Prison
Cat Category C (Usk), Category D Open (Prescoed)
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Usk and Prescoed
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 21 November 2023
HMP Usk and Prescoed maintained good relationships between staff and prisoners and effectively restored regime activities following Covid-19 restrictions. While safety levels were low for assaults and self-harm, concerns persist regarding understaffing in mental health and probation services, and issues with prisoner property transfers. The prisons continue to demonstrate success in purposeful activity and resettlement, including high rates of first-night housing on release.
Positive Findings
The management team effectively reopened activities post-Covid, leading to good association and meaningful activity for prisoners. Safety metrics are positive, with low levels of assaults and self-harm, and rare use of force. Staff-prisoner relationships are productive, and healthcare provision is generally good. The education curriculum redesign has been effective, and Prescoed maintains a strong record of providing work placements. Notably, the prison achieved a 94% success rate for first-night housing on release.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Access to specialist mental health facilities remains a problem as the team struggled with low staff numbers.
Resettlement/Release
Prisoners, and in particular Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners, find last minute adjournments to their parole hearings distressing.
Staffing
Repeated
The number of probation officers is inadequate, with the complement currently at one when four would be needed.
Other
Repeated
The loss of prisoners’ property when transferring from other prisons continues to be a problem which does not appear to be improving despite being reported regularly and nationally.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Both mental health services and probation teams are significantly understaffed, with only one probation officer available when four are needed. This shortfall impacts prisoner progression and resettlement. Healthcare staffing saw some retirements, leading to existing staff working extra hours, though some recruitment has occurred, two part-time vacancies remain. Kitchen operations at Prescoed also face sporadic difficulties due to staffing shortages.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision is generally good, despite mental health services struggling with staff shortages. Primary care operates well during weekdays with out-of-hours cover. An Autism Spectrum Disorder project is underway, but a lack of clinicians is delaying diagnoses for some referred prisoners. There are plans to convert a unit at Prescoed for frail and elderly prisoners, a growing demographic, which is also subject to a needs assessment by Public Health Wales.
Regime & Daily Life
The management team prioritised restoring association and meaningful activity post-Covid, leading to prisoners being out of cell for 10 hours a day on weekdays, though this is restricted at weekends due to lower staffing. The education curriculum has been successfully redesigned to focus on essential and work-focused skills. Prescoed maintains a strong record of providing off-site work placements, supporting resettlement. Issues persist with illicit trading of prescribed medication at Usk, while Prescoed has implemented an "Incentive Substance Free Living" regime.
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 | 2 | 2 | — |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 0 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 0 | 1 | |
| Equality | 0 | 3 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 2 | 2 | — |
| Food and kitchens | 1 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 0 | 1 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 2 | 3 | |
| Miscellaneous | 6 | 1 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 2 | 2 | — |
| Property within the establishment | 4 | 0 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 4 | 0 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 6 | 2 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 0 | 1 | |
| Transfers | 1 | 3 |
Recommendations (4)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 2
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Access to specialist mental health facilities remains a problem as the team struggled with low staff numbers.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
Prisoners, and in particular Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners, find last minute adjournments to their parole hearings distressing.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board is concerned that the number of probation officers is inadequate. We understand that the complement of probation officers currently stands at one when four would be needed to cover the work involved.
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The loss of prisoners’ property when transferring from other prisons continues to be a problem which does not appear to be improving despite being reported regularly and nationally.
HMPPS
Other
Other IMB Reports for Usk and Prescoed
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.