Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Coldingley
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 13 October 2022
HMP Coldingley, a men's Category C resettlement and training prison, has largely recovered from pandemic restrictions, with prisoners now enjoying increased time out of cell and positive staff-prisoner relations. While refurbishment plans are underway and healthcare is well-regarded, significant concerns persist regarding the high volume of illicit items, the continued absence of in-cell sanitation in older wings, and the inadequacy of educational provision. The Board also highlights issues with prisoner property management, disproportionate use of force against Muslim prisoners, and a lack of control for the Governor over infrastructure projects and education contracts.
Positive Findings
The Board acknowledges the significant positive efforts and new initiatives made by staff and volunteers, including the restorative justice organisation Belong, to support prisoners. Staff-prisoner relations are positive and supportive, even with a large cohort of new staff. Healthcare provision is well-regarded, and the prison effectively managed Covid outbreaks and vaccination, maximizing time out of cell. Refurbishment plans, new in-cell PIN phones, and enhancements to G wing and the ISFL community on E wing are also positive developments. The Board commends the Governor and senior management for maintaining safety and a positive culture.
Key Concerns
Substance Misuse
Repeated
The volumes of drugs, ‘hooch’ and mobile phones that continue to be found in the prison remain a great concern to the Board. Inevitably, the availability of these illicit items gives rise to increased levels of prisoner debt, violence and bullying.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The continued absence of in-cell sanitation in the older wings, A to D and F, impacts significantly on any assessment of how fairly and humanely prisoners are treated. No amount of humane treatment by staff can overcome the basic indignity for grown men of being denied an in-cell wash basin, having to ring a bell in the middle of the night and enduring long waits in their cell in a queueing system to use the landing’s lavatory, or resorting to using a bucket in their cell.
Resettlement/Release
The stubbornly high numbers of prisoners serving Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPP) well over tariff.
Resettlement/Release
The shortage of places in category D prisons in southern England is now a major obstruction and demotivating factor to those in training prisons such as Coldingley who demonstrate progress through their sentences and who wish to maintain family ties.
Safety
There are still more prisoners living under threat or suffering violence than one would wish to see in a good category C training prison. For a minority of the residents, dependency on illicit drugs or alcohol as well as ‘legal’ vapes are clearly a cause. But there are also many more threatened by mundane underlying problems of inter-prisoner debts.
Equality/Diversity
Although Coldingley sees low levels of use of force, its use against Muslim prisoners is disproportionately high and this is consistent with regional and national patterns.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Educational arrangements need to be prioritised and improved at training prisons such as Coldingley. Current contracts and service level agreements lack sufficient disincentives for under-performance. Centralised contractual arrangements conflict with Governor autonomy and the capacity to address local needs. The limited budget also imposes constraints on instructor wages and resources, and sadly leads to the loss of dedicated, high quality staff.
Other
Repeated
The problems associated with lost and misplaced prisoner property, especially during prison transfers, are reported and complained about year after year in prison monitoring reports.
Estate/Conditions
It is hugely frustrating for prison leaders, operational staff and prisoners themselves when there is confusion surrounding the delivery, ownership and maintenance arrangements for infrastructure projects. Central contractual control seems slow and fragmented, but the failures are felt on the ground at the local level. This winter some wings went for weeks without hot water.
Safety
The Board has noted the ‘resigned acceptance’ of senior managers of the difficulty in providing adequate CCTV surveillance in many key residential locations.
Safety
Occasional failures to de-escalate incidents. The understanding and delivery of key safety processes such as ACCTs and CSIPs needs improvement.
Board Commentary
Staffing
There is a significant cohort of new operational staff (around 40%) with less than two years' experience, who are well-motivated but lack experience of non-pandemic conditions. This has led to occasional failures in de-escalation and variable quality in ACCT processes. Staffing levels in reception have often been low, causing property backlogs. Healthcare staffing is mainly permanent, supplemented by long-term agency staff during recruitment. Shortages of education and workshop instructors persist, hindering face-to-face learning, and limited budgets constrain instructor wages, leading to loss of high-quality staff. The key worker scheme restart has been patchy, with key workers often allocated to cells rather than residents.
Healthcare
Central and North West London NHS Trust provides healthcare, with mainly permanent staff supplemented by agency staff during ongoing recruitment. Healthcare provision is generally well-regarded by prisoners, and the Covid vaccination programme was effectively managed. A full primary health service and drop-in clinics have resumed since May 2022. Mental health assessments for new receptions are timely, but psychological counselling has waiting times due to staffing gaps. Substance misuse services, provided by Forward Trust, are rated as safe and effective by HMIP and well-received by prisoners, with group interventions reintroduced and an ISFL scheme established on E wing.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison has phased its recovery from pandemic restrictions, with nearly all exceptional delivery models removed by May 2022. Prisoners enjoyed five hours or more out of their cells during lockdown, increasing to 45 hours per week by the end of June. The gym, refurbished during restrictions, is now well-used with a booking system to avoid clashes. Work opportunities are returning to normal, but at times face shortages. Evening activities have also resumed, which is expected to help attendance in daytime work and education.
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 transfers) | 45 | 38 | |
| Healthcare | 23 | 18 | |
| No reply | 1 | 3 | |
| Other | 19 | 26 | |
| Property | 28 | 34 | |
| Security | 15 | 11 | |
| Total applications | 131 | 130 |
Recommendations (10)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 3
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
The Board would be dismayed if there is any further slippage in the programme for the refurbishment of the older residential blocks including in-cell sanitation.
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 2
Would the minister indicate what else is planned to offer hope to such prisoners?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Can more accommodation be created in category D establishments?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
What steps is HMPPS taking to investigate the underlying causes of what appears to be a widespread issue?
HMPPS
Equality
Recommendation 5
Can anything be done to give the Governor more power to intervene in the local delivery of such arrangements in the next two years?
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The economic case alone for the swift introduction of a digital system is compelling. The just-published Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework fails to address the overwhelming case for new technology.
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 7
Can prison Governors be given more control over when and how works on their sites are maintained and handed over?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 8
Coldingley, as a training and resettlement prison, needs more robust local managerial oversight to achieve an effective outcome for prisoners.
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 9
managers must not give up searching for innovative and imaginative methods of increasing surveillance and improving everyone’s safety.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 10
In all these cases the solution must be to continue and intensify the programmes of in-house staff training and mentoring.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Other IMB Reports for Coldingley
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.