Prison
Cat B, local, reception/resettlement, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Peterborough (men)
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 20 October 2023
HMP/YOI Peterborough (Men) is generally well-led with a disciplined and fair regime and positive staff-prisoner relationships. However, the Board is extremely concerned about the inhumane treatment of prisoners with severe mental illness who are inappropriately held in prison. Other key issues include a near doubling of prisoner-on-prisoner fights, poorly integrated healthcare services, and challenges with key worker engagement and post-release accommodation.
Positive Findings
The Board found HMP Peterborough to be generally well led and managed, with a disciplined, structured, and fair regime where prisoners are treated with respect, care, and compassion. There was a maintained focus on safety, with improved multi-disciplinary working, and a decrease in self-harm incidents for the third consecutive year. Accommodation and facilities are generally good, segregation is well managed, and staff-prisoner relationships are positive. Education attendance has increased, and SEND provision is well embedded, with a good focus on maintaining family links and resettling prisoners into accommodation.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
The Board is very concerned at the number of prisoners showing extreme symptoms of mental illness who are sent to HMP Peterborough, for whom treatment would be considerably more humane if they were diverted under the Mental Health Act. The suffering the Board witnesses is inhumane.
Safety
Prisoner on prisoner fights have nearly doubled in the last year, despite violence generally being well controlled.
Healthcare
Healthcare services, delivered via several different contracts, are often poorly integrated, leading to communication issues, misunderstandings about services, and delays in essential medication for new arrivals and hospital referrals.
Staffing
The key worker allocation and contact has been less than expected since the resumption of a normal regime, with insufficient time allocated to staff for tasks and many prisoners remaining unaware of the system's benefits.
Substance Misuse
Psychoactive drugs, such as spice, are prevalent despite measures implemented to control drug entry, with a continued problem via throw overs, passes during visits, and counterfeit legal mail.
Resettlement/Release
Securing ample post-release accommodation remains a significant challenge, with observed discrepancies between local data and probation records.
Equality/Diversity
There are insufficient disability-adapted cells or equipment, and resources are stretched due to an increase in elderly and disabled male prisoners, with examples like a bariatric prisoner housed in healthcare without a suitable hoist.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The prison manages staff recruitment and training locally, with recruitment continuing throughout the year. However, staff shortages have led to curtailment of the regime, particularly at weekends, and significant postal delays. The key worker system suffers from insufficient time allocated to staff for tasks and many prisoners remain unaware of its benefits. More prisoner appointments are missed due to short-staffing or cross-deployment of officers, though management has accepted the importance of increasing fulfilment rates.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are generally on-par with the community but are delivered via several poorly integrated contracts, leading to weak communication, misunderstandings, and unrealistic prisoner expectations. The Board is extremely concerned by delays in hospital referrals, pharmacy issues, and a perceived shortfall in psychiatric coverage. The most significant concern is the inhumane suffering of prisoners displaying severe mental illness who are inappropriately held in prison rather than diverted to mental health facilities, placing a considerable toll on untrained officers.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime is disciplined, structured, and fair, but a key concern is the near doubling of prisoner-on-prisoner fights, particularly as the prison focuses on increasing time out of cell. Time out of cell for standard and enhanced prisoners averaged 7.48 hours daily, but this was shorter early in the year due to staff shortages requiring regime curtailment, especially at weekends. The Healthcare Unit provides a limited regime beyond open-air exercise.
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 | 20 | 23 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 13 | 5 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 9 | 11 | |
| Equality | 9 | 8 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 32 | 29 | |
| Food and kitchens | 8 | 10 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 87 | 94 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 33 | 45 | |
| Miscellaneous | 39 | 4 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 12 | 22 | |
| Property within the establishment | 42 | 63 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 21 | 25 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 38 | 48 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 74 | 79 | |
| Transfers | 11 | 18 |
Recommendations (5)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 3
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Can the Minister continue to focus on reducing the time some men are held on remand?
Other
(minister)
Regime
Response
Various measures taken to increase Court capacity and ensure priority given to appropriate cases. Outstanding Crown Court caseload reduced to 57,900 at March 2022. (Note: Progress in current year report states caseload increased again to 62,235 at March 2023 and median completion time increased by 8%.)
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What steps is the Service taking to ensure that the Probation Service is adequately staffed, especially in respect of Community Offender Managers?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Response
Providers of Accommodation services contracted. Development of Finance, Benefit and Debt service. Pre-Release teams embedded in all resettlement prisons. (Note: This refers to progress on a related previous concern).
Recommendation 3
What steps are being taken to contain prisoner on prisoner violence?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 4
What steps are being taken to control drugs entering the prison?
Governor / Director
Substance Misuse
Recommendation 5
Can the Director continue to focus on embedding quality key work?
Governor / Director
Staffing