Prison
Cat C, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Deerbolt
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 4 June 2025
HMP/YOI Deerbolt, a Category C training and resettlement prison, faces significant challenges from an aging prisoner demographic and persistent staffing issues, impacting safety, regime delivery, and healthcare provision. Despite dedication from management and staff, levels of violence remain high, and a lack of meaningful activity contributes to drug use and self-harm. The IMB highlights a crucial need for increased financial support, a review of the staffing model, and adaptation of facilities and education to suit the changing population profile, as many previous concerns remain unaddressed.
Positive Findings
The Board commends the management team for their sensitivity and compassion in navigating changing demographics and developing novel initiatives. Staff, both individually and collectively, strive for fair and humane treatment, including quality one-to-one communication with vulnerable prisoners. Increased key worker sessions are a positive, as is the organisation and compassion of segregation unit staff. The rejuvenated laundry facilities, effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation team (DART), and dentistry team are praised. Education provision shows continued improvements, high standards of tuition, and prisoner engagement. The library staff, Offender Management Unit (OMU), and resettlement planning team perform high-level work, with prisoners often released to suitable accommodation.
Key Concerns
Safety
Levels of violence remained high in the reporting period, whether this concerned serious prisoner-on-prisoners assaults or, indeed, prisoner assaults on staff.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The Board is still concerned about the lack of meaningful rehabilitation at a time when staffing numbers have stabilised.
Staffing
The Board has been concerned about the turnover of newly enrolled staff and their competency in the role. In addition, on numerous occasions in the reporting period, we have been disappointed by the lack of professionalism and the inability of some new staff to lead prisoners in everyday tasks.
Complaints/Property
The IMB has commented on how difficult it has been to communicate with some prison staff. While we volunteer to monitor the prison, giving up our own time, we are often frustrated with the lack of response to basic requests for information.
Other
From conversation with prisoners, we are concerned about the interaction between the staff and the wider population and with individuals who often do not comply with the prison regime.
Estate/Conditions
Deerbolt still does not have suitable facilities to deal with many of those with complex needs
Healthcare
the physical healthcare team has struggled during this period.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
prisoners are often locked up for too long
Regime/Time Out of Cell
if you rapidly increase the average age of prisoners overnight without being able to change the offering, how can prisoners be meaningfully progressed towards improved rehabilitation and, potentially, reduced recidivism rates in the future?
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
In common with our previous report, the prison still struggles with short-notice cancellations of classes, due to prison staff shortages or unexpected issues or incidents, which continue to blight the delivery of this form of rehabilitation.
Education/Purposeful Activity
the IMB remains concerned, especially about the perception of how frequently provision is cancelled, due to staffing or accommodation issues, and the ability of the provision to suit the ever-increasing ageing demographic of HMP Deerbolt.
Resettlement/Release
as a region, the north east could benefit from more beds for prisoners so they are not released without a fixed abode.
Staffing
there is a stark deficiency in the ability of Deerbolt to allocate a senior resident prison officer to each of the wings and with substantial numbers of new staff, often with little ‘prison craft’ experience.
Staffing
Repeated
how HMPPS will ensure that staffing levels and site-specific demands are considered before assigning staff to other locations?
Staffing
Repeated
HMP/YOI Deerbolt is in a rural area, remote from main centres. Is this acknowledged and how will it be factored into holding onto existing staff and further recruitment?
Complaints/Property
During the reporting period, we were not sent key information about individuals in the segregation unit, the use of special accommodation and these prisoners’ incentives scheme status, because the details were removed from the daily stability report.
Complaints/Property
there continues to be immense frustration at the loss of the personal possessions (as in, they don’t arrive with the prisoner), as well as the inevitable cost of compensation and the expense of resolution.
Safety
Rates of self-harm and the number of assessment, care in custody and team work (ACCT) plans opened (which are used to support prisoners who are at risk of self-harm and suicide) appear to be higher than last year.
Substance Misuse
substance misuse is an ongoing problem. With a change in the demographic of the prison and men being moved in from other establishments, there have been multiple occasions where prisoners have had a ‘code blue’ (a medical emergency when someone has breathing difficulties or has collapsed) due to drug use.
Estate/Conditions
The furnishings are often damaged or old and in poor repair.
Food/Catering
Portion sizes can vary with the level of supervision of the meal service and has sometimes resulted in wings running out before all prisoners have received their meals.
Segregation
we have escalated to the Governor our concerns about not having any data on the number of men in the CSU and how often the special accommodation has been used. This is because the information was removed from the daily stability report, so we have been unable to confirm our observations.
Staffing
Deerbolt continues to have issues with staff recruitment, retention and sickness absence. Most of the staff cohort have less than two years’ service, which means there are not enough experienced people to act as mentors or buddies or to guide them in ‘jail craft’.
Resettlement/Release
Prisoners tell us that they struggle to contact their prison offender managers (POMs) and probation officers.
Staffing
general morale between most staff and prisoners was often at a low level during the reporting period.
Complaints/Property
We are unsure about how robust the complaints data is when no complaints are recorded under some headings. Healthcare is one example where we know complaints have been made but responses have not been forthcoming.
Complaints/Property
Throughout the reporting period, many of these meetings [local delivery board] have not taken place or the IMB has not been informed of changes in dates so we have not been able to observe them.
Healthcare
Healthcare staff have reported that they are often threatened by prisoners and they don’t trust the prison process to act on threatening behaviour.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The Board continues to be concerned about the lack of educational opportunities for the increasingly older prisoner.
Estate/Conditions
maintenance issues have continued to plague the classes in the facility and an eight-week closure of the building did little to improve the reliability of the electrical system, despite it being the principal reason for the closure. During the winter months, in particular, electrical and heating failures have left prisoners cold and frustrated.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Unfortunately, the City & Guilds (C&G) qualification in the bike shop has been discontinued and with the supervisor’s post not filled. The future of the facility is in question, as the prison (quite rightly, in the Board’s view) seeks to optimise the training offer to prisoners.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
A frequent complaint by prisoners, although never formally raised in an application (a prisoner’s written representation), remains the comparison of salaries between Deerbolt and other establishments, which appear to be below the levels seen elsewhere.
Other
The introduction of an in-house Kaizen course in January has been a positive move, but the domestic violence variant is not available at Deerbolt. With constraints over the whole prison estate preventing the transfer of prisoners to facilities where the course is provided, this has caused some issues.
Resettlement/Release
The relative remoteness of Deerbolt continues to be an issue for visitors, particularly those from further afield, who may rely on public transport.
Estate/Conditions
An external visitors’ centre provides a comfortable, welcoming first impression, although a frequent complaint is that it appears to be a low priority for maintenance issues.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The Prison Service faces enormous difficulties with staffing recruitment, retention, and challenges from redeploying officers to other prisons, causing stress on Deerbolt's management. The Board is concerned about the turnover and competency of newly enrolled staff, and a general lack of 'prison craft' among officers, most having less than two years' service. This lack of experience means insufficient mentors and guides. Staff absences lead to frequent regime curtailments and reduced opportunities for positive staff-prisoner relationships, with overall morale often low.
Healthcare
The physical healthcare team has struggled to cope with the increasing demands from an older prison population, leading to an increased number of prisoner complaints. Staffing levels are inadequate, requiring agency staff when permanent members are on leave. There are concerns that some healthcare complaints have not received responses, and one prisoner experienced serious health repercussions due to delayed treatment. Healthcare staff report being threatened by prisoners and distrust the prison's process for addressing such behaviour.
Regime & Daily Life
Due to low staffing and staff inexperience, prisoners are often locked up for up to 23 hours a day, leading to frustration and a lack of meaningful activity. The limited regime, affected by staff shortages, results in cancelled activities and reduced access to facilities like the gymnasium. This excessive time in cells negatively impacts prisoners' mental health and wellbeing, contributing to issues like drug use and violence.
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 | 3 | 2 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 1 | 1 | — |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives schemes, sanctions | 4 | 0 | |
| Equality | 0 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 2 | 2 | — |
| Food and kitchens | 5 | 4 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 14 | 3 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 2 | 4 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 2 | 1 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 3 | 2 | |
| Property within this establishment | 7 | 7 | — |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 6 | 7 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation | 2 | 7 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 11 | 6 | |
| Transfers | 4 | 5 |
Recommendations (16)
HMPPS: 6
Governor / Director: 5
Ministry of Justice: 5
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
The Board urges HMPPS to visit Deerbolt, meet the healthcare team, urgently review the staffing model and support additional resources clearly needed to meet the demands from the establishment.
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 2
Is there any way that Deerbolt can gain the necessary funding for senior officers to be placed on each wing of the establishment to improve such skill level?
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
How will HMPPS ensure that staffing levels and site-specific demands are considered before assigning staff to other locations? Will the focus be on enabling each site to maintain a full operational regime rather than mandating a percentage of staff to be sent on detached duty, potentially compromising the functioning of the sending establishment?
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
Not answered.
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
HMP/YOI Deerbolt is in a rural area, remote from main centres. Is this acknowledged and how will it be factored into holding onto existing staff and further recruitment?
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
Not answered.
Recommendation 5
Will the Prison Service consider changing legislation to set out a ‘new minimum regime’?
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 6
Does the Prison Service have plans to build on local links to improve employment opportunities for prisoners on release?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 7
What oversight does the Governor have over the prioritisation of works within the establishment?
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 8
Are there further plans to improve the visibility of the prison in the community?
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 9
Can the Governor confirm that they will now send the Board this information regularly?
Governor / Director
Transparency
Recommendation 10
Prev. unaddressed
Many ageing establishments, including Deerbolt, require significant investment for maintenance and upkeep. How does the Minister plan to secure ample funding for this purpose?
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Response
HMPPS is generating a long-term strategy to monitor any future beyond the current review period. With it, there will be condition surveys that will inform subsequent budgets.
Recommendation 11
Prev. unaddressed
Despite population pressures, how will the Minister ensure that HMPPS is held accountable for ensuring prisoners are located as close as reasonably possible to their families to better support and enable contact, as recommended in Lord Farmer’s report?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
As Deerbolt is considered a ‘national resource’, it can receive prisoners from anywhere in the UK. However, there are complex considerations to be that need to take place to facilitate a move in these situations.
Recommendation 12
Prev. unaddressed
We now have a dozen IPP [imprisonment for public protection] prisoners at Deerbolt who do not understand what they need to do to gain release (particularly when they are past their original sentenced detention date) and whether Deerbolt can, in fact, offer the level of service necessary to let them attain their release. May we have clarity from the Minister on how to achieve certainty for each individual prisoner?
Ministry of Justice
Progression
Response
HMPPS has developed an updated action plan that will allow for IPP prisoners to have sentence plans. At the time of the response, Deerbolt has six IPP prisoners and they are given thorough assessment and support when in the prison.
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Deerbolt’s location is in a rural area, remote from the main centres. Is this recognised and how will they factor this into holding onto existing staff and further recruitment?
Ministry of Justice
Staffing
Response
Not answered.
Recommendation 14
Prev. unaddressed
Given the number of services that a prison leaver often needs to access on release, how will the Minister ensure that prisons are adequately equipped to deliver on their designated roles? Also, in cases where establishments operate beyond their standard functions, such as training prisons handling prisoners in their resettlement phase, how will the Minister guarantee sufficient resources and support (as stated in the Prisons Strategy White Paper), ensuring equal attention and expert guidance for those in training prisons nearing release?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
The National Allocation Protocol and Offender Flows enable prisoners to be held in prisons providing adequate levels of security and allows them to have interventions to help them progress. Where prisoners are in the resettlement cohort and remain in a training prison, the Probation Service provides commissioned rehabilitation services for sentenced prisoners, wherever they are held and released.
Recommendation 15
Repeated
What oversight does the Governor have over the prioritisation of works within the establishment?
Governor / Director
Estate
Response
The Governor explained to the IMB Board the contractual obligations of external groups and that the prison is very much reliant on others with regard to works in the establishment.
Recommendation 16
Repeated
HMP/YOI Deerbolt is an important employer in the local community. Are there further plans to improve the visibility of the prison in the community?
Governor / Director
Other
Response
The Governor reassured us that the prison is to now develop outward reach, particularly with regard to community links.
Other IMB Reports for Deerbolt
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
3 Dec 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 2
Activity: 1
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.