Prison
Cat YOI Women's
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Low Newton
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 28 August 2024
The IMB finds HMP/YOI Low Newton a reasonably safe and clean environment with generally good staff-prisoner relationships. However, the Board is concerned about the increasing number of women with severe mental health issues being sent to prison, impacting self-harm and assault rates. Delays in accessing healthcare and mental health support, along with the negative effects of custodial transport and staffing shortages leading to lockdowns, remain key challenges.
Positive Findings
HMP/YOI Low Newton is generally a safe and clean environment with good staff-prisoner relationships. The IMB commends the return of Junction 42 and the promotion of literacy. Improvements in safety, healthcare recruitment, and vocational training accreditation are noted, along with a new drug-free wing and successful Koestler Awards participation. Family contact is supported, and offender managers are generally meeting prisoners as planned.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Repeated
Many prisoners who present with severe mental ill health and personality disorders are continuing to be sent to prison.
Safety
Repeated
Lack of funding to provide and install a body scanner.
Safety
Repeated
Custodial transport services create further trauma for women and adversely impact reception processes, with late arrivals and distress.
Healthcare
Repeated
Delays in prisoner access to healthcare and mental health support.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
The IMB has not had the opportunity to attend adjudications for some time.
Resettlement/Release
The large number of women sent to prison on short sentences prevents meaningful work being done with them to reduce reoffending or plan resettlement.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
A small number of prisoners are released without accommodation, heightening the risk of reoffending and rapid return to prison.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Frequent lockdowns, often due to staff shortages, negatively impact staff-prisoner relationships and prisoner mental health and wellbeing.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff shortages and changes occasionally jeopardise staff-prisoner relationships and lead to frequent lockdowns, which negatively impacts prisoner mental health and wellbeing. Despite this, staff maintain an in-depth knowledge of prisoners of concern.
Healthcare
Healthcare services face ongoing staffing issues, impacting access and performance, though a recent recruitment drive aims to improve capacity. Significant mental health challenges persist, with the mental health team often "firefighting" rather than providing long-term treatments, a long-standing concern for the Board. Prisoners continue to report delays in accessing general healthcare.
Regime & Daily Life
Frequent lockdowns, often due to staff shortages, negatively impact effective relationships and prisoner wellbeing. The gym was closed for three weeks for repairs but contact continued on wings. A positive development is a new drug-free wing for suitable prisoners.
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 | 2 | 0 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 0 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 3 | 4 | |
| Equality | 2 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 4 | 2 | |
| Food and kitchens | 6 | 1 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 10 | 9 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 6 | 2 | |
| Miscellaneous | 9 | 22 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 1 | 7 | |
| Property within the establishment | 5 | 1 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 0 | 8 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 6 | 1 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 10 | 2 | |
| Transfers | 1 | 6 |
Recommendations (5)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 2
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Why are so many prisoners who present with severe mental ill health and personality disorders continuing to be sent to prison?
Other
(minister)
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Can funding be sought to provide and install a body scanner?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
There are many instances of custodial transport services creating further trauma for women and adversely impacting reception processes. How can this be improved?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 4
Repeated
What plans do you have to improve prisoner access to healthcare & mental health support?
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
For some time now the IMB have not had the opportunity to attend adjudications; how can we work to improve this situation over the next year?
Governor / Director
Fair Treatment
Other IMB Reports for Low Newton
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.