Prison
Cat local
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Swansea
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 4 January 2024
HMP Swansea is generally considered a safe and humane prison by the Board, with notable improvements in education, purposeful activity, and resettlement support. However, significant concerns persist regarding the inadequate mental health provision and the challenge of securing accommodation for prisoners on release. Other key issues include delays in cell refurbishment, poor disability access, and inconsistent reporting of segregation decisions to the Board.
Positive Findings
The Board views HMP Swansea as a safe prison where most prisoners are treated fairly and humanely. There have been great strides in developing workshops and activities for resettlement, with the Education Department significantly improving and the library being identified as best practice. The Board commends the establishment for efforts in education, training, and securing employment on release. Positive changes include improved communication regarding CSU removals, effective adjudication processes, and a stable, engaged workforce. Healthcare generally provides a decent service with timely access, and a successful physiotherapy service was introduced. The 12-step addiction recovery program has been well-received, and a new employment hub has opened.
Key Concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board remain concerned about the length of time that prisoners were on remand and awaiting court appearances.
Mental Health
Repeated
Mental health provision continued to cause concern to the Board. The Board appreciated that arrangements are being made for HMP Swansea to receive its own Mental Health Service but progress has been slow.
Resettlement/Release
The Board is concerned about the level of Home Office support for immigration detainees and in particular the delays in movement of overseas prisoners after the completion of their sentence
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The Board continues to be concerned around prisoners leaving custody without accommodation in future. The good work being undertaken in preparing prisoners for release and with employment on release has the potential to be undone by the lack of suitable accommodation.
Overcrowding
Repeated
The Board has been concerned with the number of times where prisoners from ‘out of area’ are being received into HMP Swansea, whether from transfer from other Welsh prisons or from prisons in England.
Segregation
Repeated
Informing the Board about Care & Separation Unit (CSU) admissions and Good Order or Discipline (GOOD) reviews in line with the Memorandum of Understanding has been inconsistent... its previous report also highlighted this issue.
Equality/Diversity
The Board would wish to see ['thebigword'] interpretation service being used by a broader range of officers e.g. key workers to ensure speakers of other languages can communicate and understand effectively.
Estate/Conditions
A decision was taken by the MOJ to place cell refurbishment under their project management arm. By the end of this reporting period no progress had been made by the MOJ in appointing a project manager and none of the allocated budget spent. This decision has effectively brought cell refurbishment to a halt between May 2022 – October 2022 which is extremely concerning.
Equality/Diversity
There continues to be poor disability access throughout the prison. Clearly, one compliant cell with a prison population of over 400 is not sufficient.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
It is still regrettable and unacceptable that men eat all their meals in mostly shared cells of (6ft x 9ft) with a toilet in situ.
Segregation
it is unclear what quality assurance and oversight is built into the process of holding men on GOOD due to positive body scans.
Staffing
At the beginning of 2022 HMP Swansea learning and skills were carrying a large number of staffing vacancies, 5 out of a total of 9 teaching staff plus administration staff. This had a significant impact on the delivery of classes.
Board Commentary
Staffing
HMP Swansea maintained a relatively stable workforce during the reporting period, averaging 261 to 287 full-time equivalent staff, with low sickness absence and only nine leavers. However, the Education Department experienced a significant impact on class delivery due to five out of nine teaching staff vacancies. There were observed good examples of de-escalation and engagement with vulnerable prisoners.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are provided by Swansea Bay University Health Board, with dental by 'Time for Teeth' and optometry by 'The Prison Optician Trust'. Despite staff shortages and a high workload, the healthcare team generally provided a decent service with timely access to GP, dental, and optician appointments. Mental health provision remained a high concern due to a nursing team shared with HMP Parc and insufficient manpower, though dedicated service arrangements are in progress.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison population has increased to over 400, leading to pressure on places. A significant concern remains that men eat all meals in shared cells (6ft x 9ft) with a toilet, raising hygiene and dignity issues. Following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, exercise has returned to normal levels, and all workshops are operating, providing 393 purposeful activity places.
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 | 11 | 4 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 7 | 1 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 2 | 0 | |
| Equality | 0 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 12 | 1 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 28 | 4 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 21 | 0 | |
| Miscellaneous | 6 | 1 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 9 | 1 | |
| Property within the establishment | 11 | 4 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 7 | 3 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 14 | 2 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 14 | 9 | |
| Transfers | 2 | 0 |
Recommendations (6)
Home Office: 1
Other: 2
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 2
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
The Board is concerned about the level of Home Office support for immigration detainees and in particular the delays in movement of overseas prisoners after the completion of their sentence (see paragraph 5.4.6) The Board asks the minister to raise this matter with the Home Office and provide it with a copy of the response.
Home Office
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
The Board continues to be concerned around prisoners leaving custody without accommodation in future. The good work being undertaken in preparing prisoners for release and with employment on release has the potential to be undone by the lack of suitable accommodation.
Other
(other)
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Repeated
The Board remains concerned as to the mental health service offered to prisoners within HMP Swansea.
Other
(other)
Mental Health
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We reiterate our message to the prison service from last year’s annual report, as the issues remain. The Board has been concerned with the number of times where prisoners from ‘out of area’ are being received into HMP Swansea, whether from transfer from other Welsh prisons or from prisons in England. We fully appreciate that the Prison Service is often under pressure to accommodate prisoners but would ask that reducing the number of out of area prisoners be considered when making placement decisions.
HMPPS
Overcrowding
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Informing the Board about Care & Separation Unit (CSU) admissions and Good Order or Discipline (GOOD) reviews in line with the Memorandum of Understanding has been inconsistent (see paragraph 5.2.6). The Board acknowledges its absence from the prison for much of the reporting year but the requirement continued during remote monitoring and its previous report also highlighted this issue.
Governor / Director
Segregation
Recommendation 6
The Board acknowledges the prison's efforts to locate speakers of the same language on the same wings wherever feasible and especially during this period when there were no formal ESOL courses available The Board has noted that whilst there has been an increase in the use of ‘thebigword’ interpretation service across the prison, its usage at relatively low levels and is primarily accessed by the Equalities Officer (5.4.5). The Board would wish to see this facility being used by a broader range of officers e.g. key workers to ensure speakers of other languages can communicate and understand effectively.
Governor / Director
Equality
Other IMB Reports for Swansea
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
21 Feb 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
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.