Prison
Cat Category C (MCoSO)
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Bure
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 5 May 2022
HMP Bure, a Category C prison for men convicted of sexual offences, operated under severe Covid-19 restrictions during the reporting period, leading to extensive lockdowns and reduced regime. Despite these challenges, the Board found generally good staff-prisoner relationships, an outstanding safer custody team, and fully staffed healthcare. Key concerns include the lack of rehabilitative interventions for IPP prisoners, the absence of in-cell telephony, persistent estate issues such as heating and ventilation, significant staffing shortages in offender management, and limitations on family contact.
Positive Findings
The safer custody team is considered outstanding in their delivery of support to prisoners and families, with Listeners providing a valuable 24-hour service. Healthcare is fully staffed and delivered a service comparable to the local community. The Board noted improvements to ventilation in residential units. Relationships between staff and prisoners are generally good, fostering a rehabilitative culture. There was a significant drop in property complaints, and the chaplaincy team is respected by all. Gym staff made appreciated efforts to offer activities, and OMU staff showed strong commitment despite shortages. Parole reviews were maintained, with an increase in prisoners recommended for release.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
58 prisoners were serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP) without provision for any offending behaviour programmes or accredited interventions to allow progression towards release.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
No progress has been made to the provision of in-cell telephony.
Estate/Conditions
Heating problems still remain on residential unit 7, where the boiler and whole heating system needs replacement.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Concerns have been raised with regard to the ventilation in residences 1 to 6. The ducting which circulates the air throughout each wing has not had any deep cleaning since the opening of the prison. Many of the filters need replacing, as the existing filters are difficult to access for any maintenance.
Overcrowding
The double bunk beds remain in the 32 cells on residential unit 7, resulting in cramped conditions which are unacceptable with the long hours of lockdown.
Food/Catering
As a result of social distancing and the number of prisoner orderlies allowed in the kitchen having to be reduced, some foodstuffs have had to be purchased from outside suppliers, which in the past orderlies were able to prepare, so quality and variety have declined.
Healthcare
The establishment is not able to offer palliative and end-of-life care. Prisoners requiring this are sent to HMP Norwich, local hospices or the local Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. With an ageing population, Bure would benefit from such a facility.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The lack of IT equipment has highlighted the additional learning subjects which could be offered, and that some prisoners have been unable to continue with their studies without access to it.
Staffing
During the reporting year, there has been a significant shortage of staff within the offender management unit (OMU). Figures have shown that it has been as low as 67%.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Limited access to telephones and canteen issues cited as examples (as a cause of frustrations leading to assaults).
Resettlement/Release
Reduced family contact via computer video-link (Purple Visits) to 30-minute sessions only, and limited face-to-face visits (60-minute, reduced numbers).
Resettlement/Release
Limited resettlement pathway to support men convicted of sexual offences owing to a lack of funding and pending national changes.
Safety
At those reduced levels [of CSIP referrals] the process was not always well understood by the wing staff who were required to monitor prisoners on a CSIP.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Healthcare maintained good staffing levels throughout the pandemic, not requiring agency staff. However, the key worker scheme was difficult to maintain due to contact restrictions, leading officers to take individual responsibility for groups. The Offender Management Unit (OMU) experienced significant staff shortages, at times as low as 67% of its complement, hindering its full functioning. Recruitment for National Probation Service officers is 18 months behind schedule, contributing to these shortfalls.
Healthcare
Healthcare, provided by Practice Plus Group, was fully staffed and delivered services comparable to the local community, including a three-day-a-week GP presence with telephone support. While clinics were sometimes cancelled, urgent cases received face-to-face meetings. The mental health team, consisting of four experienced staff, adapted to remote reviews. A significant gap in provision is the absence of palliative and end-of-life care within the establishment, necessitating transfers for an increasingly elderly population.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison operated under a heavily restricted regime due to Covid-19, with prisoners often locked in their cells for up to 23-23.5 hours a day. This extensive lockdown led to frustrations among prisoners, particularly regarding limited access to telephones and canteen issues, which were cited as factors in assaults on staff. Purposeful activity, including work and education, saw a significant reduction (66% fewer opportunities) due to social distancing and staff absences, although some workshops continued with reduced numbers and education adapted by providing in-cell learning packs.
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 | 5 | 14 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 0 | 4 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 3 | 1 | |
| Equality | 8 | 2 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 6 | 8 | |
| Food and kitchens | 3 | 4 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 9 | 33 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 19 | 11 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 0 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 5 | 9 | |
| Property within this establishment | 16 | 21 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 4 | 12 | |
| Sentence management, including home detention curfew, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 8 | 4 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 5 | 24 | |
| Transfers | 3 | 2 |
Recommendations (4)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 3
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Minister explain why, as at July 2021, 58 prisoners were serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP) without provision for any offending behaviour programmes or accredited interventions to allow progression towards release?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will HMPPS make funding available to the prison to enable prisoners to have access to in-cell telephony?
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 3
It is necessary that a fixed date is given for the resolution of this problem [heating situation on residential unit 7, where the boiler and whole heating system needs replacement].
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 4
the IMB would like a commitment from Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) that these [32 cells on residential unit 7 equipped for double occupancy] won’t be used again.
HMPPS
Overcrowding
Other IMB Reports for Bure
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
2 Oct 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 4
Activity: 1
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.