Prison
Cat D (open) men’s prison and young offender instituti
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Hatfield
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 19 December 2024
HMP Hatfield maintains a high standard as a Category D prison, with a focus on safety, positive staff-prisoner relationships, and excellent resettlement outcomes, including high employment rates post-release. Key concerns persist regarding the impact of wider prison population pressures, maintenance discrepancies at the Lakes site, and delays in estate improvements like the multi-faith centre. The Board notes a recurring issue with prisoners' reluctance to apply to the IMB due to fears of being returned to closed conditions.
Positive Findings
The Board observed HMP Hatfield to be a generally safe environment for prisoners and staff, with no self-harm incidents or staff assaults reported for the last four years, and no self-inflicted deaths this year. Improvements to facilities, including the new D wing with ensuite cells and a new dental surgery, were welcomed. Relationships between staff and prisoners were very positive, and the robust approach to equality and diversity was encouraging. The education, skills, and work provision remained effective, leading to a high proportion of prisoners securing external employment and resettlement outcomes, with a strong focus on family ties and rarely releasing prisoners without accommodation.
Key Concerns
Overcrowding
Measures to relieve prison population pressures across the estate can and do have a negative impact on the ethos and performance of category D prisons.
Estate/Conditions
Maintenance at the Lakes is managed by the adjoining prison and is not connected to Hatfield, and their maintenance work is often prioritised over the Lakes.
Estate/Conditions
The completion of D wing has highlighted the discrepancies within this prison of available accommodation.
Staffing
Can the Governor ensure that staff initiatives are able to continue, given the increase in prison population changes?
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Continuation of Capital funding needs securing to continue to progress bathroom facilities refurbishment.
Safety
Repeated
Completion of new build 'anti-dash' fence.
Estate/Conditions
The new multi-faith centre is delayed until 2025.
Estate/Conditions
Some of the ablution facilities at the Lakes are not fit for use.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
A recurring issue that the IMB see at Hatfield is the reluctance of prisoners to make applications to the IMB and a pervasive belief that prisoners who make complaints or submit DIRFs are sent back to closed conditions.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The SMT continues to prioritise staff wellbeing and initiatives. New prison staff are supported by mentors to build confidence, and HMP Hatfield goes beyond contractual obligations by offering support to neurodiverse staff. Healthcare staffing levels show two new vacancies for a registered general nurse and a health care assistant, with a bank nurse backfilling until the nurse position is filled.
Healthcare
Healthcare services, provided by Practice Plus Group, are observed to be very well managed and accessible for physical health, mental health, and substance misuse needs across both sites. Provision is rated as good, with a low 'did not attend' rate and effective throughcare arrangements for release. While complaints about healthcare delivery are low and handled internally, there are some delays in secondary care hospital outpatient referrals and routine follow-ups, with urgent appointments having a two-week wait. The new dental suite is a positive development, and the substance misuse service offers comprehensive recovery support.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime promotes physical activity with gym access across both sites, including specialised sessions for outworkers, kitchen staff, GP referrals, and over-50s. A range of courses like the National Navigation Award Scheme and British Weight Lifting are offered. All prisoners begin on the standard incentive scheme, with opportunities to progress to enhanced status based on successful ROTL and work. The prison is committed to being an incentivized, substance-free living establishment, which provides benefits such as access to ROTL and funding for equipment and wing kitchenettes.
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 | 0 | 0 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 0 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 0 | 1 | |
| Equality | 0 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 2 | 1 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 0 | 0 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 0 | 0 | |
| Miscellaneous | 0 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 0 | 1 | |
| Property within the establishment | 0 | 0 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 1 | 0 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation | 0 | 0 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 0 | 0 | |
| Transfers | 0 | 1 |
Recommendations (4)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 1
Recommendation 1
What will the Minister do to further support planned-for category D prisons so that they can effectively maintain and develop their resettlement programmes?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Will the Minister sanction that maintenance is to be facilitated by staff from the main site?
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 3
Can the Prison Service ensure that ongoing refurbishment, particularly at the Lakes, is considered in future grant allocations?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 4
Can the Governor ensure that staff initiatives are able to continue, given the increase in prison population changes?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Other IMB Reports for Hatfield
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
15 Jul 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 4
Activity: 4
Release: 4
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.