Prison
Cat Category A and B men's high security dispersal pri
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Full Sutton
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 17 July 2024
HMP Full Sutton, a Category A and B high-security prison, operated with a population of 584 against an operational capacity of 594 at the end of 2023. The Board found it generally calm and well-managed, but tight staffing levels led to widespread rotational lockdowns, impacting purposeful activity and time out of cell. Key concerns include increased self-harm and violence, reduced drug testing capacity, and insufficient work opportunities, alongside delays in property distribution and a psychologist shortfall.
Positive Findings
HMP Full Sutton generally appeared to be a calm prison, with Governors and staff adopting a considered approach to security, safety and prisoner welfare. A decent regime and a generally safe environment were maintained despite staffing challenges. Accommodation is of a good standard and the prison is clean. The introduction of in-cell telephony was welcomed by prisoners, and access to healthcare was generally similar to that in the community. The prison improved its focus on equality and diversity issues, and the chaplaincy team remained active. The provision of education has improved, and the prison had a full complement of qualified facilitators for offender behaviour programmes. Extended family days and social video calls helped maintain family ties.
Key Concerns
Staffing
Repeated
Tight staffing levels led to continued rotational lockdowns of wings and special units, impacting time out of cell and attendance at education or work.
Safety
There was an increase in the number of incidents of violence between prisoners (from 31 in 2022 to 52 in 2023).
Safety
There was an increase in incidents of violence against staff (from 39 in 2022 to 67 in 2023), due partly to prisoner behaviour in the segregation unit.
Safety
There was an increase in the number of prisoners who self-harmed, rising from 208 incidents in 2022 to 371 in 2023, involving complex prisoners.
Substance Misuse
Repeated
Drug testing capacity remained reduced, with 150.5 drug testing days lost, and higher levels of drug testing could be achieved.
Estate/Conditions
Some work is needed in the shower areas, where flooring is still in poor condition.
Overcrowding
The segregation unit held high numbers throughout the year, averaging 31 prisoners, with some disruption and dirty protests.
Other
There were delays in searching and distributing prisoners’ property, with some not receiving their property for up to seven weeks.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
There remains insufficient work for prisoners to do, with 23% of the eligible prison population unemployed due to a lack of activity spaces.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Long-planned woodworking workshops failed to open in 2023 due to national contract and budgetary constrictions.
Staffing
There was a shortfall in the number of qualified psychologists (seven vacancies), restricting consultancy time in the prison’s discrete units.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The progress in the STEP unit has been hampered by an increase in numbers and rotational lockdowns, affecting its role in the progression programme.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Tight staffing levels, a national issue, continued throughout 2023, resulting in rotational lockdowns of wings and special units. This shortage also affected the ability to conduct key worker sessions and stretched the dedicated search team, who were often redeployed. However, an improvement in staffing levels in October led to the reintroduction of fortnightly key worker sessions for all prisoners.
Healthcare
Spectrum Community Health CIC provides primary, general, psychiatric, and mental health services, with dentistry by Smart Dental Care. Healthcare for prisoners remained at an acceptable standard, and the mental health in-reach team managed a caseload of 96 prisoners. There was an improvement in mental health nurse vacancies, though prisoners still found access difficult. The in-house X-ray facility ceased functioning, requiring portable equipment for appointments.
Regime & Daily Life
Rotational half-day lockdowns due to staffing issues were in place for most of the year, leading to prisoners spending more time in their cells and impacting attendance at education or work. Despite this, a decent regime was generally maintained, and units like segregation, separation, and STEP maintained fair regimes. In-cell telephones, introduced late in 2023, improved prisoner contact with family. Access to the gym was maintained throughout the lockdowns, and the Alcoholics Anonymous group resumed.
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 | 4 | 9 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 2 | 5 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 17 | 10 | |
| Equality | 7 | 10 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 8 | 4 | |
| Food and kitchens | 4 | 3 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 18 | 26 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 10 | 14 | |
| Miscellaneous | 31 | 16 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 6 | 13 | |
| Property within the establishment | 12 | 7 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 14 | 10 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 18 | 4 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 17 | 22 | |
| Transfers | 1 | 8 |
Recommendations (5)
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 4
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
How will the Prison Service support Full Sutton to achieve an increase in the number of workplaces for prisoners, so that the proportion of prisoners in work improves significantly?
HMPPS
Purposeful Activity
Recommendation 2
Repeated
What action is being taken to ensure the woodworking workshops open in 2024 (previously planned to open in 2023)
Governor / Director
Purposeful Activity
Recommendation 3
Repeated
When will there be an increase in the number of workplaces available so that the number of prisoners out of work is substantially reduced?
Governor / Director
Purposeful Activity
Recommendation 4
How does the Governor plan to improve the time taken to search and distribute new prisoners’ property and ensure prisoners receive their property in a timely manner?
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
When will there be an increase in drug testing capacity?
Governor / Director
Substance Misuse
Other IMB Reports for Full Sutton
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
11 Mar 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 3
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.