Prison
Cat B
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lincoln
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 24 October 2024
HMP Lincoln, a Category B reception and resettlement prison, continues to treat prisoners fairly and humanely despite challenges from its Victorian infrastructure and high transient population. Positive aspects include improved cleanliness, effective neurodiversity support, and dedicated staff. However, key concerns persist regarding maintenance backlogs, slow access to specialist mental health facilities, property management issues, and inadequate support for remand prisoners and vulnerable populations.
Positive Findings
The Board observed high professionalism and care from staff and peer mentors in reception and induction, with the body scanner proving effective in preventing unauthorised items. Prisoners are generally treated fairly and with respect, demonstrated by efforts to improve cleanliness and focus on safety, including ACCT processes and proportionate use of force. Staff and prisoner relationships are positive, and neurodiversity support has shown success in aiding prisoners and reducing reoffending.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The Board continues to be concerned about the length of time taken and the quality of work undertaken when dealing with numerous repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment.
Mental Health
Will the Minister speak to colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care to improve prisoners’ timely access to specialist mental health facilities, where required?
Other
Will the Minister review prisoners serving indefinite sentences under IPP (imprisonment for public protection) sentences?
Overcrowding
Can the planned increases in the operational capacity be monitored closely so that the significant gains made in safety, decency and culture at local prisons since 2019 are not lost?
Education/Purposeful Activity
Due to the ever-increasing transient population of Lincoln Prison, it is difficult for prisoners to access and complete the training opportunities available that will assist with reducing reoffending.
Resettlement/Release
The loss or delay of prisoners’ property, particularly when transferring between prisons, is still a substantial problem, especially when property does not arrive with the prisoner.
Resettlement/Release
What support can be provided to help remand prisoners with release planning, as they are not eligible for probation services?
Equality/Diversity
Given the issues associated with the Victorian infrastructure of the prison, what alternative provisions are being considered for the increasing numbers of frail elderly, particularly those with dementia, end-of-life-care and disabled prisoners?
Food/Catering
Are there plans to increase the prisoner’s daily food allowance, as providing nutritional meals is increasingly difficult?
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Once again, as in previous annual reports, the Board remains concerned about the length of time taken, and the quality of work undertaken, when dealing with numerous repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment.
Estate/Conditions
What action can be taken to address the ongoing problems with heating and hot water and the delays in maintenance and repairs?
Estate/Conditions
What action is being taken to address the issue of food waste and debris outside the accommodation wings? This attracts large numbers of pigeons. We have observed rubbish being thrown from cell windows on numerous occasions.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
There are ongoing issues with kit collection and distribution. Can sufficient kit items be provided for those arriving in reception, to cover until the first change on the wing? Can an effective system be put in place to ensure the laundry that is sent out from the wings matches that which is returned in both condition and numbers?
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Issues have been observed in the CSU, where only six cells out of a possible nine have been in use for the majority of the reporting period.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
At the end of the reporting period, the in-cell phones had not been working for over a month, with no indication of a repair date.
Equality/Diversity
The A wing lift has not been operational for most of reporting period, which has had a detrimental effect on accessibility for prisoners with mobility issues.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff numbers decreased from 373 to 357 during the reporting period. Reception staff frequently work late to process transfers. While the key worker scheme resumed, sessions are often dropped due to staff sickness and essential wing coverage. Healthcare also faces challenges filling two registered nurse positions but is actively working to resolve the deficit.
Healthcare
Healthcare management issues form the largest number of IMB applications, with some prisoners dissatisfied with services and GP waiting times, which can be weeks, although urgent cases are prioritised. Staff shortages persist, and the prison struggles to get patients to appointments. The mental health team manages many prisoners, but specialist care is inadequate, and transfers to psychiatric hospitals can take months, leading to extended CSU stays.
Regime & Daily Life
The daily regime on wings is managed under difficult circumstances, yet the Board observes fair treatment. However, key worker sessions are frequently dropped due to staff sickness and operational needs. The A Wing lift has been non-operational for most of the year, negatively impacting accessibility, and in-cell phones have been out of order for over a month with no repair date.
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 | 26 | 5 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 22 | 7 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 10 | 2 | |
| Equality | 6 | 8 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 5 | 0 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 40 | 30 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 21 | 1 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 45 | 41 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 38 | 26 | |
| Property within this establishment | 33 | 7 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 14 | 8 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, dates, re-categorisation | 22 | 27 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 27 | 7 | |
| Transfers | 14 | 6 | |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 |
Recommendations (12)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 7
Governor / Director: 3
11 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Will the Minister speak to colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care to improve prisoners’ timely access to specialist mental health facilities, where required?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Can the planned increases in the operational capacity be monitored closely so that the significant gains made in safety, decency and culture at local prisons since 2019 are not lost?
HMPPS
Overcrowding
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Due to the ever-increasing transient population of Lincoln Prison, it is difficult for prisoners to access and complete the training opportunities available that will assist with reducing reoffending. Can prisoners who have started their courses complete these prior to transfer and can new prisoners coming to Lincoln be given sufficient time to complete their courses? Having sufficient time to progress to a Level 2 of a qualification would be beneficial.
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 3
Repeated
The loss or delay of prisoners’ property, particularly when transferring between prisons, is still a substantial problem, especially when property does not arrive with the prisoner. How will you ensure that the situation will be improved by the new national Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework?
HMPPS
Property
Recommendation 4
Repeated
What support can be provided to help remand prisoners with release planning, as they are not eligible for probation services?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Given the issues associated with the Victorian infrastructure of the prison, what alternative provisions are being considered for the increasing numbers of frail elderly, particularly those with dementia, end-of-life-care and disabled prisoners?
HMPPS
Equality
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Are there plans to increase the prisoner’s daily food allowance, as providing nutritional meals is increasingly difficult?
HMPPS
Food
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Once again, as in previous annual reports, the Board remains concerned about the length of time taken, and the quality of work undertaken, when dealing with numerous repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment. What action can be taken to rectify this?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 9
Will the Minister review prisoners serving indefinite sentences under IPP (imprisonment for public protection) sentences?
Ministry of Justice
Sentence Management
Recommendation 10
Repeated
What action is being taken to address the issue of food waste and debris outside the accommodation wings? This attracts large numbers of pigeons. We have observed rubbish being thrown from cell windows on numerous occasions. It is noted that the areas are regularly cleaned, but they do not stay this way for long.
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
There are ongoing issues with kit collection and distribution. Can sufficient kit items be provided for those arriving in reception, to cover until the first change on the wing? Can an effective system be put in place to ensure the laundry that is sent out from the wings matches that which is returned in both condition and numbers?
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
No response given.
Recommendation 12
Repeated
What action can be taken to address the ongoing problems with heating and hot water and the delays in maintenance and repairs?
Governor / Director
Estate
Other IMB Reports for Lincoln
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.