Prison
Cat local, female, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Bronzefield
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 27 November 2020
HMP/YOI Bronzefield, a local female prison, effectively managed the initial COVID-19 lockdown, maintaining a nearly virus-free environment, but the sustained restricted regime led to a significant rise in self-harm and mental health concerns. Key issues included a high proportion of prisoners released without stable accommodation, persistent challenges with timely mental health transfers, and a shortage of cell keys affecting prisoner property security. Despite these, the Board noted positive developments in food quality, key worker implementation, and effective education provision during the pandemic.
Positive Findings
Bronzefield is perceived as a physically safe environment, with prisoners expressing gratitude to staff during the COVID-19 outbreak for maintaining safety. The prison is considered to treat prisoners fairly and humanely. New initiatives have improved the management of pregnant women, and education provision during COVID-19 was well managed. Phoenix House, a semi-open unit, successfully resettled women with no reoffending. There was an improvement in food quality and a fully operational key worker system. The in-cell telephone system was updated to support communication.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
A consistently large percentage of prisoners continue to leave the prison with no permanent home, increasing the risk of short recall sentences.
Resettlement/Release
The government’s early release and special licence schemes have failed, in large part, owing to the requirement to tag a prisoner to an address.
Mental Health
The current severe lockdown restrictions in prison are having an impact on the mental health of the prisoners.
Safety
Repeated
The problem with a lack of cell keys was raised in the 2018/19 IMB annual report and has continued to be an issue over the reporting year. Prisoners are responsible for their property, despite the fact that they are unable to lock their cell doors.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The availability of accommodation for those women who leave prison with no fixed abode remains inadequate.
Mental Health
Repeated
There continues to be a concerning number of prisoners with serious enduring complex mental health problems and personality disorders who need to be transferred more quickly to secure inpatient mental health facilities.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The limited amount of equipment in the prison to facilitate video-links has resulted in the delay and rescheduling of court hearings, and prisoners have not been able to speak in confidence to their lawyers before and after video-link court hearings.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Bronzefield directly employs nursing staff, but faced shortages throughout the year, with over half of posts vacant in July, covered by agency workers. Despite this, staff morale was generally very good. The key worker system became fully operational but access reduced significantly during lockdown, prioritised for vulnerable prisoners, impacting its reach from 400 to 60-100 prisoners.
Healthcare
Primary GP services are privately provided, and secondary mental health care by CNWL. The prison has a 24-hour inpatient healthcare unit but no dedicated mental health unit. A significant concern is the number of prisoners with complex mental health issues requiring faster transfer to secure inpatient facilities, with the prison often used as a 'place of safety'. Nursing staff shortages were also persistent. While mental health in-reach and IAPT services have seen increased staffing and reduced waiting times, a lack of specialist services for conditions like ADHD and autism means these must be bought in.
Regime & Daily Life
The COVID-19 pandemic led to severe regime restrictions, with most prisoners confined to cells for 23 hours a day, permitted out for 30 minutes twice daily. While the prison and staff managed these circumstances well, there were concerns that the prolonged lockdown negatively impacted prisoners' mental health and led to mounting frustration. Vocational training, ROTL, and most work ceased, although education staff continued to provide in-cell packs. The limited video-link equipment also delayed court hearings.
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 | 19 | 26 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 14 | 8 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 7 | 6 | |
| Equality | 9 | 10 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 30 | 22 | |
| Food and kitchens | 13 | 44 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 99 | 111 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 33 | 38 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 27 | 62 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 10 | 14 | |
| Property within this establishment | 43 | 51 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 12 | 19 | |
| Sentence management, including home detention curfew, ROTL, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 13 | 8 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 84 | 57 | |
| Transfers | 7 | 5 |
Recommendations (5)
Ministry of Justice: 3
Governor / Director: 1
Other: 1
3 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
A consistently large percentage of prisoners continue to leave the prison with no permanent home, increasing the risk of short recall sentences. What are the government’s proposals to address effectively this ongoing fundamental deficit in the rehabilitation of prisoners into the community?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
The government’s early release and special licence schemes have failed, in large part, owing to the requirement to tag a prisoner to an address. What is the government proposing to do to address this issue while lockdown restrictions continue?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
The prison has successfully maintained an almost COVID-19-free environment, in contrast to the situation in the community. What steps are the government taking to end the current severe lockdown restrictions in prison, taking into account the impact on the mental health of the prisoners (see section 8)?
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The problem with a lack of cell keys was raised in the 2018/19 IMB annual report (see 7.10) and has continued to be an issue over the reporting year. Prisoners are responsible for their property, despite the fact that they are unable to lock their cell doors (see paragraph 5.1.3). What steps are being taken to resolve this issue?
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board wishes to restate the question from our 2017/18 and 2018/19 annual reports: What has the Mayor’s office for Policing and Crime done in the last year to increase the availability of accommodation for those women who leave prison with no fixed abode?
Other
(other)
Resettlement
Other IMB Reports for Bronzefield
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.