Prison
Cat B local and resettlement
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Exeter
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 28 May 2021
This report presents the findings of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Exeter for the year 2020. The prison managed the COVID-19 pandemic well, with a settled atmosphere and low virus transmission, despite severe restrictions curtailing regime activities. While staff provided humane treatment and healthcare met community standards, significant concerns persist regarding the inadequate provision for prisoners with serious mental health issues, challenges in staff recruitment and retention, and the limited opportunities for education and resettlement due to the restricted regime.
Positive Findings
The Board was impressed by the prison's response to and management of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting low virus transmission and a settled atmosphere despite restrictions. Commendable efforts were made to reduce illicit substance supply, and use of force was necessary and proportionate. Staff generally provided humane and fair treatment, and healthcare provision was equivalent to community standards. The Board also noted improvements in use of force documentation, segregation review boards, ACCT reviews, staff recruitment, and the complaints process.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
Many prisoners still leave the prison to homelessness or no fixed abode.
Mental Health
Repeated
The number of prisoners with serious mental health conditions and those requiring transfer to secure psychiatric hospitals remains a concern, as they are often held in inappropriate conditions, increasing risks to both staff and other prisoners.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Concerns that prisons will continue to operate restricted regimes as the 'new normal' and for longer than necessary, impacting meaningful activity and time out of cell.
Staffing
Repeated
Ongoing staffing challenges, particularly instability within the senior leadership team due to promotions and secondments, aggravated by COVID-19 sickness and isolation requirements.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The deteriorating fabric of the Victorian prison and delays in maintenance by contractors like GFSL led to reduced facilities, project overruns, and issues such as inconsistent heating and rat infestations.
Safety
Repeated
Concerns exist regarding the effective case management and compliance for ACCT processes and the Challenge Support Intervention Programme (CSIP), including timely referrals and consistent data entry.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The keyworker scheme remains intermittent and under-utilised, with low delivery rates, hindering its potential positive impact on prisoners.
Overcrowding
Most cells are shared by two people, leading to cramped conditions and limited privacy, particularly severe under restricted COVID-19 regimes.
Segregation
Repeated
The Care and Separation Unit (CSU) remains a dungeon-like, unpleasant, and austere basement environment, often cold, which is not conducive to the care and rehabilitation of its occupants.
Other
Repeated
Administrative functioning and data recording are concerns, with instances of poor or partial completion of incident records and a need for better support in data collection processes.
Safety
Repeated
The work to fit bed rails to top bunk beds has not been fully completed, leading to ongoing injury risks for prisoners and potential litigation for the prison.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing remained challenging due to unstable senior leadership, promotions, and COVID-19 sickness, despite positive recruitment and retention efforts leading to full staffing across officer grades by year-end. However, available staff varied, dropping to 82% in December due to isolation requirements. The keyworker scheme was intermittent, with no active key working during the first lockdown and only 3.5% of expected sessions delivered across the year, requiring the Governor's improved priority.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision was commendable in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, and generally met community standards, though some specialist services were curtailed. However, the Board expressed increasing concern over the high number of prisoners with serious mental health conditions requiring transfers to secure hospitals, often waiting longer than two weeks in inappropriate conditions. The volume of healthcare-related applications and complaints also remains a concern.
Regime & Daily Life
The COVID-19 restricted regime led to prisoners being locked in-cell for many hours daily, reducing opportunities for education, work, training, and social interaction, which was particularly severe in shared, cramped cells. While the restricted regime surprisingly contributed to a reduction in violence due to increased stability, concerns remain that prisons might continue operating these restricted regimes longer than necessary, hindering purposeful activity and resettlement efforts.
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 | 43 | 62 | |
| Healthcare | 37 | 44 |
Recommendations (14)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 5
Governor / Director: 7
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Will the Secretary of State exert influence to ensure the provision of suitable permanent accommodation for prisoners upon release, so that no prisoner ends up homeless or with no fixed abode?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Will the Secretary of State exert influence with colleagues to improve the transfer arrangements for those with severe mental health issues, to an environment more suitable to meet their mental health needs? The Board remains concerned about the difficulties encountered in transferring prisoners with severe mental health issues, often held in the segregation unit, to an environment where they can be effectively treated and supported. (See paragraphs 5.2.6 and 6.3).
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 3
Will the Prison Service ensure the right balance between managing COVID-19 risks and providing sufficient meaningful activity and time out of cell, and that prisons are prepared and encouraged to restore activities as soon as it is safe? There are concerns that prisons will continue to operate restricted regimes “as the new normal” and for longer than is necessary. (See paragraph 3.2.2).
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 4
Will the Prison Service evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prison operation in order to learn lessons for the future and to retain those positive initiatives that have improved the lives and experiences for prisoners (for example, Purple Visits and streamed funeral services - paragraphs 5.5 and 7.4)?
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 5
Will the Prison Service increase support given to prisons regarding how the required data collection and reporting processes can be practically applied to make a positive impact on the operation of the prison and the lives and experiences of prisoners? (See paragraph 4.2).
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 6
Will the Prison Service undertake to improve the arrangements within the prison estate and with its transport contractors in giving prisoners’ property a higher priority and ensure better care and management of property on transfer between prisons? (See paragraph 5.8).
HMPPS
Humane Treatment
Recommendation 7
Will the Prison Service review its quality assurance arrangements to improve the effectiveness of GFSL in providing an efficient and responsive maintenance service which supports the Governor’s efforts to embed a dignity and decency agenda? (See paragraph 3.2.5).
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 8
Will the Governor consider deploying dedicated staffing in the CSU to provide night cover and/or increase viewing access to CCTV in the CSU so that it can be viewed from the A2/3 wing offices? (See paragraph 5.2.2).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 9
Will the Governor arrange for refresher training for all prisoner-facing staff and implement arrangements for more effective monitoring of compliance and case management procedures? (See paragraph 4.2).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 10
Will the Governor undertake to improve the priority given to key worker activity and ensure that key workers are given the time to perform their role rather than being allocated to other duties? (See paragraph 5.3).
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 11
Will the Governor undertake to improve staff “buy in” and commitment to CSIP and monitor compliance and case management? (See paragraph 4.4).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 12
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Governor prioritise the fitting of bedrails to top bunk beds in all cells to reduce the risks of injury and litigation? (See paragraph 5.1.1).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 13
Will the Governor prioritise and increase investment in the rehabilitative and resettlement role of the prison by establishing better education, training and workshop opportunities to improve prospects on release? (See paragraphs 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3).
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Recommendation 14
Will the Governor continue to build on improvements to notify the Board of serious and other notifiable incidents or events?
Governor / Director
Other
Other IMB Reports for Exeter
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
18 Nov 2025
Unannounced
13 Nov 2023
IRP
18 Nov 2022
Urgent Notification
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.