Prison
Cat Category D, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Thorn Cross
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 4 August 2023
HMP/YOI Thorn Cross is a Category D open prison that maintains a very safe environment with extremely low violence levels and effective drug reduction strategies. Relationships between staff and prisoners are generally positive, fostering a rehabilitative culture. While healthcare provision is deemed excellent and rehabilitation efforts are at the heart of the prison's operations, concerns remain regarding low transfer rates for long-sentence prisoners, property transfer issues, and limitations in internet and mobile phone access for prisoners.
Positive Findings
HMP/YOI Thorn Cross is a very safe establishment with good staff-prisoner relationships and a strong rehabilitative culture. Healthcare provision is considered excellent, comparable to or better than community services, and substance misuse support is particularly strong. Education attendance and success rates are high, with a well-stocked library and effective employment and training strategies leading to a reduction in absconds and improved post-release support.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
The low transfer rate of lifers and IPP prisoners compared to previous levels, impacting their rehabilitation.
Other
The need to reconsider the re-sentencing of IPP prisoners.
Other
Repeated
Continuing issues with the transfer of prisoner property, leading to items going missing and slow resolution.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Lack of limited internet access for prisoners undertaking university and college courses.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Lack of mobile phone access for remote visits, especially for prisoners living far from the prison or those on the TPRS scheme.
Safety
Failure to use Body Worn Video Cameras for every instance where force is used, with only 24 of 82 incidents recorded.
Safety
The need to review the guidance for the use of cuffs, especially rigid cuffs, ensuring their use is based on current risk assessment rather than past events.
Food/Catering
Unsuitable current proposals for central dining that will not resolve issues with food quality due to long waits in heated trolleys.
Complaints/Property
Poor recording of adjudication outcomes, making it difficult to determine the justice of decisions when tariffs are outside recommendations without stated reasons.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Ineffectiveness of the Prison Council as a means of consultation and communication, with frequent cancellations and unclear follow-up.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
Limited analysis of prison activity by protected characteristics and insufficient availability of such data for areas like use of force or random drug testing.
Other
Irregular and untimely provision of information and evaluation of prison performance to the Board.
Food/Catering
Poor facilities for prisoners who wish to cook their own meals, offering fewer resources than some Category C prisons for independent living.
Mental Health
Lack of mental health provision available in the evenings and at weekends, despite an acknowledgement of the need for 7-day access.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Lack of a suitable strategy for men transferred under the Temporary Re Categorisation Scheme (TPRS), with concerns about its destabilizing impact and their inability to benefit from rehabilitation.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Disruption for prisoners attending education due to being required to be elsewhere during the core day.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff absence has significantly decreased, aiding stability. However, some staff remain on temporary promotion, impacting long-term stability. While healthcare staffing is nearing full capacity after recent appointments, the Offender Management Unit remains understaffed, leading to high caseloads. Staffing shortages also occasionally affect relationships with prisoners and the consistency of gym opening hours.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision is generally excellent, often surpassing community standards, with most needs met on-site. Substance misuse support by CGL is particularly strong, serving about a third of the population. New investment in mental health services is planned, aiming to expand capacity and staffing, including out-of-hours provision. GP waiting times are currently around two weeks, impacted by recent population increases and prior staffing gaps, now being addressed.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison has restored its pre-pandemic regime with gradual changes. While the gym now offers consistent opening hours, overall regime flexibility is limited, with few facilities for prisoners to cook their own food. Meals often suffer from long waits in heated trolleys, and the proposed central dining room is not expected to resolve this. Disruptions to education for other prison activities and the lack of supervised mobile phone use are ongoing issues.
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 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 1 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives, sanctions | 1 | 0 | |
| Equality | 0 | 3 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 2 | 1 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 0 | 1 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 1 | 0 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 0 | 2 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 3 | 15 | |
| Property within this establishment | 0 | 0 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 1 | 1 | — |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 9 | 8 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 1 | 0 | |
| Total number of applications | 23 | 36 | |
| Transfers | 3 | 0 |
Recommendations (16)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 11
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
To return the transfer of lifers and IPP prisoners to previous levels when over 90% of parole board recommendations were accepted as opposed to the 11% at the end of the reporting year (3.1.4, 7.3.7).
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
To look again at the re-sentencing of IPP prisoners (7.3.6).
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To resolve the continuing issues with the transfer of property so that less of it goes missing and, when it does, to ensure that there is a swift remedy (5.8.1).
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 4
To provide limited internet access for men studying at university and college (7.1.3).
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To provide mobile phone access for remote visits for those who would benefit (7.4.3).
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 6
To ensure that Body Worn Video Cameras are used for every instance where force is used (4.4.1).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 7
To review the guidance for the use of cuffs (4.4.1).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 8
To reconsider the current proposals for central dining (5.1.4).
Governor / Director
Food
Recommendation 9
To improve the recording of the outcomes of an adjudication so that it is clear why that decision was reached (5.2.2).
Governor / Director
Complaints
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To make the Prison Council a more effective means of consultation and communication (5.3.2).
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To extend the number of areas of prison activity that are analysed in terms of protected characteristics and to make such data readily available (5.4.2).
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 12
To provide the Board with regular and timely evaluation of all aspects of the prison’s performance (5.7.1).
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 13
To provide better facilities for those men who wish to cook their own meals (5.1.3).
Governor / Director
Food
Recommendation 14
To make mental health provision available in the evenings and at weekends (6.3.2).
Governor / Director
Mental_health
Recommendation 15
To develop a suitable strategy for men transferred under the Temporary Re Categorisation Scheme (TPRS), to monitor its impact on the men and the prison as a whole (3.1.4, 7.2.6, 7.5.4).
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Recommendation 16
To minimise disruption for the men attending education by reducing their requirement to be elsewhere during core day (7.1.2).
Governor / Director
Education
Other IMB Reports for Thorn Cross
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
2 May 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 4
Release: 4
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.