Prison
Cat B
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lincoln
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 11 October 2023
HMP Lincoln, a Category B prison, experienced a decrease in self-harm incidents and drug finds during the reporting period, alongside generally positive staff-prisoner relationships. However, significant concerns persist regarding the length and quality of maintenance work by Amey, and the inadequate access to specialist mental health facilities. Other key challenges include the impact of increasing operational capacity, difficulties for transient prisoners accessing education, issues with property transfers, and unsuitable infrastructure for vulnerable prisoners.
Positive Findings
The Board observed high levels of professionalism and care from staff, especially in reception and induction. The Body Scanner has positively impacted safety by preventing unauthorised items. Prisoners are generally treated fairly and humanely, with self-harm incidents reduced by 28% and drug finds significantly lower than the previous year. Cleanliness in accommodation areas has improved, staff-prisoner relationships are positive, and the A-wing lift repair has enhanced accessibility. The chaplaincy provides comprehensive support, and in-cell phones have made family contact easier. The SPARC+ service and Departure Lounge offer valuable support for prisoners transitioning into and out of custody.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The length of time taken and the quality of work undertaken by Amey when dealing with numerous repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment.
Mental Health
Repeated
Timely access to specialist mental health facilities, where required.
Overcrowding
Planned increases in the operational capacity, and the potential impact on significant gains made in safety, decency, and culture.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The difficulty for prisoners with an ever-increasing transient population to access and complete training opportunities that assist with reducing reoffending.
Other
The loss or delay of prisoners’ property, particularly when transferring between prisons, remains a substantial problem.
Resettlement/Release
Lack of support for remand prisoners with release planning as they are not eligible for probation services.
Estate/Conditions
Issues associated with the Victorian infrastructure of the prison, and the lack of alternative provisions for the increasing numbers of frail elderly, particularly those with dementia, end of life care and disabled prisoners.
Food/Catering
The prisoner’s daily food allowance of £2.20, given that inflation continues to rise and providing nutritional meals is increasingly difficult.
Estate/Conditions
Ongoing problems with heating and hot water and delays in maintenance and repairs.
Estate/Conditions
Food waste and debris attracting large numbers of pigeons outside the accommodation wings, due to rubbish being thrown from cell windows.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Ongoing issues with kit collection and distribution, including insufficient items for new arrivals and discrepancies in laundry returns.
Segregation
Only six out of nine cells in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) have been in use for the majority of the reporting period, due to repairs and maintenance or legionella risks.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The healthcare unit experienced a shortage of staff, with two Registered Nurse positions remaining unfilled, though efforts are underway to resolve this deficit. Overall staff numbers increased during the reporting period, from 340 at the beginning to 373 at the end. The Key Worker training scheme is also resuming full operation, contributing to positive staff-prisoner relationships.
Healthcare
Healthcare management issues generated the largest number of IMB applications, with some prisoners expressing dissatisfaction regarding the service. While urgent needs are prioritised, waiting times for physical, dentistry, and optometry services can extend to weeks. The establishment faces a high number of prisoners with mental health problems, particularly complex personality disorders, for which specialist care remains inadequate. Although a mental health team is available daily, timely access to specialist mental health facilities for transfers is a persistent concern.
Regime & Daily Life
Covid-related restrictions were in place until May 2022, impacting the nature and frequency of interactions and limiting prisoner access to facilities. Since May 2022, the prison has returned to normal routines. The prison's educational and vocational curriculum is designed to prepare prisoners for employment and further education, with libraries resuming full service. Social video calls are available daily, and family days are held quarterly, supporting family ties.
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 | 5 | 9 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 7 | 1 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 2 | 6 | |
| Equality | 8 | 3 | |
| Family visits | 1 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | 6 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 2 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 30 | 19 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 1 | 3 | |
| Mail/Pin phones | 12 | 0 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 41 | 15 | |
| Property | 4 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 26 | 21 | |
| Property within this establishment | 7 | 10 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 8 | 3 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 27 | 7 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 7 | 15 | |
| Transfers | 6 | 1 |
Recommendations (11)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 7
Governor / Director: 3
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Minister speak to colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care to improve prisoners’ timely access to specialist mental health facilities, where required?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
Can the planned increases in the operational capacity be monitored closely so that the significant gains made in safety, decency, and culture at Local prisons since 2019 are not lost?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 3
Because of the ever-increasing transient population of Lincoln Prison, it is difficult for prisoners to access and complete the training opportunities available that will assist with reducing reoffending. Can prisoners who have started their courses, complete these prior to transfer and can new prisoners coming in to Lincoln be given sufficient time to complete their course? Having sufficient time to progress to a level 2 of a qualification would be beneficial.
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 4
The loss or delay of prisoners’ property in particular when transferring between prisons is still a substantial problem. How will you ensure that the situation will be improved by the new national framework?
HMPPS
Property
Recommendation 5
What support can be provided to help remand prisoners with release planning as they are not eligible for probation services?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 6
Given the issues associated with the Victorian infrastructure of the prison, what alternative provisions are being considered for the increasing numbers of frail elderly, particularly those with dementia, end of life care and disabled prisoners?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 7
Are there plans to increase the prisoner’s daily food allowance of £2.20? Inflation continues to rise and providing nutritional meals is increasingly difficult.
HMPPS
Food
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Once again, as in previous annual reports, the Board remains concerned about the length of time taken and the quality of work undertaken by Amey when dealing with numerous repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment. What action can be taken to rectify this?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 9
What action can be taken to address the ongoing problems with heating and hot water and to address the delays in maintenance and repairs?
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 10
What action is being taken to address the issue of food waste and debris outside the accommodation wings? This attracts large numbers of pigeons. We have observed rubbish being thrown from cell windows on numerous occasions. It is noted that the areas are cleaned up but it does not stay this way for long.
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 11
There are ongoing issues with kit collection and distribution. Can sufficient kit items be provided for those arriving in reception, to cover until the first change on the wing? Can an effective system be put in place to ensure the laundry that is sent out from the wings matches that which is returned in both condition and numbers?
Governor / Director
Regime
Other IMB Reports for Lincoln
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.