Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Ashfield
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 19 November 2024
HMP Ashfield, a Category C training and treatment centre for men convicted of sexual offences, has demonstrated an impressive safety record with significant reductions in self-harm and violence. The prison has managed a period of uncertainty due to contract changes well, ensuring good standards of accommodation, healthcare, and key working, which has been externally recognised as an exemplar. However, challenges remain, including delays in ministerial decisions on transfers, difficulties in securing resettlement places, and prisoner dissatisfaction with movement restrictions, which are perceived to make Ashfield feel more like a Category B prison.
Positive Findings
HMP Ashfield has maintained an impressive safety record, with significant decreases in self-harm and violence. Accommodation, catering, and staff-prisoner interactions, including key working, are of a high standard. Healthcare provision is generally good, with enhanced mental health support, and the prison excels in preventing illicit items. The chaplaincy provides extensive pastoral and faith support, and family connections are highly prioritised.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Delays in receiving decisions from the Secretary of State for Justice regarding transfers of life-sentenced and IPP prisoners convicted of sexual offences to open conditions, with an average wait of around three months despite a target of 28 days.
Resettlement/Release
A small number of prisoners being released without suitable accommodation arranged.
Resettlement/Release
Prisons are not routinely provided with information on whether released prisoners have reoffended, hindering their ability to assess intervention and rehabilitation programs.
Resettlement/Release
The very limited number of resettlement prisons that accept people convicted of sexual offences, leading to no prisoners from Ashfield being moved to designated resettlement prisons since January 2023.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
Persistent issues with the loss of prisoner property during transfer between prisons, with no significant progress despite previous assurances.
Healthcare
Repeated
Inability to adequately meet the specific needs of increasing numbers of elderly prisoners with dementia and terminal illness requiring 24-hour care within normal prison conditions.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Lack of a systematic process for monitoring and quality assurance to ensure fair and consistent application of the incentives policy, particularly regarding staff awarding positive comments.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Prisoner concerns that Ashfield feels increasingly like a Category B prison due to ongoing movement restrictions.
Equality/Diversity
Concerns about ensuring adequate resourcing and staffing for the equality and diversity department, and continued prisoner attendance at forums and events, under the new contract.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Ashfield has maintained good PCO staffing levels, often exceeding complement, despite secondments to other establishments. A key challenge is the inexperience of a significant portion of PCOs, which can lead to inconsistency. Key work is well-managed and robustly assured, with targets consistently exceeded. However, concerns remain regarding the systematic quality assurance of staff recording positive comments for prisoners' incentives.
Healthcare
Healthcare services at Ashfield are generally good, comparable to external community standards, and include comprehensive mental health support with a focus on neurodiversity. However, occasional staffing vacancies, long waiting lists for optometry and physiotherapy, and medication shortages are noted. Restrictions on prisoner movement also adversely affected the department. The prison also faces challenges in fully addressing the needs of prisoners with dementia.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison's daily regime was significantly disrupted by contract termination preparations, leading to extensive repairs and contractor presence, which caused prisoner unhappiness due to movement restrictions. While segregation figures remain very low, the Board received many complaints about reduced prisoner movement, affecting orderlies, library access, and medical appointments, leading prisoners to feel it increasingly resembled a Category B prison.
Recommendations (9)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 3
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In our 2022-2023 annual report, we queried why, after parole boards had recommended that life sentenced and IPP prisoners convicted of sexual offences be transferred to open conditions, it was taking such a lengthy period of time for these to be confirmed or rejected by the Secretary of State for Justice. The Minister assured us that replies should be received within 28 days, yet the average wait for a reply at HMP Ashfield is around three months. Could the Minister please explain why the delays remain and what is being done to resolve the matter?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
The Minister, in his response, outlined the criteria by which prisoners on indeterminate sentences are assessed for suitability for open conditions and stated that the Parole Board, since 1 August 2023, had applied the new test to all hearings. Where a prisoner was awaiting a decision from the Secretary of State (including imprisonment for public protection prisoners convicted of sexual offences) on whether a move to open conditions would be accepted or rejected, this would be considered under the new criteria and they would be notified accordingly, within 28 calendar days. The Minister also explained that HMPPS was exploring (unspecified) further initiatives to develop the process for considering open conditions for ISPs to ensure decisions are made swiftly and effectively.
Recommendation 2
In common with other prisons, a small number of prisoners released from Ashfield in the last 12 months did not have suitable accommodation arranged prior to release. What solution is the Minister proposing to resolve this matter?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
At present, prisons are not routinely told which prisoners released by them have reoffended, or why. Does the Minister consider such information might help prisons better assess their interventions and rehabilitation programmes?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
At present, very few resettlement prisons will accept people convicted of sexual offences. No prisoner from Ashfield has been moved to a designated resettlement prison since January 2023, in part for this reason and in part because prison population pressures have overridden the earlier offender management in custody model. Are there any plans to increase the number of resettlement prisons that will accept such prisoners?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Despite numerous assurances, over a number of years, that the loss of prisoner property during transfer from prison to prison will be addressed, no significant progress has been made and it remains a serious issue. What additional practical actions to those already identified are being taken by HMPPS to address this?
HMPPS
Complaints
Response
The HMPPS response merely referred to the Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework, already in existence, which outlines that Governors and Directors should ensure management checks are undertaken to have confidence that prisoners’ property is being handled correctly and with care (e.g. that property cards are being completed accurately and that the volume of property held by prisoners is checked regularly and does not become excessive).
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
With the large number of elderly prisoners in the custodial estate (particularly in prisons such as Ashfield), cases of dementia and terminal illness requiring 24-hour care are increasing. The specific needs of these prisoners cannot be adequately met in normal prison conditions. What plans does the Prison Service have for addressing this issue through the creation of special custodial centres?
HMPPS
Healthcare
Response
The HMPPS response explained that it was developing an ageing population strategy, which would include management of those with dementia and those in need of end-of-life care. As part of this, they would be considering the use of specialist units for prisoners with significant health or social care needs. The strategy would be published in 2024.
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In order to increase prisoner confidence in the fair application of the incentives policy, are there any plans to introduce a process of systematic monitoring and quality assurance, in particular to establish consistency amongst staff members in awarding positive comments?
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
The Director informed the Board that, following the introduction of the Incentives Policy Framework, all necessary policies held at HMP Ashfield were reviewed to fall in line with mandatory actions within the Policy, and that the local policy had been adapted to fall in line with any subsequent changes to the Framework. In addition, he informed the Board that Ashfield’s Local Operating Policy is in line with national policy guidance, and this was acknowledged in the 2013 HMIP Inspection. The Board was also assured that the prison’s incentives policy is reviewed on an annual basis to ensure consistency and adherence to the mandatory actions within the National Incentives Policy Framework.
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Given ongoing comments to the IMB by prisoners that Ashfield feels increasingly like a category B prison, can the Director provide some reassurance that movement restrictions will be reviewed in the near future and that the rationale for any changes will be clearly communicated to prisoners?
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
The Director explained that, from a security perspective, concerns had been raised by HMPPS regarding free movement from the houseblocks, as the front doors were purposely left open. In addition, all the planned construction work necessitated the curtailment of free movement around the establishment. Prisoners would be restricted to moving at scheduled mass movement times only. This was communicated via several notices to prisoners and at prisoner advice and information committee (PIAC) meetings. The Director acknowledged that this had caused some frustration, but he assured the Board that the policy would be kept under review and modified when appropriate. Any changes need to be clearly communicated to all prisoners.
Recommendation 9
Given the good record of the equality and diversity department at Ashfield, what assurances can be given that, under the new contract, it will continue to be adequately resourced and staffed and that prisoners will be able to continue to attend the very constructive events that the forums organise?
Governor / Director
Equality
Other IMB Reports for Ashfield
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
9 Oct 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 4
Activity: 1
Release: 4
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.