IMB Annual Reports

- Five serious incidents of violence against officers, as well as four committed by prisoners against other prisoners, one of which was an apparent homicide. Violence against staff increased in later months.
- The Board was concerned about food quality and quantity, portion sizes, hygiene in serveries and the poor state of the main kitchen.
- There remain some showers on each wing in very poor condition.
- Segregation staff found it difficult to deal humanely with some seriously mentally ill prisoners who attacked officers whenever their cell was opened.
- Keywork sessions improved in frequency, but the quality of discussions varied widely.
- Important functions such as visits administration and general applications processing suffered from staff absence.
- The administration of social and legal video visits was chaotic, leading to long waits and frequent short notice cancellations.
- 21% of health appointments were missed, with 9% (over 1000 appointments) due to officers not escorting prisoners.
- Staff shortages late in the reporting year reversed the trend of improved opening for Education and workshops.
- Vocational work continued to be low quality, with no replacement for previously lost contracts. Unemployment was almost double the target. Anticipated major cuts in the education budget will worsen the situation.
- Aging infrastructure and an inadequate property management system.
- Insufficient training to new officers on how to manage prisoner relationships.

- The two-thirds of Category B prisoners at Whitemoor are held in overly restrictive Category A conditions, hindering progression.
- Lack of formal standards to ensure purposeful activity is constructive and effectively delivered.
- Inadequate and unreliable access to visits, including legal ones, causing distress and potential human rights issues.
- Persistent regime curtailments due to staff shortages, impacting time out of cell and all activities.
- Insufficient multidisciplinary support for ACCT reviews, potentially compromising self-harm and suicide prevention.
- Problems with food provision, serveries, kitchen equipment, and ongoing rodent infestation.

- Four serious assaults on staff, with lower-level violence and indiscipline reflecting problems with newer officers.
- More needed to be done to suppress illicit drugs.
- Prisoners' pay has been frozen since 2016, while canteen prices increased by 50%.
- The Segregation Unit held too many men who could not or would not relocate, reducing care for others.
- Difficult access to dentists, limited mental health services due to staff shortages, and absence of psychiatry cover.
- Long waits for secure hospital beds for mentally ill prisoners, usually spent in the Segregation Unit.
- Limited time out of cell and lack of predictable regime.
- Frequent closure of education classes and workshops, with low prisoner enthusiasm to return.
- Prisoners perceive little prospect of progression due to limits on regrading and Parole Board rejections.
- The Dispersal System may not be the best way to hold Category B prisoners, imposing greater restrictions.
- Funding is urgently needed for basic decency and safety works, particularly showers.
- Whitemoor’s residential areas need further development to support enhanced prisoners and their progression.
- Prisoners’ pay rates need to be increased to compensate for substantial price increases.

- Staffing crisis, including high turnover and inexperience.
- Overcrowding and regime restrictions in the segregation unit.
- Poor mental health provision, long waits for secure hospital transfers, and the holding of acutely unwell prisoners in segregation.
- Inadequate food provision and catering issues.
- Lack of purposeful activity and reliance on in-cell education.
- The perceived undervaluation and restriction of chaplaincy services.
- The inability of the Bridge Unit to function effectively due to segregation overflow.

- The significant negative impact of prolonged lockdown conditions and reduced purposeful activity on prisoners' mental health and wellbeing.
- An increase in the use of illicit substances, including hooch, facilitated in part by staff corruption, posing a risk to safety and stability.
- The persistently high occupancy of the segregation unit, often exceeding its capacity and leading to extended periods of isolation, which also impacts the functioning of the adjacent Bridge unit.
- Delays and poor quality in essential estate refurbishment projects, such as the main kitchen, alongside the ongoing lack of in-cell telephones, hindering family contact and reducing stress.
- The difficulties in arranging timely transfers for prisoners with complex needs to specialist units, leading to men languishing in unsuitable conditions.
- Challenges in staff retention and the reliance on less experienced officers, contributing to inconsistencies in staff-prisoner relations and key worker scheme delivery.
- The continuing frustration caused by inadequate management of prisoners' property, particularly during transfers between establishments.

- The over-reliance on the segregation unit due to a lack of appropriate alternative accommodation, leading to continuous regime restrictions and long periods of confinement.
- A significant increase in violence and self-harm incidents, including prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff assaults, and a 31% rise in ACCT cases.
- The lamentable performance in delivering basic education programs, with 52% of classes cancelled due to staff shortages.
- Persistent issues with the management and transfer of prisoner property between establishments, causing significant anxiety.
- The failure to fully establish the key worker scheme, hindering its potential positive impact on staff-prisoner relationships and progression.
- Inadequate provision for older and disabled prisoners, as well as poor facilities for families visiting, including lack of hot food and safe play areas for children.