Prison
Cat local
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Leicester
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 6 July 2021
HMP Leicester is a well-run local male adult prison that maintained strong leadership and an engaged staff during a challenging year of COVID-19 restrictions. Despite prisoners being largely confined to cells for 23 hours daily, the prison saw significant reductions in violence, self-harm, and drug use, partly due to the restricted regime and enhanced security. The Board commended improvements in accommodation, healthcare, and resettlement support for homeless prisoners, though concerns remain regarding long waits for mental health transfers, IPP prisoner progress, and the impact of the ongoing restricted regime.
Positive Findings
HMP Leicester is a well-run establishment with strong leadership and engaged staff, who adapted well to Covid-19 restrictions. The prison saw significant reductions in violence, self-harm, use of force, and drug use, partly due to the restricted regime and enhanced security measures like an X-ray body-scanner. The capital investment programme improved accommodation decency and introduced in-cell telephony. Healthcare delivered an excellent service, adapting to pandemic challenges, and the homelessness prevention team achieved notable success in reducing prisoner releases to homelessness.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Repeated
Although the gatekeeping process has improved overall, the Board again has to report that two prisoners experienced long waits for transfer to secure hospital accommodation (6.3.1).
Regime/Time Out of Cell
IPP prisoners were particularly disadvantaged during the lockdown period (7.3.1).
Resettlement/Release
Lack of accommodation is a major risk factor for re-offending.
Overcrowding
Because of backlogs in court hearings, the remand population at Leicester gradually rose during 2020 from the designated 55% to over 70% of the population, reducing the spaces available for the local resettlement function, designated 45% (7.3).
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Leicester prisoners have endured a very harsh restricted regime for more than 12 months, despite very good infection control in the establishment, and in part this has been the result of the high Covid-19 infection rates in Leicester city. The cramped accommodation, small outdoor exercise area and necessity for social distancing will mean that Leicester prisoners will continue to endure more restrictions for longer than establishments with more space.
Staffing
The Board regrets the suspension of the key worker system (5.3).
Regime/Time Out of Cell
How does the service plan to reintroduce a decent regime with a reasonable time out of cell for prisoners without losing this benefit?
Board Commentary
Staffing
The Governor is supported by a hardworking senior management team and engaged staff, who managed well despite over a third of staff being off due to Covid-19 illness or self-isolation in early April 2020. Mental health nurses are fully staffed. The Board regrets the suspension of the key worker system and advocates for its reintroduction with adequate funding and staffing as soon as it is safe.
Healthcare
Healthcare, provided by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, delivered an excellent service in 2020, effectively managing the pandemic response with strong partnership working and high vaccination uptake. While routine clinics were suspended, emergency and primary care continued uninterrupted, supported by remote consultations. The mental health caseload averaged 135 men, with an increase in prisoners with poor mental health at year-end being a concern. Dental waiting times for non-urgent treatment were acceptable, up to four weeks.
Regime & Daily Life
A highly restricted regime was introduced on 24 March 2020 and remained largely unchanged throughout the reporting year, confining most prisoners to cells for 23 hours a day, allowing only about one hour out of cell for 80% of the population. Purposeful activity was primarily in-cell education, with corporate worship briefly allowed over Christmas but then stopped again. Despite the harshness, staff-prisoner engagement was excellent, and prisoners largely cooperated, reporting feeling safer due to reduced opportunities for illicit activities.
Recommendations (8)
Ministry of Justice: 5
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 1
1 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Is the minister satisfied that there are sufficient secure hospital places to cope promptly with the demand?
Ministry of Justice
mental_health
Recommendation 2
Does the minister agree that assisting them to make progress to safe discharge should have a higher priority?
Ministry of Justice
resettlement
Recommendation 3
The Board wonders if the minister will speak to colleagues in other departments to address the long-term accommodation needs of this population?
Ministry of Justice
resettlement
Recommendation 4
Is the minister able to work with colleagues in the criminal justice system to address this situation?
Ministry of Justice
overcrowding
Recommendation 5
Would the minister consider whether a special case could be made for all prisoners and staff at Leicester to receive priority vaccinations, to redress this imbalance and to allow relaxations to proceed fairly?
Ministry of Justice
healthcare
Recommendation 6
The Board regrets the suspension of the key worker system (5.3) and would like to be reassured that the funding and staffing will be available for this when it can safely be reintroduced.
HMPPS
staffing
Recommendation 7
How does the service plan to reintroduce a decent regime with a reasonable time out of cell for prisoners without losing this benefit?
HMPPS
regime
Recommendation 8
The Board fully supports the Governor’s plans to reintroduce key working (5.3) at the earliest opportunity, and to make available more opportunities for purposeful activity, so strengthening the ‘rehabilitative culture’ (7.5.6).
Governor / Director
regime
Other IMB Reports for Leicester
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
13 Feb 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 3
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
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.