Prison
Cat Category A, local, high security
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Belmarsh
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 25 October 2023
HMP Belmarsh operates as a Category A men's prison, holding approximately 650 prisoners with an operational capacity of 814. The report highlights both positive developments, such as improved induction processes, a new employment hub, and dedicated staff supporting vulnerable prisoners, alongside significant concerns. Key issues include persistent property loss, prolonged waits for mental health transfers, a restricted regime limiting purposeful activity for many, and staffing challenges impacting key worker provision and educational opportunities. The IMB urges HMPPS and the Governor to address these long-standing issues and improve the daily life and progression pathways for prisoners.
Positive Findings
The Board commends the prison for the regular use of body worn cameras in recording violent incidents and the care and support given to repeatedly self-harming prisoners. Positive efforts have been made to promote equality and celebrate diversity, with the establishment of an employment hub showing promise. Reception procedures are robust, and induction packs are now available in nine languages. Ex-gang members have worked with prisoners to promote non-violence, and a scheme training care and support orderlies for vulnerable prisoners has been highly successful. Healthcare provision for physically unwell patients is good, and initial substance abuse rehabilitation work has been effective. The college area is attractive, and new vocational workshops like dry-lining and industrial cleaning are well-received, as are other workshops like textiles and recycling. The library staff actively promote its use, including creative writing workshops for children's stories.
Key Concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
there is a lack of opportunity for prisoners to experience a full and purposeful regime due to safety concerns over gang violence and conflicts
Estate/Conditions
the kitchen is in need of at least a more proactive effort to repair and replace items that no longer work efficiently or at best a complete refurbishment
Regime/Time Out of Cell
there is still concern about consistent regime and purposeful activity (in HSU)
Regime/Time Out of Cell
prisoners are not able to experience corporate worship on a regular basis due to safety concerns
Other
Repeated
the frustration caused by missing property continues, especially when transferring from prison to prison
Mental Health
Repeated
the time taken to assess and provide appropriate accommodation for prisoners suffering with mental ill-health remains far too long
Healthcare
the contractor for healthcare has changed and at the time of writing a mental health team has not yet been established
Regime/Time Out of Cell
data suggests that up to a quarter of prisoners have no opportunity for purposeful activity and spend the majority of their day locked up in their cell
Education/Purposeful Activity
prisoners who wish to gain employment in the prison need to have level one English and maths before they will be accepted for any role
Education/Purposeful Activity
prisoners in HSU have limited face to face education of any substance and no opportunity for purposeful employment
Resettlement/Release
prisoners have to wait too long for transfer so their progression is delayed
Safety
the need for the ‘risks, protective factors, and triggers’ form to be better completed; and the need for case reviews to be better attended so that more rounded assessments of prisoners’ current situations, and future plans, can be made. Some care plans are minimal or missing. Many on-going records are up to date; but some are not, casting doubt on the work being done to keep prisoners safe.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board are concerned that there has not yet been a return to normal regime. Contact between prisoners from different sections of the prison is restricted and this impacts the amount of time and opportunities for useful activities.
Safety
Illicit items found across the prison continue to be an issue, as can be seen from the tables in Annex B. Finds of weapons have increased
Estate/Conditions
the fabric and maintenance of the kitchen facilities (not under the control of the kitchen manager), stating ‘the general appearance of the kitchen was ‘tired’.
Estate/Conditions
the showers in HSU are not up to the standard expected and attract many flies.
Estate/Conditions
The prison has been plagued throughout the year by vermin, in particular pigeons, mice and rats.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Our Annual Report last year also referred to the absence of in-cell telephony, which is widely available across the rest of the prison and the prison estate in general, including for category A prisoners. Prisoners in the HSU must use telephones in the general open area for both personal and legal calls, often within the hearing of other prisoners and prison staff.
Segregation
Quite often, the required Prison Rule 45 reviews to extend the prisoner’s segregation have been undertaken remotely without the prisoner present.
Segregation
prisoners’ property could take days to reach them in segregation, and some property was not delivered at all
Segregation
In situations where TVs and radios cannot be provided, Board members have queried whether a few distractions – books or puzzles – might be provided in the first instance
Segregation
prisoners still being charged for TVs even though, because of their behaviour, they had moved to “basic” level on arriving in segregation
Segregation
prisoners must put in daily applications to receive official forms, including discrimination incident report forms (DIRFs), complaint forms and IMB applications; as prisoners must have unfettered access to such forms, the Board has asked segregation unit managers to review their practice
Safety
some prisoners choose to shout and use offensive language, littered with racial and other slurs, for prolonged periods of time; the prison has yet to find ways of dealing with such lengthy outbursts and has pointed out that the culprits are often very unwell
Estate/Conditions
the large amount of litter that can be found in a fenced off area outside the windows of segregation cells.
Equality/Diversity
The disproportionately high numbers of Black and Muslim segregated prisoners were noted, and explanations, including gang membership among young adults, were mentioned.
Staffing
Repeated
Key work commitment is the first to be lost... prisoners do not seem to know who their key worker is or have received few or no sessions.
Equality/Diversity
One houseblock misses out each week (for Christian services), while vulnerable prisoners do not have a service at all. At these combined services, Roman Catholic mass and Church of England communion cannot take place. It is difficult to get different pastors and lay people with lived experience to attend three services on the same day.
Equality/Diversity
Since Covid-19, two houseblocks are allowed to attend Jummah (Friday) prayers each week. The next week, the other two houseblocks have their turn.
Equality/Diversity
Arrangements deny that part of Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 05/2016 that calls for corporate worship, which is so important to all faiths in bringing people together in a common peaceful cause.
Education/Purposeful Activity
since the pandemic, religious classes have not been held.
Equality/Diversity
Muslim prisoners in segregation complained to the Board and the prison about being reprimanded for calling others to prayer through their cell windows.
Equality/Diversity
instances of Muslim prisoners being interrupted in their cells while saying one of their daily prayers.
Complaints/Property
Prisoners complain that they have not been informed when given negatives or positives and resultant issues come as a surprise.
Other
The system for property continues to rely on the manual recording of tags on prisoner property bags on transfer, and a hand-written property card itemising every item in the prisoner’s possession. The process for recording and following up lost property is archaic and requires a significant paperwork exchange between prisons, with many items still being reported as lost. Stricter interpretation of the volumetric controls (number of bags), by the prison escort contractor has added to the problem with bags being left behind on transfer. There is no use of technology.
Healthcare
prisoners having to wait too long for appointments, especially those in outside hospitals
Healthcare
wasted in patient appointments for those prisoners who choose not to attend, or have regime clashes
Healthcare
wasted appointments when prisoners cannot be brought to the department due to staff shortages
Estate/Conditions
The unsuitable heating system in the healthcare centre means that prisoners suffer from extreme heat or extreme cold and this cannot be adequately regulated.
Substance Misuse
attendance at rehabilitation groups is voluntary, therefore prisoners lose out on wages if they choose this over employment or education. The Board feels this is unfortunate and does not encourage participation in a vital aspect of rehabilitation. Also, those who choose to lose wages are subsequently vulnerable to debt and exploitation while in a vulnerable position.
Education/Purposeful Activity
concerns around safety, staffing issues and clashes remain. These issues limit the provision of consistent and inspiring educational opportunities for prisoners.
Education/Purposeful Activity
very limited education provided to prisoners in the HSU which is predominantly English and maths. This occurs once a week, along with in cell learning monitored by the education team and the standard is, in the view of the prisoners, extremely low and humiliating.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The library remains a rich resource for the prison, but it remains underused
Regime/Time Out of Cell
the new barbering workshop destined to be in that area has taken several months to set up and is still not in action at the end of the reporting year.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The horticulture provision for the HSU... was ended before it started as the tutor resigned. The space has been left to become overgrown and difficult to manage. Staff shortage has been the reason for prisoners not visiting the area to dig and plant.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Complaints are around low pay, insufficient protective clothing, regime changes that can affect pay and not being allowed to shower on return to houseblock.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Vulnerable prisoners who remain separate from the rest of the prison continue to be offered teabags packing workshop with no alternative. This group of prisoners would benefit from more engaging employment given the opportunity.
Staffing
workshops have been plagued by staff sickness over the year and often there is no cover for annual leave periods, resulting in closures and redeployment of staff.
Education/Purposeful Activity
prisoners now require at least level one English before they can apply for a job – this could prevent ESOL and prisoners with learning difficulties from having an equal opportunity to work.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
prisoners with longer sentences had little to occupy their time, as they were more likely to be refused work due to security issues.
Resettlement/Release
progression is held up while awaiting transfer to more suitable establishments, which provide appropriate courses.
Resettlement/Release
process of re-categorisation for cat A prisoners is held up due to delays in completion of OASYs reports and sentence planning.
Resettlement/Release
681 prisoners were released and of this number only 28 were granted home detention curfew (HDC). This figure represents a 50 percent decrease compared to the previous year.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Despite having a full staffing complement, daily staff availability in houseblocks is rarely full due to sickness, escort commitments, and detached duties, often leading to key worker duties being cancelled. Officers acknowledge the importance of key work but attribute inconsistent implementation to a shortage of time, and prisoners often do not know their key worker. The new healthcare provider has seen resignations, particularly of mental health nurses, reducing provision to less than one full-time equivalent, and a new mental health team is not yet established. Workshops have suffered closures due to staff sickness and lack of cover for annual leave.
Healthcare
Healthcare generally ran well with few complaints for most of the year, but a new provider, Practice Plus Group (PPG), took over in June 2023, making full evaluation difficult. Resignations, especially of mental health nurses, have reduced staffing, and a new mental health team is urgently needed. Prisoners face long waits for appointments, particularly outside hospitals, and there are wasted appointments due to non-attendance, regime clashes, or staff shortages preventing movement of prisoners, notably in HSU. Inpatient areas need improvements, including the sensory room, cell door windows, and the unsuitable heating system. Mentally ill patients await assessment and transfer for many months, though staff show compassion for those with severe mental illness and self-harming behaviours.
Regime & Daily Life
A significant concern is the limited opportunity for prisoners to experience a full and purposeful regime, largely due to safety concerns over gang violence and conflicts, leading to a regime designed to avoid inter-houseblock contact. Data indicates that approximately a quarter of prisoners spend up to 22 hours a day locked in their cells, with no purposeful activity. HSU prisoners face particularly restricted regimes, with limited association, infrequent education, and a lack of purposeful employment. The requirement for Level 1 English and Maths for prison employment, and the loss of wages for attending vital rehabilitation groups, are seen as barriers. Workshops suffer closures due to staff shortages, and complaints persist regarding low pay, lack of protective clothing, and inability to shower post-work.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSU related | 31 | — | |
| Inter-prison property | 71 | 36 |
Recommendations (10)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 5
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
The Minister is urged to refer all IPP prisoners to the Parole Board for consideration to terminate their licences. If the Parole Board still considers them to be a risk the Minister is urged to enable the Parole Board to reset the terms of their licence so that they are no longer held under this rule.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Would the Minister consider the impact of prison on those with serious mental illness and review systems for assessment and more appropriate placements?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Response
No change seen, patients with severe mental ill-health still waiting much longer for assessment and possible transfer.
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will HMPPS work with Belmarsh management to develop and implement a system of in-cell phones in HSU to allow prisoners privacy and access to their families and their legal teams?
HMPPS
Regime
Response
Unlikely to progress due to security costs. None.
Recommendation 4
Will HMPPS review the new initiative that restricts prisoner opportunity as all are expected to have level one English and maths before becoming employed?
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will HMPPS urgently review the end-to-end process for prisoner property, including looking at the use of technology, the role of the prison escort contractor, how property is recorded and the prison-to-prison follow up system?
HMPPS
Other
Response
No commitment given in response. Problems continue with property losses in prison and during transfer.
Recommendation 6
Will the Governor provide clear guidelines for all staff setting out the expectation that all those prisoners who return from work are enabled to shower if they wish regardless of the time of arrival?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 7
The phone in the communal area of HSU is near the desk used by staff which prevents prisoners from having their phone calls in private, could arrangements be made to improve soundproofing around HSU phone or move it away from the staff desk?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Considering the age and condition of some of the present equipment and facilities in the kitchen, could the prison consider the preparation of a bid to improve overall kitchen facilities?
Governor / Director
Estate
Response
There are insufficient funds and no bids have been made. None.
Recommendation 9
Will the Governor review the provision of corporate worship on a regular basis where possible?
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 10
Will the Governor review the regime to consider if more opportunity could be afforded to cat A prisoners and those in HSU to undertake useful employment and education.
Governor / Director
Regime
Other IMB Reports for Belmarsh
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.