Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Stocken
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 10 November 2020
HMP Stocken, a Category C training prison, has expanded its population to 1038 with an operational capacity of 1044. The IMB judges the prison to be relatively safe and humane, with excellent education and training. However, key concerns include a critical shortage of secure mental health facilities and Category D places, issues with prisoner transfers, and repeated problems with adjudication paperwork. The Board commends improvements in maintenance, a significant reduction in drug availability, and the successful implementation of the keyworker scheme, while highlighting the need for better funding and management oversight in several areas.
Positive Findings
The Board found improvements in maintenance and a 'can-do' spirit on site. The availability and use of psycho-active substances (PS) saw a very sharp drop, with MDT positives remaining exceptionally low. Keyworking has been successfully implemented, with Stocken being a top performer nationally. Living conditions on the bigger wings generally improved, showing greater cleanliness and better staff-prisoner relations. The reception process is efficient and well-staffed, ensuring new arrivals feel safe. The kitchen management is commendable for food quality and variety, and the gym is popular and well-run. Stocken shows best practice in reducing methadone use, and the Art department, library, and soft skills initiatives are highly impressive.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
There is a pressing need for increased capacity in two particular areas: secure mental health facilities, and Category D (Open) prisons.
Resettlement/Release
There is also a need to increase capacity in all categories in London and the South East: far too many prisoners at Stocken are a very long way from their homes and families and in consequence some make strenuous attempts to be sent back there.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
In-cell telephony should be funded so that all Category C prisoners can access it.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
There needs to be more active and prompt allocation of re-categorised prisoners to a more appropriate location: too often, the movement of prisoners within the system is at the whim of governors and minor officials.
Resettlement/Release
Prisons which reduce their capacity to take prisoners for resettlement preparation should have their funds redirected to prisons such as Stocken which increasingly has to fulfil a role for which it is not adequately funded.
Estate/Conditions
The frequent long delays in obtaining financial approval for repairs and refurbishments are unacceptable, and the external contractor needs closer monitoring of performance and sharpened incentives.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Ways should be found to improve prisoners' attendance and punctuality at workshops and education sites.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
Adjudications continue to cause concern. As we said in our previous report, too many end in dismissal for avoidable technical reasons.
Segregation
Paperwork essential to the handling of Segregation reviews (Rule 45s) should be checked for accuracy and available to the presiding governor in good time. When adequate preparation has not taken place reviews are likely to be much less constructive, as well as less consistent between different governors.
Estate/Conditions
Inexplicably, it takes up to three months to repair smashed-up cells in the SU; this, we are told, is because the fixtures and fittings are specific to that part of the prison – cells on wings can be repaired much faster. There have been discussions between the prison and Amey concerning alterations to SU cell specifications which would speed up their return to service (and reduce costs) but little progress seems to have been made.
Staffing
We are less happy with the intermediate management structure, simply because the officers concerned do not seem to us to spend sufficient time in the unit.
Overcrowding
Category B prisoners awaiting transfer usually cause a great deal of trouble, in the form of vandalised cells and violence towards staff. As a result of many lengthy delays in transferring these prisoners, the Board wrote to the Director of Prisons to complain formally that Category B prisons were not doing their job and that governors of such prisons had far too much discretion in refusing to accept the very prisoners they were intended to accommodate. Cat C prisons cannot cope with the presence of numbers of Cat B prisoners for long periods of time.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Reception is fully staffed and works well, and there has been an increase in Prison Officers assigned to night shifts on wings and in the Segregation Unit. However, there are concerns about too many young, inexperienced staff lacking 'jail craft', although senior managers try to disperse experienced officers throughout the prison. Keyworking has been very successful, with HMP Stocken being the top performing prison in the UK for July 2019 in terms of officer engagement. Despite this, healthcare staffing relies heavily on agency staff and the mental healthcare section, in particular, suffers from understaffing and poor accommodation, leading to staff overloading and reluctance to work long-term.
Healthcare
Physical healthcare generally received a satisfactory CQC inspection, noting significant progress in pharmacy arrangements. However, staffing still heavily relies on agency staff, and DNA (did not attend) rates for appointments are a puzzling problem, running at 17-20% for physical health and higher (up to 30%) for mental health. Waiting times are comparable to the general public, with GP waits down to 2 weeks and dentistry around 6 weeks. Mental healthcare suffers from understaffing and inadequate accommodation, and a lack of places in secure mental facilities places a significant burden on the prison. Despite these challenges, mental health care performs as well as expected, with a resident psychologist and a successful mental health drop-in session introduced.
Regime & Daily Life
In normal circumstances, prisoners typically spend about 10 hours a day out of their cells for work, education, or free association. However, this was severely restricted during the COVID-19 lockdown, reducing out-of-cell time to about one hour per day for essential activities like collecting lunch, making phone calls, and showering. The gymnasium is highly popular but overstretched due to the increased population. Attendance and punctuality at workshops and education sites are a concern, as frequent absences due to appointments or sickness disrupt the rhythm of 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 transfers) | 165 | 164 | |
| Complaints | 63 | 36 | |
| Discrimination | 63 | 47 | |
| Food | 17 | 25 | |
| Healthcare | 114 | 115 | |
| Legal (including immigration) | 20 | 28 | |
| Offending Behaviour Programmes | 35 | 31 | |
| Other | 42 | 44 | |
| Pay | 11 | 23 | |
| Property | 179 | 196 | |
| Regime (work, education, gym, library, activity) | 48 | 66 | |
| Relationships (Family & Significant others) | 57 | 62 | |
| Safety | 37 | 53 | |
| Security | 21 | 22 | |
| Segregation | 25 | 29 | |
| Sentence planning | 95 | 73 |
Recommendations (9)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 3
1 repeated
Recommendation 1
There is a pressing need for increased capacity in two particular areas: secure mental health facilities, and Category D (Open) prisons.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health / Capacity
Recommendation 2
There is also a need to increase capacity in all categories in London and the South East: far too many prisoners at Stocken are a very long way from their homes and families and in consequence some make strenuous attempts to be sent back there.
Ministry of Justice
Capacity / Resettlement
Recommendation 3
In-cell telephony should be funded so that all Category C prisoners can access it.
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Recommendation 4
There needs to be more active and prompt allocation of re-categorised prisoners to a more appropriate location: too often, the movement of prisoners within the system is at the whim of governors and minor officials.
HMPPS
Regime / Transfers
Recommendation 5
Prisons which reduce their capacity to take prisoners for resettlement preparation should have their funds redirected to prisons such as Stocken which increasingly has to fulfil a role for which it is not adequately funded.
HMPPS
Resettlement / Funding
Recommendation 6
The frequent long delays in obtaining financial approval for repairs and refurbishments are unacceptable, and the external contractor needs closer monitoring of performance and sharpened incentives.
HMPPS
Estate / Maintenance
Recommendation 7
Ways should be found to improve prisoners' attendance and punctuality at workshops and education sites.
Governor / Director
Education / Purposeful Activity
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Adjudications continue to cause concern. As we said in our previous report, too many end in dismissal for avoidable technical reasons.
Governor / Director
Complaints / Discipline
Recommendation 9
Paperwork essential to the handling of Segregation reviews (Rule 45s) should be checked for accuracy and available to the presiding governor in good time. When adequate preparation has not taken place reviews are likely to be much less constructive, as well as less consistent between different governors.
Governor / Director
Segregation
Other IMB Reports for Stocken
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
16 Jan 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.