Prison Cat C Key Concerns Identified Positive Findings

Berwyn

IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 17 September 2020

HMP Berwyn is a Category C resettlement and training prison with an operational capacity of 2,106. The Board reports a prison in continuous evolution, marked by improved leadership and several positive initiatives in healthcare and education. However, significant concerns persist, including the availability of illicit substances, unaddressed deficiencies in meeting room facilities, and challenges arising from the double-cell design. High rates of self-harm, assaults, and non-attendance at purposeful activities also highlight ongoing issues within the establishment.

Operational Capacity

2,106

Self-harm Incidents

1,006

ACCT Cases Opened

864

Prisoner Assaults

406

Assaults on Staff

244

Positive Findings

The Board commends the new Governor for consistent leadership and continued progress. Staff handling of prisoners in the CASU is professional and caring. Positive changes include the introduction of health and wellbeing peer mentors, overnight nursing cover, and improved contributions from healthcare staff at Rule 45 reviews. The college partnership is working well, and security in the college has improved. The prison has also built strong community links, including an award-winning social enterprise and support for local charities.

Key Concerns

Substance Misuse Repeated

The ongoing availability of illicit substances within the prison continues to cause concern.

Estate/Conditions Repeated

The lack of rooms for meetings and interviews with prisoners is of serious concern and has not been addressed.

Overcrowding

The 70% double room and 30% single room configuration is proving challenging to manage, given the requirements of CSRAs and the composition of this diverse population.

Segregation

Of concern this year has been the number of prisoners held on the CASU for more than 84 days, and the Board feels that this must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Estate/Conditions

The reliability of the buildings’ heating system is still a cause for concern.

Estate/Conditions

latent paint defects, leading to excessive paint peeling in prisoners’ rooms.

Safety

The numbers of assaults and incidents of self-harm continue to be a concern to the Board.

Equality/Diversity Repeated

There has been reported a continued lack of confidence in the DIRF investigation process from both staff and prisoners.

Food/Catering

The Board noted an ongoing issue involving the cross-contamination of food on house serveries, which has been continually highlighted during the equality meetings over the year.

Healthcare

The number of prisoners who did not attend their healthcare appointments continues to be concerning.

Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated

There is an issue with prisoners failing to attend the work to which they have been allocated. This has been an ongoing issue in the prison since July 2018.

Resettlement/Release

Housing on release remains a challenge.

Complaints/Property

There is a high volume of applications (apps) on Unilink and an underestimation of the management required to deal with them effectively. The focus is now on the quality of replies and the need to resolve matters effectively at the first time of asking.

Complaints/Property

Responses to complaints (that is, Comp 1 and Comp 1a) are an issue in the establishment.

Board Commentary

Staffing

Education staffing has increased to 70, with staff gaining confidence and experience. The introduction of overnight nursing cover has addressed a previous concern. However, attendance at equality and diversity meetings by protected characteristics lead officers requires improvement. The Board notes the significant impact of prisoners forcing moves to the CASU on staffing resources.

Healthcare

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board continues to deliver services, and medication policy issues have subsided. Health and wellbeing peer mentors and a helpline have been well received. Overnight nursing cover has been introduced since April 2019, and healthcare staff contributions to Rule 45 reviews have significantly improved. Despite this, 15.8% of healthcare appointments were wasted due to non-attendance, which remains a concern requiring further investigation into underlying causes.

Regime & Daily Life

The prison's ethos aims to minimise time in the CASU, but some prisoners remain for over 84 days, notably those awaiting transfer to Category B establishments. Frustration, boredom, and illicit substance use are identified as key factors contributing to assaults and self-harm, impacting daily regimes. The percentage of prisoners attending purposeful activity is 87%, but non-attendance at allocated work remains an ongoing issue. Some prisoners missed faith sessions due to medication timing changes, an issue which has since been addressed.

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
Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions	20	26
Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s)	13	8
Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions	34	40
Equality	12	20
Finance, including pay, private monies, spends	14	13
Food and kitchens	13	7
Health, including physical, mental, social care	57	43
Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions	32	43
Miscellaneous	40	32
Property during transfer or in another establishment or location	41	48
Property within this establishment	88	103
Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell	24	19
Sentence management, including home detention curfew, ROTL, parole, release dates, recategorisation	62	42
Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying	104	92
Transfers	44	20

Recommendations (14)

Ministry of Justice: 1 HMPPS: 3 Governor / Director: 3 NHS / Healthcare Provider: 5 Other: 2 4 repeated

Recommendation 1 Repeated Prev. unaddressed

The Board again highlights the issue of the lack of facilities, in terms of meeting rooms and interview rooms, in this newly built establishment. The 70% double room and 30% single room configuration is proving challenging to manage, given the requirements of CSRAs and the composition of this diverse population. The figure of 70% double rooms and 30% single rooms can be misleading when translated into prisoner numbers. It means that when the prison is full, approximately 82% of prisoners will be in double rooms and only 18% in single rooms (see main judgements).

Ministry of Justice Estate

Recommendation 2

There is a need to consider the further identification of specialist communities, to deal with specifically identified needs – for example, the increasing numbers of prisoners deciding to self-isolate.

HMPPS Regime

Recommendation 3

There is a need to be aware of the challenges surrounding an establishment the size of HMP Berwyn, with a lack of appropriate meeting rooms and interview rooms (see main judgements).

HMPPS Estate

Recommendation 4

There is a need to resolve the serious issues surrounding paint defects and ineffective heating systems. These issues are now starting to be addressed, and the Board will continue to monitor these areas.

HMPPS Estate

Recommendation 5 Repeated Prev. unaddressed

There is a need to ensure that systems and policies are consistent and fully understood both by prisoners and staff.

Governor / Director Management

Recommendation 6 Repeated Prev. unaddressed

There is a need to solve issues raised by the prisoners at the first possible opportunity, rather than allow them to escalate.

Governor / Director Complaints

Recommendation 7

Responses to complaints (that is, Comp 1 and Comp 1a) are an issue in the establishment. If prisoners were kept informed of progress, it could reduce frustration, including additional Comp 1as and applications to the Board and the chaplaincy.

Governor / Director Complaints

Recommendation 8 Prev. addressed

Medication Policy issues