Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Warren Hill
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 24 October 2022
Warren Hill maintained a safe environment despite Covid-19 constraints, effectively managing outbreaks and promoting positive staff-prisoner interactions. The IMB commends the prison's efforts in harmonising regimes and establishing on-site approved premises. However, persistent issues with food provision, the suspension of the ROTL pilot, and challenges related to prisoner property and in-cell telephony remain significant concerns, along with the impact of recent parole changes on prisoner morale and progression.
Positive Findings
The IMB found Warren Hill to be a safe prison with generally good staff-prisoner relationships and humane treatment. They commended the successful Covid vaccination rollout, the harmonisation of the regime, and the establishment of on-site approved premises. Purposeful activity for older prisoners has improved, and the prison maintains its commitment to the Enabling Environment.
Key Concerns
Food/Catering
Repeated
Ongoing issues with the quality, quantity, choice, and temperature of food provided from Hollesley Bay kitchen, with the Board reiterating its call for a kitchen to be reinstated at Warren Hill.
Resettlement/Release
The suspension of the Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) pilot, which is deeply regretted by the Board due to its value in resettlement and progression.
Other
Repeated
Persistent problems with the movement of prisoners' property, a concern raised by the Board for at least six years.
Other
Difficulties with the in-cell telephony system, where prisoners are charged for unanswered calls or calls where a message cannot be left.
Resettlement/Release
The recent decisions by the Secretary of State impacting parole hearings and progression, which have caused a loss of morale among prisoners.
Healthcare
Challenges in healthcare, including locum GP shortages and discrepancies in social care funding from different local authorities.
Estate/Conditions
New cell doors are required but will not be fitted before 2025 and the issue remains on the prison’s risk register. Concern remains about some cells where secondary inundation points are not possible.
Education/Purposeful Activity
PeoplePlus, the education provider, has struggled to deliver full services due to a combination of Covid restrictions and staff shortages. Staff absence or resignation has also contributed to its difficulties.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Warren Hill has seen significant staff changes due to retirements and moves to other occupations, resulting in a large number of younger, less experienced staff. While some prisoners expressed concerns about officers' skills, the IMB believes management provides appropriate support. The prison has implemented monthly training lockdowns for staff refresher training, including key working skills.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision is generally comparable to the community, with a successful Covid vaccination rollout. However, the increasing number of older prisoners with social care needs (over 10% of the population) and mental health issues (80% with personality disorders) poses challenges, including staffing and cost implications. The GP service faces occasional shortages due to locum provision, but a new dispensing area has reduced waiting times for medication.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime at Warren Hill was intermittently constrained by Covid-19 restrictions, leading to reduced activity and cohort-restricted association. However, the management team used these periods to harmonise the regime across all prisoners, resolving previous friction. Since March 2022, a full regime has been reinstated with prisoners unlocked for most of the day (7:45 am - 8:30 pm), and regular exercise has been consistently maintained.
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 | — | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives schemes, sanctions | 2 | — | |
| Equality | 1 | — | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | — | |
| Food and kitchens | 6 | 6 | — |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 3 | 8 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 4 | 4 | — |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 2 | — | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 6 | 4 | |
| Property within this establishment | 0 | — | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 4 | 0 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorization | 5 | 2 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 1 | 0 | |
| Transfers | 1 | 0 |
Recommendations (5)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 1
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
The Board urges that the recent decision to suspend the ROTL pilot be reviewed
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Applications to the IMB about the movement of prisoners’ property continue to cause issues. As this report is being completed (August 2022), the long-awaited review of the handling of prisoners’ property has just been published and this Board hopes that this will at last provide some improvements
HMPPS
Property
Recommendation 3
While the in-cell telephony has proved popular with residents and has reduced the cost of calls, the Board asks the Prison Service to investigate the difficulties in the system which mean that some prisoners are charged for a connection to a phone when they are unable to leave a message
HMPPS
Communication
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In light of ongoing concerns about the provision of food from the Hollesley Bay kitchen, the Board asks again that consideration be given to reinstating the kitchens at Warren Hill
HMPPS
Food
Recommendation 5
The prison has prioritised the need to ensure support for prisoners on release in order to reduce the recall rate (section 7). The IMB would like to see further development in this area, including the use of digital technologies which are so critical to successful functioning in the modern world
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Other IMB Reports for Warren Hill
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.