IMB Annual Reports
768 annual reports from Independent Monitoring Boards covering 171 establishments. IMBs provide independent oversight of prisons, immigration removal centres, and secure training centres. Source: imb.org.uk.
768
Reports
171
Establishments
757
With Key Concerns
Establishment Type
Reports by Year
Key Findings
99% of IMB reports flag key concerns.
Independent monitors cover 171 establishments
across prisons, immigration removal centres and secure training centres.
East Sutton Park
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 2
Assaults: 2
HMP/YOI East Sutton Park is an open female prison praised for its safety, healthcare, and resettlement efforts, with no deaths in custody during the reporting period. Key concerns include ongoing issues with property transfers, inconsistent responses to bullying, and delays in ROTL progression. The Board also highlights accessibility challenges in the old building and spatial constraints in healthcare facilities.
Key concerns identified
- Persistent issues with property transfers from other prisons causing frustration for prisoners.
- Inconsistent and sometimes delayed responses to prisoner-on-prisoner bullying and low-level negative behaviour.
- Delays and lack of clarity in ROTL risk assessments and progression, exacerbated by external input and new procedures.
- Challenges for prisoners with physical disabilities and mobility issues due to the old building's lack of accessibility features and limited suitable internal jobs.
- Healthcare facility's lack of space, leading to capacity restrictions and confidentiality risks.
- Prisoners' fear of raising issues or complaints due to concerns about being returned to closed conditions, occasionally exacerbated by reported staff threats.
- Inconsistent and sometimes delayed responses to prisoner-on-prisoner bullying and low-level negative behaviour.
- Delays and lack of clarity in ROTL risk assessments and progression, exacerbated by external input and new procedures.
- Challenges for prisoners with physical disabilities and mobility issues due to the old building's lack of accessibility features and limited suitable internal jobs.
- Healthcare facility's lack of space, leading to capacity restrictions and confidentiality risks.
- Prisoners' fear of raising issues or complaints due to concerns about being returned to closed conditions, occasionally exacerbated by reported staff threats.
East Sutton Park
PRISON
East Sutton Park
PRISON
Concerns
This report for HMP East Sutton Park covers the period from November 2021 to October 2022. The Board finds the open women's prison to be largely safe and well-run, with good staff-resident relationships and effective resettlement efforts, particularly in securing external employment. Key concerns include the low population numbers hindering full use of capacity, residents arriving with insufficient time for resettlement, and the need to review fire evacuation procedures.
Key concerns identified
- The number of women entering the prison is below capacity, limiting the number who can benefit from its resettlement preparation.
- Many residents arrive with too little time remaining on their sentences to fully engage with and benefit from the resettlement programme.
- Other prisons are slow or fail to respond to complaints made by ESP residents against them.
- The fire contingency plan requires urgent review and careful monitoring to ensure its effectiveness across all areas of the prison.
- The canteen list needs more regular review to ensure it remains relevant to the needs of residents.
- There is a need to train more Listeners due to several existing Listeners leaving the prison during 2022.
- Many residents arrive with too little time remaining on their sentences to fully engage with and benefit from the resettlement programme.
- Other prisons are slow or fail to respond to complaints made by ESP residents against them.
- The fire contingency plan requires urgent review and careful monitoring to ensure its effectiveness across all areas of the prison.
- The canteen list needs more regular review to ensure it remains relevant to the needs of residents.
- There is a need to train more Listeners due to several existing Listeners leaving the prison during 2022.
East Sutton Park
PRISON
Concerns
HMP East Sutton Park is an open prison for women, commended by the Board for being a safe and well-run establishment during a period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Key strengths include strong healthcare provision, effective resettlement preparation with good accommodation and employment outcomes, and valuable educational programmes. Challenges persist with ensuring prisoners are transferred with sufficient time to serve, effectively utilizing the IEP scheme for disruptive behaviour, and managing weekend medication administration.
Key concerns identified
- The Prison Service needs to ensure prisoners transferred to HMP East Sutton Park have enough time left to serve to maximise resettlement benefits and value for money.
- Closed female establishments must progress suitable women to HMP East Sutton Park for its resettlement regime.
- The Governor should make greater use of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme to address disruptive prisoner behaviour and encourage harmony.
- Quality of prisoner inductions has been patchy due to frequent changes in induction orderlies.
- Ongoing problems with the administration of medications during weekends.
- Disruption to chaplaincy services and forums following the unexpected resignation of the prison chaplain.
- A significant rise in complaints, largely driven by one prolific prisoner.
- Key services (education, employment advice, family support) are still not fully functioning as prior to the pandemic.
- Conflict between outside paid employment and attending in-prison education classes.
- Frustration among prisoners regarding the length of time taken to access support from Ixion (employment advice).
- Closed female establishments must progress suitable women to HMP East Sutton Park for its resettlement regime.
- The Governor should make greater use of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme to address disruptive prisoner behaviour and encourage harmony.
- Quality of prisoner inductions has been patchy due to frequent changes in induction orderlies.
- Ongoing problems with the administration of medications during weekends.
- Disruption to chaplaincy services and forums following the unexpected resignation of the prison chaplain.
- A significant rise in complaints, largely driven by one prolific prisoner.
- Key services (education, employment advice, family support) are still not fully functioning as prior to the pandemic.
- Conflict between outside paid employment and attending in-prison education classes.
- Frustration among prisoners regarding the length of time taken to access support from Ixion (employment advice).
East Sutton Park
PRISON
Concerns
HMP East Sutton Park maintained a safe and supportive environment for women prisoners amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, successfully adapting education and family contact. However, significant concerns remain regarding the insufficient time prisoners have to benefit from resettlement, inconsistent transfers from closed establishments, and pandemic-induced disruptions to sentence planning. Staffing issues in key areas and challenges with dental provision and enabling internet access for distance learning were also highlighted.
Key concerns identified
- Prisoners arriving at East Sutton Park often have insufficient time left to serve, hindering effective resettlement, compounded by inconsistent transfers from closed establishments.
- The pandemic led to significant disruptions in sentence planning boards and patchy induction quality for new prisoners.
- A serious safeguarding incident involving a suspended staff member is under police investigation.
- The dental contract was terminated, and a replacement mobile service has not yet materialised, alongside issues with prescription deliveries.
- Staffing problems persist in the kitchen and on the farm/gardens, including an unfilled butcher position.
- Challenges in implementing WiFi for distance learning due to security restrictions.
- Social visits were significantly curtailed during COVID-19, negatively impacting family contact.
- The pandemic led to significant disruptions in sentence planning boards and patchy induction quality for new prisoners.
- A serious safeguarding incident involving a suspended staff member is under police investigation.
- The dental contract was terminated, and a replacement mobile service has not yet materialised, alongside issues with prescription deliveries.
- Staffing problems persist in the kitchen and on the farm/gardens, including an unfilled butcher position.
- Challenges in implementing WiFi for distance learning due to security restrictions.
- Social visits were significantly curtailed during COVID-19, negatively impacting family contact.