Prison
Cat B, local
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Preston
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 23 September 2020
The Board found HMP Preston to be a well-run prison with good staff-prisoner relationships, despite the challenges of its Victorian infrastructure. Key concerns include the need for capital investment in reception and visits facilities, securing the adjacent museum building for security, improving body-worn camera usage, and investigating the unexpected lack of impact of the key worker scheme on IMB applications. The prison adapted well to the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Positive Findings
The Board found Preston to be a well-run prison with generally good relationships between staff and prisoners. Significant improvements were made to shower facilities, and the in-house maintenance team "Q Branch" had a very positive impact on prisoner quality of life. Healthcare provision also improved with wing-based clinics reducing wait times and better management of medicine queues. The chaplaincy is well-regarded, and prisoner consultation groups are effective.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Additional resources are needed for capital projects to maintain the fabric of the prison, specifically improvements to reception and the installation of air conditioning in the visits halls.
Estate/Conditions
The Prison Service needs to secure resources for and progress the purchase of the adjacent county museum building to secure the perimeter of the prison and allow for potential structural improvements.
Safety
Body-worn video cameras are not being switched on early enough in the escalation phase of incidents, which needs improvement.
Staffing
The key worker scheme has been implemented, but application numbers to the Board have not decreased as anticipated, requiring further investigation.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The key worker scheme was implemented with a high contact rate, but it has not yet reduced IMB applications, and this function was curtailed for general prisoners during lockdown. However, officers had more time due to the restricted regime. The education provider Novus underwent restructuring, causing staff anxiety and some disruption to service. Officers in the recovery unit are volunteers and contribute positively to rehabilitation.
Healthcare
Healthcare, provided by Spectrum, saw improvements with wing-based clinics reducing transfers and better management of medicine queues. Initial healthcare needs are assessed within 24 hours, GP waiting times are within six days, and dental waiting times are four to six weeks. The mental health team provides full assessments and crisis resolution. The regional healthcare unit, including a mental health ward, serves other prisons and has palliative care capabilities.
Regime & Daily Life
The Victorian physical environment, especially cell size and reception, is a concern. The Governor prioritises purposeful activity, with 80% of prisoners engaged in work or education, and efforts are made to keep segregation time to a minimum. The Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model has been successfully implemented. The regime was restricted towards the end of the year due to the coronavirus lockdown.
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 | 20 | 24 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 10 | 15 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 10 | 4 | |
| Equality | 7 | 8 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 21 | 11 | |
| Food and kitchens | 11 | 10 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 78 | 61 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 31 | 39 | |
| Miscellaneous | 72 | 67 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 16 | 21 | |
| Property within this establishment | 38 | 56 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 19 | 16 | |
| Sentence management, including home detention curfew, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 18 | 31 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 56 | 79 | |
| Transfers | 19 | 14 |
Recommendations (4)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 2
1 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the minister ensure that additional resources are provided for capital projects necessary to maintain the fabric of the prison? The two main areas are the improvements to reception, and the installation of air conditioning in the visits halls.
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 2
Will the Prison Service secure the resources for and progress the purchase of the site of the adjacent county museum building, to secure the perimeter of the prison and to open up potential for other associated possible improvements in the prison structure?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 3
The use of body-worn video cameras has increased over the year, but they are not being switched on early enough in the escalation phase of an incident. This needs to be improved.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 4
The key worker scheme has been implemented, and the targeted contacts made. This was anticipated to have led to a reduction in the number of applications to the Board, but application numbers have not subsequently decreased. This needs to be investigated further.
Governor / Director
Staffing