Prison
Cat High Security (A/B)
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Long Lartin
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 7 May 2024
HMP Long Lartin experienced another challenging year ending December 2023, marked by an increased prisoner population and significant staffing shortages, leading to an unpredictable regime and increased prisoner frustration, self-harm, and violence. The prison's infrastructure, particularly in-cell sanitation on four wings and outdated security systems, is severely degraded, compounded by unsatisfactory maintenance services from Amey. Despite improvements in education and library provision and commendable efforts by chaplaincy and gym staff, mental health services are stretched, and purposeful activity and key worker sessions remain limited.
Positive Findings
Education and library provision improved considerably, with several new initiatives, and prisoners engaged well when the unpredictable regime allowed. Art classes were particularly popular, leading to 40 Koestler awards and a platinum award for the prison. The library also provided meaningful support, introducing Storybook Dads and re-launching Reading Ahead. The gym staff maintained a comprehensive and popular regime, contributing significantly to positive prisoner outcomes and raising over £4,000 for local charities. The chaplaincy team was well staffed, led, and rated highly by HMIP, while new forums for minority ethnic groups, young adults, and veterans, along with a neurodiversity support manager, aided progression and support.
Key Concerns
Safety
The increased prisoner roll, from 480 to 584, has included the arrival of many younger prisoners with more non-associates (prisoners who cannot mix for their own interests or for the maintenance of good order or discipline in the prison), which has adversely affected overall stability.
Safety
Continued uncertainty with daily regimes, due to shortage of experienced staff, has increased prisoner frustration, mental health issues and levels of self-harm.
Safety
Access to mobile phones and drugs, now regularly delivered by illegal drones, poses a serious risk to safety and control, fuelling the illicit prisoner trading culture, which leads to bullying, debt and increased violence.
Safety
Repeated
Investment is urgently required to maintain safety and stability in the establishment, specifically to upgrade obsolete and faulty security systems and raise the standard of property services’ maintenance to an acceptable level.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
As a result of the unpredictable regime, prisoners spent far too much time locked in their cells.
Estate/Conditions
The very poor state of the infrastructure and inadequate level of maintenance support have failed to provide a safe and decent environment for prisoners.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The cells on four wings lack running water and sanitation, which falls below modern standards of decency for nearly half the prisoner population.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The number of key worker sessions has been minimal.
Other
Repeated
There has been no significant improvement in property management, and many responses to prison property complaints continue to be unhelpful.
Mental Health
Mental health services have struggled to meet demand and, in the Board’s view, there is need for better training in this area for uniformed and offender management unit (OMU) staff.
Substance Misuse
The integrated substance-free living unit (ISFL) unit has not functioned as expected and has failed to fulfil its purpose.
Healthcare
Repeated
In-patient accommodation is in poor repair and cannot accommodate disabled prisoners. It is understood that essential minimum refurbishment is imminent but, to properly aid patients’ recovery, better facilities and regime are required.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Vocational training and work have been severely restricted as a result of workshop closures due to operational staff shortages. Attendance has been poor and engagement has been variable.
Resettlement/Release
More prisoner contact with prisoner offender managers (POMs) would achieve a greater understanding of their sentence plans.
Safety
Repeated
Much of the existing surveillance technology is obsolete or unserviceable, increasing the vulnerability of prisoners and staff.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The prison infrastructure is now so degraded that effective routine maintenance is no longer possible and that a major modernisation project is required in the near future.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The Night sanitation project has been completed but no remedy for lack of in-cell sanitation was proposed.
Mental Health
Repeated
The average waiting time has reduced from 79 to 48 days, but is still too long due to the insufficient number of hospital beds.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
No improvement in Amey performance. The situation remains extremely unsatisfactory.
Healthcare
Repeated
No confirmation of start date at year end for refurbishment of the Healthcare Centre (HCC) in-patient unit. No plan to refurbish the very inadequate association room.
Other
Repeated
No improvement in property transfer and possession. There has been no decrease in prisoners’ property applications (prisoners’ written representations to the Board) and prisoners are very critical of the system.
Safety
Repeated
Minimal attempts have been made to repair obsolete security equipment. At times use has been made of outdated components removed from other prisons.
Food/Catering
Repeated
No renovations have taken place in the kitchen. Failures to repair or replace faulty appliances continue.
Substance Misuse
No reduction in illicit items is apparent. It is understood that measures to prevent drone incursions are currently being addressed locally.
Other
Delays in reuniting new prisoners with their property continue to be a source of distress for prisoners.
Safety
The number of assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) plans opened, has fallen to 135, compared with 164 in 2022, despite increased self-harm incidents.
Safety
Approximately 20% of ACCT reviews monitored did not include a complete multi-disciplinary team (MDT). Reviews have, too frequently, been postponed at short notice due to the non-availability of case co-ordinators.
Safety
POMs seldom attend ACCT reviews.
Safety
No reason was recorded for 14 of the 23 self-harm incidents in December.
Safety
Listeners report poor co-operation from some wing staff and there is concern that the lack of understanding of the Listeners’ role is denying opportunities or facilities for them to meet and help prisoners who need their support.
Safety
The population increased by 22% in 2023 against a 32% increase in recorded incidents of violence.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Staff shortages have restricted regime and purposeful activity, resulting in boredom, frustration and violence.
Substance Misuse
Drone deliveries of illicit items have undoubtedly widened access to drugs and mobile phones, causing an increase in trade between prisoners and debt, leading to bullying and instability.
Staffing
Training in control and restraint, which has fallen behind in recent years, still falls short of the HMPPS target of 60%.
Safety
Repeated
Much of the existing surveillance technology is obsolete or unserviceable, resulting in the emergency control room (ECR) being unable to properly monitor wings, limiting its ability to deploy timely assistance and seriously compromising safety.
Safety
Repeated
Little progress has been made in upgrading and repairing security systems, nor can it be, without complete modernisation of the system and an effective maintenance contract.
Safety
Repeated
A planned HMPPS project to renew and upgrade the main security systems has been postponed.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Maintenance by Amey of the buildings, plumbing, heating, electrical systems and appliances fails to keep the prison in a decent state, bringing regular justified complaints from prisoners.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Amey’s response to maintenance issues is invariably slow and unreliable.
Estate/Conditions
The air extraction system on E and F wings has not worked for most of the year and is still awaiting repair.
Estate/Conditions
Grassed areas have been left uncut for long periods, concealing much litter and perishable waste thrown from cell windows, encouraging vermin and causing a health hazard.
Overcrowding
On average, 30 cells were out of use throughout the reporting year, half of which were due to cell door/Nightsan problems.
Food/Catering
Repeated
Many essential appliances in the kitchen have frequently been out of action, resulting in limited choice of meals, wasted food and risks to food safety. The badly leaking roof has made all fat fryers inoperative and limited the use of two food stores.
Food/Catering
During December there was no heating in the kitchen for long periods.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Despite significant sums spent on modification of the Nightsan system, regular breakdowns continue, resulting in prisoners having to use buckets and bottled water to ‘slop out’.
Staffing
Amey requires a permanent maintenance staff of 30 and is currently nine trades’ people under strength, due to difficulties in recruitment.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Amey managers attribute unsatisfactory maintenance to the age and dilapidation of the site, wasted expenditure on futile projects, difficulties gaining access due to counter terrorist checks, and the MoJ limit of £750 on normal maintenance items.
Staffing
Repeated
Amey managers seem resigned to the fact that essential Government investment is unlikely to be forthcoming and to their inability to prevent the frequent turnover of disillusioned site managers, resulting in poor continuity, low staff morale and inadequate performance.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The Board is concerned that major long-term projects, which require significant capital investment, including a new kitchen and renewal of the leaking roof over the centre of the prison, will be indefinitely delayed.
Segregation
Repeated
The CSRU has cells to accommodate 38 prisoners but has been limited by HMPPS to a maximum of 28, yet the number of Rule 45 prisoners often exceeds this limit and some have to be lodged on mainstream wings, unsettling their regimes.
Segregation
The population of the CSRU is inflated by prisoners who regard segregation as shelter from perceived or real threats, a route to transfer or to avoid the indignity of Nightsan, leading them to commit acts of violence to achieve segregation.
Segregation
Limited transfer options and refusal by some prisoners to attain targets to locate on wings has led to those with complex needs and poor mental health remaining in an unsuitable environment for long periods, leading to deterioration in their condition.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
At the end of the reporting year, there were 100 outstanding adjudications.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board is concerned that the adjudication process has often been used inappropriately, weakening its effect as a deterrent to bad behaviour, with 57% of adjudications during 2023 being unproven.
Staffing
Applications to the IMB suggest that the serious shortage of uniformed staff has damaged staff-prisoner relationships, highlighting a lack of willingness to help and dismissive responses to complaints.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Departments and prisoners complain of frequent delays in reaching appointments and activities after unlock.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Monthly PCC meetings have continued, though often starting late and with incomplete representation. Monthly wing forums, which should allow prisoners a voice on wing issues, have frequently not taken place.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Plans to restore prisoners’ twice-monthly sessions with their key worker have largely failed, falling from 200 sessions in January to fewer than 80 by December, with prisoners complaining about the poor quality of sessions.
Estate/Conditions
The badly leaking roof of the chapel has resulted in damaged, unsightly walls and reduced lighting, which impacts on the ambience of religious services.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
More prisoners were placed on a Basic level in the reporting year, owing to an increase in refusals to attend work, the increased level of violence and the high number of illicit items being brought into the prison by drones.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
The Board continues to be concerned by the management and handling of complaints, including quality and timeliness of responses and the large numbers of rejections, with property complaints being the weakest.
Other
Repeated
There has been no apparent improvement in the system for managing prisoners’ property. Delays and loss of property remain a major source of discontent, generating 30% of prison complaints and 17% of applications to the IMB, and can lead to self-harm incidents.
Other
Repeated
Reasons for poor property management include unclear HMPPS guidance, the unwieldy system of tags and hand-written property cards, the quantity and high value of property owned by some prisoners, inexperienced staff conducting cell clearances and a lack of storage at Long Lartin and Branston.
Other
Repeated
HMPPS has no plans to introduce property bar coding.
Staffing
Staffing levels were adequate until the end of the reporting year, when there was a new head of department and both the deputy head and the patient engagement lead (PEL) left without immediate replacements, reducing the input of health champions.
Healthcare
Repeated
The inpatient facility and end-of-life cell are not fit for purpose. There is no shower suitable for disabled prisoners and several cells have been out of use for much of the reporting year.
Healthcare
Repeated
The siting of healthcare on the first floor, with no lift and an unreliable and inadequate stairlift, makes the facility unsuited to prisoners with mobility issues.
Mental Health
Regime for prisoners in the inpatient facility, most of whom suffer mental illness, is poor and not conducive to preparing them for a return to a wing.
Healthcare
No progress has been made to enable health champions to work with CSRU prisoners.
Healthcare
Frequent regime changes and inaccurate roll checks have destabilised planned healthcare provision, resulting in cancelled and missed appointments, including those with specialist clinicians.
Healthcare
Specialised medical equipment has, on occasion, been refused entry to the prison on security grounds, causing cancellation of specialist clinics.
Healthcare
Morning hospital appointment delays have too often resulted in escorting officers being unable to return for afternoon escort duty, causing prisoners to miss afternoon appointments.
Mental Health
There has been a marked increase in mental health referrals and ACCTs remaining open during the reporting year. These factors, combined with some understaffing in key positions, has severely stretched the team’s ability to help prisoners with the greatest need.
Mental Health
Repeated
Inpatient facilities have been almost exclusively occupied by mental health patients and continue to be totally inadequate for this purpose.
Healthcare
The Worcestershire County Council (WCC) representative rarely attended weekly Safety Intervention Meetings (SIMs) during the latter part of the reporting year, making it difficult to ensure suitable and timely social care support arrangements were provided.
Healthcare
Quarterly social care steering group meetings have often been cancelled due to the non-availability of delegates.
Healthcare
At the end of the reporting year, responsibility for specialist equipment purchase was still under discussion and four assessment reports remained outstanding.
Healthcare
WCC staff visit prisoners needing social care but have, on occasion, been refused entry on security grounds, in spite of appropriate prior arrangements.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Regime on wings during the reporting year until September was poor, with very limited time out of cell, rarely better than a 50/50 unlock level, and frequently no unlock at weekends.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
During the period of poor regime, there was very little purposeful activity on the wings.
Substance Misuse
Positive drug tests, regular finds of drugs and alcohol and now frequent drone deliveries all indicate that drug use and alcohol production are widespread and regarded by many prisoners as the only relief from the monotony of very long sentences.
Substance Misuse
There is currently no integrated substance misuse service nurse.
Substance Misuse
The future of the ISFL unit on Perrie Blue wing is under review. Covid-19, a ready supply of drugs, staff shortages and regular use of the unit to house overspill from the CRSU have contributed to the failure of the current model.
Education/Purposeful Activity
When there is a shortage of operational staff, workshops are among the first facilities to be closed. During 2023, they were open for an average of only four to five sessions a day.
Estate/Conditions
The laundry is permanently closed, because the unserviceable boiler is deemed uneconomic to repair.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Workshop attendance throughout the reporting year has been poor, with a high level of refusals. Prisoner engagement depends on the quality of work available, often involving mundane and repetitive tasks that require little skill.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The unpredictability of delivery times for completed work makes it difficult for the prison to arrange commercial contracts.
Resettlement/Release
The Offender Management Unit (OMU) has been slowly recovering from pandemic restrictions and there is still a backlog of offender assessment system (OASys) reports, further hindered by incomplete reports received from other establishments.
Resettlement/Release
Throughout 2023 the Board was concerned about insufficient contact between prisoners and POMs. More recently, POM-prisoner meetings have included an invitation to key workers, but their attendance is infrequent.
Resettlement/Release
A plan to institute OMU surgeries has not yet materialised.
Resettlement/Release
Long Lartin is not a suitable location for category C prisoners, and transfers are prioritised not by waiting time but by availability of appropriate programmes, facilities and space, causing anxiety for prisoners wanting to progress.
Segregation
Prisoners and staff have periodically been challenged by the presence of prisoners from the CSRU lodging on the PIPE unit, which has disrupted the regime.
Staffing
The inexperience of some officers, temporarily assigned to visits, reduced consistency of good supervision, and late arrival of prisoners to the visits’ hall continues to occur.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The shortage of uniformed staff, initially eased by detached duty staff, continued to cause an unpredictable regime, increased frustration, and limited key worker sessions. Amey, the maintenance contractor, was nine trades' people under strength due to recruitment difficulties, leading to poor continuity, low morale, and inadequate performance among site managers. Staffing levels in healthcare were adequate until year-end, when key departures severely stretched the team's ability to meet demand. Improved recruitment later in the year reduced the reliance on detached duty staff, and the PIPE unit saw improved staffing and the appointment of a designated POM.
Healthcare
Outpatient care was generally satisfactory, and waiting lists mostly well-managed, though specialist clinic cancellations and staff shortages for escorts caused missed appointments. Mental health services struggled with increased demand and understaffing, highlighting a need for better training for uniformed and OMU staff. The inpatient facility is in poor repair, unfit for purpose, and unsuitable for disabled prisoners, with an inadequate regime for mental health patients. Social care referrals faced difficulties due to a lack of attendance from Worcestershire County Council representatives, and delays in purchasing specialist equipment persisted.
Regime & Daily Life
The reporting year was challenging, with an unpredictable regime leading to prisoners spending excessive time locked in their cells and increased frustration, self-harm, and violence. Key worker sessions remained minimal, and monthly wing forums frequently did not take place. Vocational training and work were severely restricted due to workshop closures and staff shortages, leading to poor attendance and variable engagement. Gym provision, however, was a significant positive, offering a comprehensive and popular regime with rarely redeployed staff.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 22 | 11 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 11 | 12 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 26 | 15 | |
| Equality | 3 | 12 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 11 | 9 | |
| Food and kitchens | 8 | 8 | — |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 30 | 25 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 19 | 19 | — |
| Miscellaneous | 18 | 10 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 20 | 21 | |
| Property within the establishment | 30 | 27 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 15 | 15 | — |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 15 | 22 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 38 | 37 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, other | 21 | — | |
| Transfers | 16 | 6 |
Recommendations (17)
Ministry of Justice: 5
HMPPS: 6
Governor / Director: 6
12 repeated
Recommendation 1
Drones. The increasing quantity of illicit items carried into the prison by drones is a cause of raised levels of violence. What action is the Government taking to prevent drone incursions in prisons?
Ministry of Justice
Safety
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Security systems. Much of the existing surveillance technology is obsolete or unserviceable, increasing the vulnerability of prisoners and staff. Will the Minister confirm that funds to provide a modern, fully operational surveillance system will be authorised and allocated within the next 12 months?
Ministry of Justice
Safety
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prison infrastructure, maintenance and projects. Will the Minister acknowledge that the prison infrastructure is now so degraded that effective routine maintenance is no longer possible and that a major modernisation project is required in the near future?
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Lack of in-cell sanitation. Short-term modifications to the night sanitation system (Nightsan) on four wings continue to require prisoners to use the 'slopping out' process, which falls below modern standards of decency. When does the Government intend to provide all cells with running water and sanitation?
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prison visit. Will the Minister visit the prison in 2024 to meet prisoners and listen to their concerns?
Ministry of Justice
Other
Recommendation 6
Prev. unaddressed
Drones. Frequent drone incursions are delivering dangerous illicit materials. What preventive measures are being taken and when will they become effective?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Security systems. The maintenance contractor, Amey, has been unable to restore or maintain the ageing surveillance equipment to enable it to provide the prison with adequate security cover. What measures are being taken to install and maintain effective and reliable electronic surveillance?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prison infrastructure, maintenance and projects. To which specific building and maintenance projects has funding been allocated in the next three years and in what order of priority?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 9
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Amey performance. The 2022 annual report cited repeated serious failings in the performance of Amey. The Prison Service responded that ‘the contract is managed and monitored through a range of metrics and escalation processes’. The Board has found no evidence to support this claim. How will the Prison Service ensure that Amey provides a satisfactory maintenance service?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Healthcare Centre (HCC). What full programme of measures is planned to provide an acceptable level of care for inpatients?
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Management of property. The rules for possession of property vary among prisons. Are rules covering transfer and possession of property belonging to prisoners in the LTHSE to be standardised?
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 12
Self-harm. What further measures can be to be taken to reduce self-harm?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Security. The current unreliable and faulty security systems pose a serious safety risk. Is high priority to be given to enable repairs and improvements?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 14
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Prison infrastructure, maintenance and projects. Will high priority be given, during 2024, to restoring the damaged kitchen fabric and replacing unserviceable appliances to an acceptable standard for hygienic food production? Will Amey maintenance priorities be set and monitored by prison management?
Governor / Director
Food
Recommendation 15
Litter and waste. The current cleaning process is not keeping the prison clear of litter and waste. What measures are in hand to remedy the situation?
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 16
Prison staffing. Will the improved staffing situation enable the return to a full and consistent regime and regular key work sessions?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 17
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Management of property. Will the Governor review and clarify the local rules, process and responsibilities for ensuring that property reaches its owner without unreasonable delay?
Governor / Director
Other
Other IMB Reports for Long Lartin
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
30 Sep 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 2
Activity: 2
Release: 3
5 Dec 2022
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 2
Activity: 1
Release: 2
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.