Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Stocken
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 15 November 2022
HMP Stocken generally provides a safe and humane environment, with strong efforts in safer custody and no deaths in custody this year. However, the Board highlights significant challenges including chronic understaffing across various departments, persistent delays in staff vetting, and a critical shortage of secure mental health provision, leading to unsuitable placements within the prison. Issues with prisoner transfers, including incomplete assessments and uncontrolled property, and a lack of category D prison places continue to hinder progression and resettlement efforts. The performance of the education provider is also a key concern.
Positive Findings
The Board finds HMP Stocken to be a safe environment, where prisoners are generally treated fairly and humanely, and physical health needs are well catered for. The safer custody team's commitment was recognised in a recent audit, and the reception process continues to work effectively. There were no deaths in custody this year, and a STARS course for self-harmers showed positive results with a significant reduction in incidents. The introduction of in-cell telephony has been a major step forward, and the 50/50 regime is working well for both staff and prisoners. The mental health team's morale has improved, leading to better waiting times, and a recent refurbishment of the visits hall has created a more relaxed environment.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Repeated
Urgent consideration should be given to increasing the provision of secure mental health facilities for those who should be in such a facility and not in a prison.
Staffing
The vetting process should be speeded up so that people appointed subject to vetting do not find another job while waiting to be vetted.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
More places should be made available for speedier transfer of category D prisoners out of category C establishments.
Resettlement/Release
Prisoners are being transferred to Stocken without a completed offender assessment system (OASys) assessment, which means that the assessment has to be completed at Stocken, adding pressure on the offender management unit (OMU).
Other
Repeated
Volumetric control of prisoners’ property when transferred is not being enforced and all too often men arrive at Stocken with excess property or their property is sent on (or not) after their transfer, leading to a backlog of property waiting to be security checked or not being received.
Staffing
Staffing numbers need to increase to reduce the impact of a shortage of both officers and administrative staff.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Purposeful activity opportunities, such as structured on wing activity (SOWA), need to increase for men when out of their cells.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The Board has concerns about the performance of PeoplePlus, which is clearly not functioning well with low staff morale and some targets not being met.
Other
The backlog of property in the stores needs to be addressed.
Mental Health
Repeated
Instances are still being seen where men with mental health problems have had to be held in segregation, which is far from ideal, and where they would most certainly be better served in an appropriate secure mental facility.
Segregation
The length of time potential transferees wait in segregation is a concern for the Board.
Resettlement/Release
Transfer of prisoners who have been recategorised to B takes too long and is certainly not within 72 hours.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The shortage of places on offending behaviour programmes also means that it is likely that prisoners who might otherwise have been recategorised and moved to category D conditions cannot progress.
Board Commentary
Staffing
HMP Stocken frequently experiences understaffing issues, with recruitment hindered by slow vetting processes. The Board recommends increasing staffing numbers for both officers and administrative staff to alleviate shortages. There are frequent staff shortages in the kitchens, affecting budget management. In the education department, 18 staff vacancies contributed to low morale and missed targets, with some tutors asked to teach outside their expertise. The Offender Management Unit also faces severe workload pressure due to low staffing levels and upcoming departures, though healthcare staffing has improved over the year.
Healthcare
Physical healthcare provision is good, with services provided by Practice Plus Group running well, though non-attendance at appointments remains an issue. Healthcare staff utilise remote consultations and introduced an effective Covid vaccination programme. However, there is a national and local shortage of mental health staff, and the prison system, including Stocken, holds many prisoners with mental health issues. While a new head of mental health has improved team morale and reduced triage waiting times to an average of four days, transferring prisoners needing secure mental health facilities remains a significant challenge due to national shortages. Mental health cases in segregation are a particular concern.
Regime & Daily Life
The post-Covid regime has transitioned to more usual ways of working, with the 50/50 regime generally working well, offering improvements in time out of cell for all prisoners. Structured on-wing activity (SOWA) was introduced to increase purposeful activity, though more opportunities are needed. Some concerns were raised by the education provider, PeoplePlus, regarding the 50/50 regime's impact on class sizes and mixed study levels, which is compounded by a lack of mentors.
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 | 7 | 5 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 7 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 20 | 10 | |
| Equality | 3 | 3 | — |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 16 | 10 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 3 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 15 | 25 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 13 | 17 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 46 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 33 | 6 | |
| Property within this establishment | 12 | 23 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 34 | 16 | |
| Sentence management, including home detention curfew, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 31 | 14 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 49 | 38 | |
| Transfers | 23 | 16 |
Recommendations (9)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 4
3 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Urgent consideration should be given to increasing the provision of secure mental health facilities for those who should be in a such a facility and not in a prison.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
The vetting process should be speeded up so that people appointed subject to vetting do not find another job while waiting to be vetted.
Ministry of Justice
Staffing
Recommendation 3
Repeated
More places should be made available for speedier transfer of category D prisoners out of category C establishments.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Does the Prison Service feel that it is acceptable that some establishments are allowing the transfer of prisoners without a completed OASys assessment and, if not, how does it propose to ask establishments to rectify this?
HMPPS
Offender Management
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Does the Prison Service feel that it is acceptable that some establishments are not following the rules on volumetric control and if not how does it propose to ask establishments to rectify this?
HMPPS
Property
Recommendation 6
Staffing numbers need to increase to reduce the impact of a shortage of both officers and administrative staff.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 7
Purposeful activity opportunities, such as structured on wing activity (SOWA), need to increase for men when out of their cells.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 8
The Board has concerns about the performance of PeoplePlus, which is clearly not functioning well with low staff morale and some targets not being met.
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 9
The backlog of property in in the stores needs to be addressed.
Governor / Director
Property
Other IMB Reports for Stocken
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
16 Jan 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.