Prison
Cat closed women's
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Send
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 7 September 2023
HMP Send is a closed women's prison that made significant efforts to ensure prisoner safety and humane treatment during a challenging year. While the Board noted positive staff-prisoner relationships, persistent staff shortages, particularly in OMU and probation, negatively impacted services and progression. Key concerns include high self-harm rates, the lack of digital in-cell technology, the unjust detention of IPP prisoners, and property issues during transfers.
Positive Findings
The Board commends the management and staff for their efforts in ensuring safety and fostering positive relationships with prisoners. Healthcare provision was largely good despite staff shortages, with the dental surgery refurbished and a successful hepatitis C screening event. The prison saw improvements in complaints response times and the resumption of education courses, DTC, and PIPE activities. Positive developments included an Employment Hub and Jobs Fair, as well as a return to Saturday afternoon social visits.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Repeated
Self-harm remains worryingly high with a significant proportion of the incidents carried out by a small number of prisoners whose behaviour is defined as prolific (those who have self-harmed five or more times a month). The Board continues to believe that prison is not an appropriate place to rehabilitate traumatised individuals and that prisoners with severe mental health issues should be accommodated in secure mental health units.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The continued lack of digital in-cell technology remains a significant concern.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
It is unjust that there are two indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) prisoners, held well beyond their tariff.
Staffing
Repeated
Staff shortages within the Offender Management Unit (OMU), and for probation officers, have impacted services to prisoners.
Other
The delays and losses of property on transfer from one prison to another need coordinated action by the whole female prison estate and the contracted transfer service providers.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
Shortcomings in the management of discrimination incident report forms (DIRFs) and the absence of independent scrutiny of DIRFs.
Resettlement/Release
The Board would like to see an increase in the number and diversity of prisoners accessing ROTL.
Safety
The Board would like to see an improvement in the number and timeliness of use of force (UoF) debriefs.
Healthcare
The waiting lists for routine dental treatment deteriorated significantly during the year.
Healthcare
Obesity among prisoners remains worryingly high.
Mental Health
The waiting time for individual counselling or psychology services may run to several months.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Persistent staff shortages across healthcare, OMU, and probation officers significantly impacted services, including the OMiC model and keyworker delivery. The Mental Health Inreach team was operating at 50% capacity, and gym activities were limited due to staffing. The shortage of probation officers particularly hampered prisoners' progression and resettlement prospects.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision was largely good, despite persistent staff shortages, particularly in the Mental Health Inreach team which operated at 50% capacity. While emergency mental health referrals were seen quickly, waiting times for individual counselling could extend to several months. Dental treatment waiting lists significantly deteriorated, and obesity among prisoners remained a high concern, prompting a new multidisciplinary initiative.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime improved with more time out of cell and association as COVID-19 restrictions lifted, leading to around 90% of prisoners engaging in purposeful activity. DTC and PIPE activities fully resumed. While education courses restarted, participation remained relatively low, with classes often not fully subscribed. Issues were noted with attracting and retaining prisoners for kitchen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 6 | 9 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 1 | 2 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 13 | 6 | |
| Equality | 8 | 4 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 1 | 8 | |
| Food and kitchens | 8 | 9 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 21 | 11 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 24 | 21 | |
| Miscellaneous | 10 | 8 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 17 | 8 | |
| Property within the establishment | 18 | 12 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 10 | 17 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 20 | 6 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 11 | 12 | |
| Transfers | 5 | 0 |
Recommendations (14)
Other: 2
HMPPS: 5
Governor / Director: 7
6 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board continues to believe that prison is not an appropriate place to rehabilitate traumatised individuals and that prisoners with severe mental health issues should be accommodated in secure mental health units.
Other
(minister)
Mental Health
Response
The Mental Health Bill of June 2022 seeks to improve the support for people with acute mental health needs, including those who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The Bill includes the provision to introduce a statutory limit of 28 days for transfers to hospital. The Bill also includes reforms to end the use of prison as a place of safety.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board noted the Justice Committee recommendation, of September 2022, that a re-sentencing exercise is the only way to address the injustice of IPP sentences and found the response of the Government in rejecting this recommendation in February 2023 disappointing.
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Response
At HMP Send the Women’s Estate Psychology Service (WEPS) works closely with OMU and others to provide a proactive risk assessment in response to the parole process for IPP women.The IPP prisoner mentioned in the annual report has now progressed from HMP Send to an open prison.
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The continuing failure to roll out digital technology to Send is unacceptable and amounts to unfair treatment for prisoners at Send.
HMPPS
Regime
Response
The prioritisation of prisons is being carefully considered balancing available funds and greatest need. It is also recognised that there have been delays in mobilising IT for prisoners to use due to security concerns and alternatives are being trialled.
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The shortage of probation officers, both at Send – where four of the six full-time equivalent probation officer posts are currently vacant – and in the community, has had a damaging effect on prisoners’ progression and prospects for successful reintegration into society.
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
Recruitment marketing campaigns are being used on a variety of channels to attract candidates.
Recommendation 5
The OMiC model cannot be implemented successfully with current staffing issues.
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 6
The delays and losses of property on transfer from one prison to another need coordinated action by the whole female prison estate and the contracted transfer service providers.
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 7
Some prisoners identify plaiting/braiding as an important part of racial identity, yet this hairdressing module is not offered under the current education curriculum.
HMPPS
Equality
Recommendation 8
The Board would like to see an improvement in the number and timeliness of use of force (UoF) debriefs.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 9
The Board is concerned about the impact of prison staffing issues on delivering regular keywork as intended in the OMiC model.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The overall impression of the Board is that the management of discrimination incident report forms (DIRFs) is disorganised. Furthermore, there is no longer an independent scrutiny of DIRFs.
Governor / Director
Equality
Response
7.This has not taken place during the reporting year
Recommendation 11
The Board would like to see an increase in the number and diversity of prisoners accessing ROTL.
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Recommendation 12
Hair and beauty/skincare have been raised in applications by black, Asian and minority ethnic prisoners who complain that there is inadequate provision of suitable products for them on canteen.
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board would like to see more prisoners engaged in education.
Governor / Director
Education
Response
1. Education was seen as a priority.
Recommendation 14
The Board would like to see the teaching of beauty resumed.
Governor / Director
Education
Other IMB Reports for Send
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
17 Mar 2025
Unannounced
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.