Prison
Cat B training prison for people convicted of a sexual
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Rye Hill
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 19 August 2021
The IMB report for HMP Rye Hill (April 2020 – March 2021) details the prison's operation under COVID-19 restrictions, maintaining a safe and humane environment with commendations for case management and a prompt vaccination program. Key challenges included the significant impact of restrictions on IPP prisoner progression, insufficient mental health transfer places, and the need for broader education courses. The report also raised concerns about equality monitoring, the high threshold for upholding discrimination complaints, and ongoing difficulties with resettlement accommodation and Probation Service arrangements for released prisoners.
Positive Findings
The prison maintained a safe and humane environment for prisoners despite COVID-19 restrictions, managing cases well and implementing a prompt vaccination program. Initiatives like an in-house TV channel and video visits mitigated restrictions, and a PAT dog scheme was well-received. The prison also reduced healthcare wait times, ensured wages continued for prisoners unable to work, and managed food supply and complaints effectively.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on progression of IPP prisoners has again highlighted the difficulty for those extensively over tariff to gain a successful parole hearing.
Mental Health
There still remain too many prisoners requiring specialist support for mental health issues not being able to access appropriate places. This applies to both those requiring secure hospital settings and those with a personality disorder diagnosis. Although the moratorium on transfers may account for some delays in transferring this category of prisoners, a bigger cause appears to be the inadequate number of places within healthcare settings and across the estate.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Although we acknowledge the focus of the prison remains on accepting prisoners requiring accredited programmes, we would like to repeat our encouragement from last year that the list of education courses offered continues to include adequate personal and social development courses that can support progression for the lower-risk prisoners not suitable for accredited programmes.
Safety
a small increase in fights between prisoners sharing double cells.
Mental Health
A prisoner was transferred in during late 2020 from a high security hospital setting and has had to remain in the CSU as his behaviour would put him and others at risk on normal location. This is not the first instance of a prisoner being discharged from the secure hospital estate back to the prison estate, because he no longer responds to medical intervention but remains in a state of mental health that makes it very challenging for him to live on normal location and which, based on previous cases, could lead to regular prolonged periods in the CSU.
Equality/Diversity
The previous structure of bimonthly equality action team (EAT) meetings and regular forums for protected characteristics have not been held while COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Although we have not seen an increase in applications concerning equality issues, the information normally available on numbers of each protected characteristic, and issues that have been raised, does not appear to have been recorded during lockdown.
Complaints/Property
There were 68 discrimination incident reporting forms (DIRFs) submitted during 2020. This is typical of previous years; however of some concern is that many were not considered DIRFs, only 18 were logged and only four upheld. This could possibly indicate that the reduction in regime led to a lesser need for the process, or that the prisoners do not understand when to use this procedure or, more concerning, that the bar for upholding complaints is very high.
Healthcare
During the peak of the first lockdown access to NHS services was severely limited. There were two incidents of specific concern: one prisoner that medical staff stated should be hospitalised refused to go once told he would initially be put on a COVID-19 ward; another patient needed kidney dialysis and this was not available because the hospital was not able to staff routine care and he was not considered an emergency.
Education/Purposeful Activity
There were concerns about provision of education at the start of the lockdown period. Initially the education department provided distraction packs that were not always tailored to prisoners’ levels or courses. No face-to-face teaching occurred and prisoner mentors handed out and collected work, but marking and feedback was not always received.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Vocational training was suspended during lockdown other than limited unit work and kitchens.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Most programme activities were suspended under level 4; however five prisoners were allowed to finish their programmes as one-to-one sessions. This has inevitably reduced the number of prisoners able to complete programmes.
Resettlement/Release
Concerns about finding accommodation continue, with one elderly prisoner only having accommodation identified within days of release.
Resettlement/Release
The Board remains concerned that the arrangements with the Probation Service and release support organisations are still not working well in spite of efforts by Rye Hill staff.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff absences peaked at 25% during the first lockdown but improved with better testing. Sourcing adequate weekend staff for the consistent COVID-19 regime was challenging, requiring compromises and overtime, partly due to the prison's private contract status. Key worker sessions were suspended, replaced by daily phone welfare checks, which later became optional.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision remained good, on par with community services, with a prompt vaccination program reaching nearly 50% of prisoners. However, mental well-being was impacted for some, and access to external mental health services was challenging during lockdown. NHS service access was severely limited at times, leading to issues with hospital transfers and dialysis for some patients, though emergency admissions continued. The prison also continued its work to reduce referrals to treatment exceeding 18-week timescales.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime was heavily restricted due to COVID-19, with reduced time out of cell and limited purposeful activity. Meals were eaten in cells, and access to the gym and face-to-face visits was largely suspended. However, the prison mitigated these restrictions with an in-house TV channel providing varied content, organised exercise events, and the provision of books to cells. Units operated with strict social distancing, with small cohorts unlocked for essential activities.
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 | 14 | 14 | — |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 1 | 12 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, ISP, sanctions | 6 | 20 | |
| Equality | 9 | 8 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 8 | 11 | |
| Food and kitchens | 1 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 13 | 25 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 18 | 11 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 12 | 33 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 0 | 18 | |
| Property within this establishment | 16 | 21 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 4 | 14 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 24 | 16 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 49 | 44 | |
| Transfers | 2 | 1 |
Recommendations (3)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 1
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on progression of IPP prisoners has again highlighted the difficulty for those extensively over tariff to gain a successful parole hearing. For a lot of these prisoners the length of time served compared with a typical determinate sentence for the same offence appears to be very unfair and it is hoped that exceptional proactive support to resolve this situation will be included in the recovery plan.
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Response
it is hoped that exceptional proactive support to resolve this situation will be included in the recovery plan.
Recommendation 2
There still remain too many prisoners requiring specialist support for mental health issues not being able to access appropriate places. This applies to both those requiring secure hospital settings and those with a personality disorder diagnosis. Although the moratorium on transfers may account for some delays in transferring this category of prisoners, a bigger cause appears to be the inadequate number of places within healthcare settings and across the estate.
HMPPS
Mental Health
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Although we acknowledge the focus of the prison remains on accepting prisoners requiring accredited programmes, we would like to repeat our encouragement from last year that the list of education courses offered continues to include adequate personal and social development courses that can support progression for the lower-risk prisoners not suitable for accredited programmes.
Governor / Director
Education
Other IMB Reports for Rye Hill
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
20 Aug 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 4
Activity: 3
Release: 4
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.