Prison
Cat Women's, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Low Newton
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 4 October 2021
This IMB report for HMP/YOI Low Newton covers March 2020 – February 2021, a period significantly impacted by Covid-19. The Board found the prison generally safe and prisoners treated humanely, commending staff for adapting well to pandemic challenges. Key concerns remain regarding the high number of prisoners with severe mental health issues, the need for funding for educational initiatives, and ongoing estate issues impacting purposeful activity.
Positive Findings
The Board found that the safety teams work extremely effectively to minimise risks to both prisoners and staff, and commended the prison, its management and staff for their handling of Covid-19 challenges. Staff-prisoner relationships are good, enhanced by the in-cell phone system, and staff are excellent at building rapport in the CSU. Healthcare provision adapted well during lockdown, with the DART team successfully using innovative methods to maintain service delivery. Education work packs were produced to a high standard, receiving a 'good' grade from an external audit.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
There is still a large number of women with severe mental health issues and the Board would support measures to enable appropriate women to be fast tracked to secure hospitals. The Board is concerned that the prison is regularly being used as a ‘place of safety’ for women with acute mental health difficulties.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Additional funding would enable the Governor to invest in new educational and vocational initiatives to allow for additional less stereotypically women’s employment opportunities. This would help in the rehabilitation of prisoners.
Mental Health
Is there merit in a review of mental health services in the prison to allow for the possible creation of a mental health unit?
Staffing
Are more handsets needed to allow more staff to access prisoners via the in-cell phones? This contact seems to have been particularly beneficial during lockdown.
Segregation
Consistent timings of good order or discipline (GOOD) reviews would enable the Board to attend more frequently.
Estate/Conditions
There are still serious problems with the roofs of various parts of the prison leaking water and as a result there has been a restriction in the available number of education classrooms and workshops. This has meant a reduction in the number of jobs and facilities available to the women.
Safety
This prison has only three Listeners which is 50% below complement. A recruitment campaign is planned.
Resettlement/Release
Finding appropriate accommodation for released prisoners remains an area of concern.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Take-up of video visits has not been as high as expected, due to friends or relatives not having suitable technology or security issues causing calls to freeze.
Other
The Board needs to increase personnel and improve its gender mix, as there is only one woman on the Board at a women’s prison.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The Governor's changes, including referring to women as prisoners and staff wearing white shirts, have been well-received, fostering a more respectful atmosphere. The staff-prisoner relationships are good, with in-cell phones enabling regular contact. However, the prison has only three Listeners, which is 50% below complement, and a recruitment campaign is planned.
Healthcare
Prisoners' health needs are generally well met, despite difficulties with external appointments due to lockdown. The Board remains concerned about the significant number of women with serious mental health issues and notes that the prison is often used as a 'place of safety' for those with acute mental health difficulties. The mental health team aims to create a dedicated mental health unit. The DART team adapted successfully to new working methods during the pandemic, maintaining a high standard of service delivery.
Regime & Daily Life
The pandemic significantly impacted the regime, necessitating a single-cell occupancy policy and reduced operational capacity. Despite this, staff showed innovation in supporting prisoners and maintaining activity. Education shifted to in-cell delivery, which proved beneficial for some learners. The Board notes that video visits' take-up has been lower than expected, partly due to technology barriers for families.
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 | — | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 2 | 1 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 1 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 1 | 1 | — |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 6 | 11 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 7 | 6 | |
| Property within this establishment | 1 | 4 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 3 | 3 | — |
Recommendations (5)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 3
Recommendation 1
There is still a large number of women with severe mental health issues and the Board would support measures to enable appropriate women to be fast tracked to secure hospitals. The Board is concerned that the prison is regularly being used as a ‘place of safety’ for women with acute mental health difficulties.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
Additional funding would enable the Governor to invest in new educational and vocational initiatives to allow for additional less stereotypically women’s employment opportunities. This would help in the rehabilitation of prisoners.
HMPPS
Education and Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Is there merit in a review of mental health services in the prison to allow for the possible creation of a mental health unit?
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 4
Are more handsets needed to allow more staff to access prisoners via the in-cell phones? This contact seems to have been particularly beneficial during lockdown.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 5
Consistent timings of good order or discipline (GOOD) reviews would enable the Board to attend more frequently. It is acknowledged that recently these have been set down for 2pm on a Wednesday which has been helpful.
Governor / Director
Segregation
Other IMB Reports for Low Newton
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.