Prison officers at 31 jails in London and south-east England are in line for pay rises of up to £5,000, under a £12m package announced by the government. The increase means new starters could receive up to £29,500 a year. Ministers said they wanted to attract the “best talent”. Prisons with recruitment issues are being… Continue Reading
HMP Wymott – A reasonably safe prison doing good rehabilitation work
HMP Wymott remained reasonably safe and was doing good work to rehabilitate prisoners and to reduce the risk of reoffending, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the training prison in Lancashire. HMP Wymott holds over 1,100 prisoners, approximately half of whom have been convicted… Continue Reading
HMP Norwich: Well-Led & Making Progress
HMP/YOI Norwich was well led, had continued to make progress and managed many of the challenges it faced, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the Norfolk jail. HMP/YOI Norwich is a local prison holding a complex mix of remanded and sentenced category B, C… Continue Reading
Marine Serving Life For Murdering Afghan Fighter Challenges Conviction
A Royal Marine serving life after being found guilty of murdering an injured Afghan fighter challenges his conviction today. Five judges at the Court Martial Appeal Court in London will review the case of Sergeant Alexander Blackman. Blackman, of Taunton in Somerset, will watch proceedings via video link from prison. His wife Claire and dozens… Continue Reading
HMP Exeter: A Prison In Decline Due To Staff Shortages
There were not enough staff at HMP Exeter and safety had declined, as had work to rehabilitate prisoners, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Current staff should, however, be praised for their efforts, he added. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the local prison in Devon. HMP Exeter held 490… Continue Reading
HMP Leyhill: A Safe & Decent Open Prison, But Prisoners Are Not Being Discharged By A Lack of Approved Premises
HMP Leyhill was a safe and decent prison which helped to prepare prisoners for release, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons – but where he also found untrained, unsupervised, prisoners were expected to mentor other prisoners, where there were problems with the release on temporary licence system (ROTL) and where a lack of approved… Continue Reading
HMYOI COOKHAM WOOD – A YOI Which Continues to Improve
HMYOI Cookham Wood was well led and working effectively and confidently with the boys it held, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the young offender institution in Kent. Cookham Wood holds boys aged 15 to 18. It is one of only a few such… Continue Reading
THE NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM REVEALS FOR THE FIRST TIME 124,000 DETAINED EACH DAY IN THE UK
The UK’s National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) can reveal that in excess of 124,000 people in the UK are detained on any given day in secure hospitals, prisons, immigration facilities, secure children’s homes, police cells and military prison. The actual number of people detained on any given day is likely to be much higher as it… Continue Reading
HMP Hewell – Improvements But Serious Safety Concerns On Closed Site Say Inspectors
Safety needed to improve on the closed site of HMP Hewell but some notable progress had been made and the open site was generally good, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an announced inspection of the category B local prison and category D open prison in Worcestershire. HMP… Continue Reading
Transgender Prisoners Often Vulnerable and Need to be Better Managed Says Ombudsman
Prisons need to be more flexible and proactive in managing transgender prisoners, based on their individual needs and circumstances, so that they can live safely, said Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) Nigel Newcomen. Today he published a bulletin on lessons that can be learned from his investigations. The bulletin draws on recommendations from investigations into… Continue Reading
