East Sutton Park

Incidents of prisoner-on-prisoner bullying and intimidation have been observed during the reporting period and, at times, were not addressed with sufficient speed, in the Board’s view. This allowed some types of behaviour to persist and adversely affect the wider prison atmosphere. The Board is, however, pleased to note that the prison took steps from autumn 2025 to improve the effectiveness of responses.

Ongoing issues include transferred prisoners expecting quick ROTL approval and those with little time left struggling to complete ROTL clearance before release.

A continued cause of frustration, and one for which the Board receives many applications (prisoners’ written representations), is the failure of property transfers to HMP ESP. This is the case both for physical possessions and for monies. Such issues can be exacerbated when a prisoner has lodged overnight on the journey to HMP ESP and, in the case of monies, when she has arrived from a privately run establishment.

Rooms in the house are on the ground and first floors. The main building is old and has accessibility issues, such as the number and steepness of some stairs. This can create issues for prisoners with physical disabilities and mobility issues.

The Board notes that the prison building may be unsuitable for prisoners with disabilities, especially mobility issues, in that there are no lifts and many staff locations, activity rooms and the multi-faith room are on the first floor. In addition, internal jobs suitable for prisoners with disabilities are limited.

Many prisoners want to move from the house to modular accommodation or a flat, but the Board has observed that the allocation process has caused frustration, due to a lack of clarity.

In 2025, the single cooker for prisoners in modular accommodation living area was broken for several weeks before being replaced. Suspected deliberate damage may have delayed repairs, which were the prison’s responsibility. The Board believes replacement should have been faster.

Many prisoners at HMP ESP tell us they are afraid that submitting complaints or reporting issues could lead to a return to closed conditions, even though this has never happened, according to prison data shared with the Board and prisoners. The Governor has published notices reinforcing this but, due to the rotation in prisoners, the Board considers that this information needs to be frequently re-published by the prison.

A small number of prisoners reported to the Board that some staff used threats of being returned to closed conditions to discourage complaints. Such incidents seem to be rare and are difficult to verify but have been reported to the Governor. The Board believes the prison does not tolerate these actions; however, limited evidence can restrict any response.

The Board notes that at least one Muslim prisoner with mobility issues was unable to access the room for daily prayers, and no suitable ground-floor alternative was available for private prayer.

The Board is concerned that warnings and the incentives scheme system are not always used effectively to counter instances of negative and intimidatory behaviour.

There is a lack of space in the building, which consists of only one consultation room, some offices and a small waiting area. Having only one consultation room significantly restricts capacity and makes timetabling up to 15 clinics each month challenging. The waiting area for prisoners attending clinics is adjacent to the RGN’s office and lacks sound-proofing, risking loss of confidentiality.

The only waiting list is for dental assessment, which is currently nine to ten weeks.

Prisoners arriving at HMP ESP must have risk assessments completed before they can be considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL). This is the case even for prisoners who have previously been released on temporary licence at a previous prison. The Board has noticed that this often surprises prisoners, and some of them have told us that it is contrary to what they were told at the establishment from which they transferred.

For prisoners with complex risk factors, risk assessments can be delayed by late input from probation, police or social services. During the reporting period, government early-release and extended home detention curfew (HDC) schemes also placed additional priority demands on the OMU, impacting routine work, including ROTL risk assessments.

Despite these communication channels, prisoners often express frustration to the Board at their inability to access OMU staff or obtain updates on issues affecting their ROTL eligibility or release plans. The Board notes that many delays are beyond the OMU’s control... however, the Board observes that communication with prisoners during these delays does not always sufficiently reduce stress and anxiety.

In March 2025, revised ROTL procedures were introduced, reportedly to bring HMP ESP in line with national policy. The emphasis shifted to risk, need and purposeful activity to support resettlement. As a result, some activities previously allowed on ROTL were no longer allowed, and the geographical areas prisoners could visit were more tightly defined, with an emphasis on ROTL to home areas.

A shortage of temporary accommodation, particularly in London, has, however, caused delays to some prisoner release dates.

For prisoners with professional or specialist skills, not having online access to job sites or email within the prison makes applying for and responding to job offers challenging. Some prisoners in this situation have said they feel frustrated by the limited support from the prison and the difficulties this creates in finding work.

Recommendation 1

What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan on the number of women receiving short custodial sentences? Has the plan contributed to any reduction such sentences?

Ministry of Justice Other

Recommendation 2 Repeated

Will the Minister support the Board’s request for the Prison Service to actively encourage closed women’s prisons to transfer eligible prisoners with at least six months left to open establishments, in order to improve outcomes and help alleviate capacity pressure in closed establishments?

Ministry of Justice Resettlement

Recommendation 3

When will the Minister issue updated guidance on the placement and management of transgender prisoners in women’s establishments?

Ministry of Justice Equality

Recommendation 4

When will the Minister review the treatment of civil offenders within early release schemes to ensure they are properly considered in future? When the SDS40 early release scheme was introduced in September 2024, HMP ESP had one prisoner serving a one-year sentence for a civil, rather than a criminal, offence. Despite posing minimal risk to the public, she was excluded solely because she was not serving a criminal standard determinate sentence, while prisoners with criminal convictions and similar sentence lengths were eligible. How will the Minister address this disparity to prevent civil offenders being unfairly disadvantaged in future schemes?

Ministry of Justice Resettlement

Recommendation 5 Repeated

When will the Minister require the Prison Service to implement a reliable and effective system for managing prisoners’ property? IMB Boards nationwide have long reported issues with property management and transfers. The ESP Board notes that a related KPI once existed but was discontinued. What plans does the Minister have to reinstate this KPI, or introduce an equivalent measure, to ensure sustained improvement and proper accountability?

Ministry of Justice Other

Recommendation 6 Repeated

Could the Prison Service work with closed women’s establishments to ensure that prisoners arriving at HMP ESP have a minimum of six months left to serve to enable them to benefit from release on temporary licence (ROTL) and be properly prepared for release and resettlement?

HMPPS Resettlement

Recommendation 7 Repeated

Could the Prison Service do more to incentivise closed establishments to identity those suitable for open conditions and transfer them to open establishments?

HMPPS Resettlement

Recommendation 8 Repeated

Could the Prison Service implement an effective system for managing prisoners’ property and transfers? The ESP Board notes that a related key performance indicator (KPI) once existed but was discontinued. Could this KPI be reinstated?

HMPPS Other

Recommendation 9

Could the Prison Service develop specific ROTL guidance for civil offenders for use by offender management units?

HMPPS Resettlement

Recommendation 10 Repeated Prev. unaddressed

Could the Governor investigate making greater use of the incentives scheme, including warnings or other sanctions, to more quickly and effectively respond to instances of challenging behaviour or situations where behaviour falls short of the standards expected by the prison?

Governor / Director Regime

Recommendation 11

Could the prison improve communication with prisoners to reassure them that raising issues or submitting complaints will not result in being sent back to a closed establishment? While weekly forums are helpful, the Board suggests periodically republishing a Notice to Prisoners to reinforce this message.

Governor / Director Complaints

Recommendation 12

Could the prison develop comprehensive guidance for prisoners preparing for reintegration into the community, outlining the required steps and associated responsibilities to be completed prior to release, as well as identifying the appropriate contacts for assistance? The Board recommends establishing an orderly role to support prisoners nearing release.

Governor / Director Resettlement

Recommendation 13

Could the Governor investigate whether more external job opportunities can be found for prisoners and whether additional support can be provided to professionally qualified prisoners to search for and obtain work on release? More job opportunities outside the local area and more clerical and administrative opportunities would benefit many leavers.

Governor / Director Resettlement

Recommendation 14

Could the Governor investigate improving the range of internal job offerings, particularly those suitable for prisoners who have a disability or limited mobility?

Governor / Director Education

Recommendation 15

Could the Governor investigate the provision of an accessible, ground floor space for private prayer, which can be made available to disabled and mobility impaired prisoners?

Governor / Director Equality

Recommendation 16

Could the Governor ensure that the kitchens in the modular accommodation living area are adequately and sufficiently equipped for the 20 pod residents and, where there is faulty equipment, this is remedied without undue delays?

Governor / Director Estate