prisoners should be provided at the gate (2.03).

Works Services 8.133 Proper records should be maintained to make the buildings repairs system fully effective (2.12).

8.134 The lightning protection should be extended to cover the rest of the site, especially the living units (2.08).

8.135 The condition of the buildings at the lower end of the site were such that either extensive repairs should be carried out or the planned demolition should be implemented (2.13).

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EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

¨ lightning surge protection was to be commended and should be used throughout the Service (2.08)

¨ there was good waste disposal arrangements, with two compactors reducing the column of waste to be removed, and also providing work for one prisoner (2.10)

¨ staff on the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit had received training in working with Schedule One offenders (4.08)

¨ all the houses were checked each day by kitchen staff to ensure that cleaning schedules were fully implemented, and to check Food Comments books. There was a schedule for a governor grade to visit the houses, in rotation, to sample food (4.38).

¨ making available cash advances to new mothers to obviate the consequences of delays in registering the births of babies (4.49).

¨ the provision of an education guidance worker was excellent (4.61).

¨ sponsorship had been obtained for some of the National Vocational Qualifications courses: this was imaginative and appropriate (4.66).

¨ we were particularly impressed by the purchase of second-hand refurbished weights facilities (4.74).

¨ there was an excellent relationship with the Health Care Centre, and the medical staff would refer prisoners requiring remedial therapy to the PE Department, because one of the staff was a qualified physiotherapist (4.77).

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¨ the Senior Officer had an agreement that, if he assisted with discipline duties from time to tome, sports and games trained Officers could be released during the working day, when required, to help to supervise PE activities. This seemed to be a pragmatic, and sensible, arrangement (4.78).

¨ maintenance of individual prisoners' training records on a computer, facilitating the aggregation of data. PE staff were providing staff training in Control and Restraint, first aid and incident management (4.83).

¨ a member of the African Black Prisoners Scheme was a member of the Race Relations Management Team and attended meetings (4.89).

¨ as part of the induction process (6.07-6.12), the Administrative Officer responsible for sentence calculation spoke to new prisoners, to answer any queries, offer advice where necessary, and to ask whether there was any police remand time that had not been taken into account (4.127).

¨ any prisoners who could not read or write or who had difficulty understanding legal aid issues were identified (4.128).

¨ One of the Senior Officers had prepared an information booklet for staff outlining the role of the Legal Aid Officers. This ensured that applications following induction came to the Legal Aid Officers appropriately related to legal aid matters (4.129).

¨ protocols about the management of escorted prisoners had been agreed with Wythenshawe Maternity Hospital (5.16).

¨ every prisoner on entering the Segregation Unit was handed a copy of the regime: this included exercise and meal times as well as periods for association (5.35).

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¨ prisoners moved regime level on a points system - which included requiring the prisoners to participate in sentence planning (5.41).

¨ the establishment of the drug free units was an excellent initiative (5.56).

¨ the Suicide Awareness Committee was multi-disciplinary and included representatives from the Samaritans as well as one of the women Listeners (5.60).

¨ staff interaction with prisoners during the reception and discharge process was second to none (6.02).

¨ there was a job specification prominently displayed in Reception should any Officer be unfamiliar with the procedures (6.02).

¨ on the morning of discharge, staff accompanied prisoners to the gate to ensure that their transport arrangements were satisfactory (6.06).

¨ the effectiveness of joint work of the Probation and Psychology Departments was particularly impressive and the inclusion of Officer grades in group work is to be commended (6.27)

¨ the Probation Officer had written child protection procedures for staff in the prison which had been ratified by the Child Protection Co-ordinator for Cheshire Social Services Department and had been added to the Area Child Protection Committee’s manual. Imaginative plans were in hand to produce, on a pocket size laminated card, the basic emergency procedures and necessary telephone numbers. The Senior Probation Officer was in the process of organising specific training in child protection for prison staff through the NSPCC, to build on the basic course which staff already attended within Cheshire Social Services (6.29).

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¨ prisoners appeared before the Board which considered applications for Release on Temporary Licence by individual appointment (6.36).

¨ if prisoners were refused release on temporary licence, for reasons connected with their offending behaviour, behavioural changes were encouraged by target setting: information about such targets was relayed to the House Office. Prisoners were supplied with written reasons for refusals on request. If young offenders’ cases were being considered, case conferences, occasionally including the family, were held (6.38).

¨ the management of prisoners’ applications for re-categorisation or transfer (6.44).

¨ we congratulate the South Manchester University Hospital NHS Trust and HM Prison Styal on the good practice initiative in the development of protocols for the provision of a maternity service for women prisoners by Midwives from S Blantern Midwifery Group Practice (7.42)

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