brixton action plan - justice inspectorates · plans are in place between hmp brixton’s...

ACTION PLAN: HMCIP REPORT

ESTABLISHMENT: HMP BRIXTON TIMETABLE STATUS OF THIS RETURN Announced inspection 3-7 November 2014 Report published 17 March 2015 Action Plan submitted 14 May 2015 Attached

ACTION PLAN - HMCIP REPORT ESTABLISHMENT: HMP BRIXTON

POSITION AS AT: MAY 2015

1. Rec. No.

2. Recommendation

3. Accepted/ Rejected

4. Response

Action Taken/Planned

5. Function

Responsible/ Policy Lead

6. Target Date

Main recommendations to NOMS 5.1 Cells designed for single occupancy should not

be used to hold two prisoners. (S50) Rejected The occupancy of prison cells is determined by

establishments and certified by Deputy Directors of Custody (DDC) in accordance with PSI 17/2012, which provides clear guidelines for determining cell capacities. Cells will only be shared where a DDC has assessed them to be of adequate size and condition for doing so. All accommodation is compliant with the certified cell certificate.

Deputy Director of Custody

(DDC)

5.2 Prisoners should not be transferred to Brixton with insufficient time left to serve to benefit from the regime. (S53)

Accepted Subject to Resources

While it is unfortunate that prisoners are arriving at HMP Brixton with a short time left to serve, transfer arrangements are made between the sending and receiving establishments and any transfer decision should take into consideration individual resettlement needs. However, it is acknowledged that due to recent pressure on places in the adult male estate, HMP Brixton has been required to accept prisoners outside of its normal allocation criteria, including prisoners with a short time left to serve. Plans are in place between HMP Brixton’s Observation, Classification and Allocation (OCA) department and OCAs at sending prisons to address these issues and to ensure HMP Brixton’s population is, as far as possible, in line with their function as a resettlement prison. Due to the Prisons Reconfiguration Project, HMP Brixton has a significantly higher percentage of prisoners transferred in with at least three months to serve before their earliest release date. However, population pressures

Operational Services and Interventions

Group (OSIG)/ DDC

require the prison to sometimes accept prisoners with less than three months to serve and this is unavoidable.

Main recommendations to the Governor 5.3 Staff training and supervision processes should

support staff in developing relationships with prisoners appropriate to a category C/D resettlement regime. (S51, repeated recommendation S55)

Accepted Pro-Social Modelling training will be delivered to staff in the financial year 2015 /16 and this will include a briefing on the role of a Resettlement Prison. This training will be supported by information shared at staff briefings and meetings including staff performance and development record (SPDR) meetings.

Head of Corporate Services

30 April 2016

5.4 Processes for allocating work and monitoring attendance should be improved to ensure that all prisoners are purposefully engaged in learning and skills and work. (S52)

Accepted The process of allocating prisoners to activities will be reviewed by the Head of Reducing Re-offending. Induction will include a multi-disciplinary Sentence Planning Board to ensure the activities relevant to the prisoner’s sentence plan are, where possible, allocated in a sequenced order. Fortnightly unemployment boards will take place on each wing to identify prisoners who are not engaging in activities. Strict daily monitoring of non-attendance to all activities will be increased. Non-attendees without a valid reason will be dealt with through the incentives and earned privileges (IEP) scheme.

Head of Reducing Re-

offending

31 May 2015

30 April 2015

30 April

2015

5.5 All prisoners should have an up-to-date OASys assessment and sentence plan. Recategorisation and home detention curfew decisions should be made on time. (S54)


The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has taken numerous measures to address the backlog of OASys assessments; from paying staff overtime, placing staff on detached duty to provide additional cover and issuing an interim policy to enable staff to better prioritise which prisoners according to the type of assessment they require. A working group has also been formed by Business Development Group considering alternative methods that can be used to address OASys backlogs working jointly with Public Sector Prisons, the contracted estate and the National Probation Service. Alongside this, NOMS is undertaking a formal review of Offender Management in custody and considering assessment policy for the longer term. This includes consideration of when risk and needs assessments should take place, and in what form, to

Offender Management

and Public Protection

Group (OMPPG)/

Head of Offender

Management Unit (OMU)

Long Term Action

ensure NOMS is able to deliver what is necessary. On a local level, prisoners should not transfer to HMP Brixton without an OASys, but HMP Brixton cannot refuse them if they do not have one and population pressures require the prison to accept sentenced Category C/ D prisoners. The Head of OMU will continue to lead the efforts to address the OASys arrears by setting challenging weekly and monthly targets for each offender supervisor to complete this work as soon as possible. The Head of OMU will also continue to lead efforts to address the home detention curfew (HDC) and re-categorisation backlog. The Head of OMU will report on the current backlog of HDC and re-categorisation cases each month at the Senior Management Team (SMT) meeting and consideration will be given to cross-deploying staff to assist with this work.

31 May 2015

Recommendation to NOMS Reintegration planning

5.6 The range of accredited interventions should be reviewed in the light of the new population, and provision should match identified need. (4.66)

Accepted NOMS delivers a broad range of interventions to address the particular risks and needs of offenders. There are a number of accredited offending behaviour programmes, based on cognitive-behavioural principles that address thinking skills, anger management, domestic and other types of violent crime as well as sexual offending. These are available for commissioning, but it is a matter for Governors and Deputy Directors of Custody whether, and if so, what type of interventions are offered in individual establishments according to the population's needs. Following consultation with NOMS commissioners, which considered the changing demographic at HMP Brixton after the re-role of G wing, the RESOLVE programme has been added to the prison’s interventions schedule in 2015/16.

NOMS Interventions

Services, OSIG/ Head of

Reducing Re-offending

Completed

Recommendations to the Governor Early days in custody

5.7 All first night cells should be clean and fully prepared for occupation. (1.14)

Accepted A cell checklist will be introduced by the C and G Wing custodial Managers (CM) to ensure that sufficient clean and

Head of Residence

31 May 2015

fully prepared cells are available for new arrivals. Supervising officers will be required to sign the checklist having ensured that the cells are ready to be occupied and wing orderlies will have the task of preparing the cells added to their job description.

5.8 All newly arrived prisoners should be offered a free telephone call to inform family or friends of their arrival at the establishment (subject to public protection measures). (1.15)

Accepted Newly arrived prisoners will be able to make a telephone call to their family or friends subject to public protection measures once they have arrived on the wing.

Head of Residence

31 May 2015

5.9 The time taken to complete induction should be reduced, to avoid unnecessary periods of inactivity. (1.16)

Partially Accepted

The current induction process takes 3.5 days to complete which is appropriate given the prison’s role as a resettlement prison and the amount of information that new prisoners need to receive. However, the induction process will be reviewed by the Activities Hub Manager, taking the results of consultation with prisoners into account, to ensure that it is better organised and considers sequencing and custody planning. The review will produce a multi-disciplinary induction team with a remit to identify a detailed custody plan for each prisoner to include their allocation to activities.

Head of Reducing re-

offending

30 June 2015

Bullying and violence reduction 5.10 The prison should investigate and take action on

prisoners’ negative perceptions of their safety. (1.25, repeated recommendation 1.20)

Accepted The Head of Safer Custody and Equality will prepare a new prisoner survey to enquire into prisoners’ negative perceptions of their safety. Prisoner consultation events will also take place to gather feedback on this subject. The data collected from the survey and the focus groups will be analysed and the results will inform a continuous improvement plan to address the underlying issues.

Head of Safer Custody & Equality

31 July 2015

5.11 The safer custody and violence reduction strategy and action plan should be specific to Brixton and be clearly based on an analysis of data on violent incidents which includes the characteristics of those involved. (1.26)

Accepted An analysis of all violent incidents including the perpetrators of violence will be discussed at the monthly Safer Custody Meeting chaired by the Deputy Governor. The Head of Safer Custody and Equality will examine all available data to establish if any trends exist and whether additional actions can take place. A revised Safer Custody and Violence Reduction Strategy will be written based on the findings.


30 April 2015

30 June 2015

5.12 Prisoners should feel confident in reporting Accepted A new violence reduction tool will be fully implemented. All Head of Safer 30 April

incidents of bullying and victimisation. All incidents should be investigated thoroughly. (1.27)

actions taken with a prisoner, whether they are a perpetrator or a victim of violence, will be recorded via the Prison- NOMIS system. Senior officers (SO) and officers undertaking this work will receive guidance on how to carry out these tasks. The Safer Custody CM will carry out daily checks on the standard of entries made to ensure that actions taken by SOs and CMs are appropriate and proportionate. All violent incidents will be discussed at the monthly Safer Custody meeting chaired by the Deputy Governor. The Head of Safer Custody & Equality will consult with prisoners and take the results of the prisoner survey into account when considering possible improvements to the manner in which violent incidents are reported and how victims and perpetrators are managed and supported.

Custody & Equality

2015

30 June 2015

30 April

2015

5.13 An effective tool for managing perpetrators and supporting victims should be fully implemented, and trained bullying and violence reduction representatives should be in post. (1.28)

Accepted As 5.12, a new violence reduction tool will be fully implemented to record all actions taken by perpetrators or victims of violence on Prison- NOMIS and entries will be monitored. Risk assessed prisoners will be trained in mediation skills as Violence Reduction Representatives and issued with t-shirts identifying them as such. The Head of Safer Custody & Equality will prepare job descriptions for the reps which are based on feedback from prisoners via the survey and focus groups.


30 April 2015

30 June

2015

Self-harm and suicide 5.14 Trend analysis should be used to inform a

localised suicide and self-harm prevention strategy. (1.36, repeated recommendation 1.30)

Accepted All acts of self-harm and suicide attempts will be discussed at the monthly Safer Custody meeting chaired by the Deputy Governor. The Safer Custody Report will include an in-depth analysis of self-harm data which will be used as part of the Safer Prisons Strategy.


30 April 2015

5.15 The quality of assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) case management recording should be improved and reviews should be sufficiently multidisciplinary. (1.37)

Accepted 10% of closed ACCTs will be quality checked by the Governor, or in her absence, the Deputy Governor to ensure that ACCT quality is improved and that reviews continue to be multi-disciplinary. A Notice To Staff will be published reminding staff about their responsibility to attend


30 April 2015

ACCT reviews. Additional Case Manager training will be delivered to SOs and CMs to raise the quality of this work.

30 September

2015 5.16 Prisoners’ poor perception of access to Listeners

when they need it should be explored and addressed. (1.38)

Accepted The Safer Custody & Equality CM will run consultation sessions with prisoners to establish why they have poor perceptions of access to the Listeners Scheme. The Safer Custody & Equality CM will run an advertising campaign to raise the profile of the Listener scheme by including information about Listeners in the induction presentation and prisoners’ magazine.


31 May 2015

30 June 2015

5.17 The constant supervision cell for those at risk of self-harm should not be located in the segregation unit. (1.39)


A bid for funding will be made to create an alternative location for the constant supervision cell on D Wing so that constant supervision will no longer be carried out in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU).


30 April 2016

Safeguarding 5.18 An effective referral process should be in place

to safeguard vulnerable adults. (1.43) Accepted Planning is currently ongoing with Lambeth Council to

implement an effective referral process to safeguard vulnerable adults. HMP Brixton now sits as a full partner on the Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board. A framework will be devised and a monitoring and referral process will be implemented.


offending

30 June 2015

Security 5.19 The physical security and regime arrangements

should be revised to reflect conditions which are appropriate to category D prisoners. (1.50)

Partially Accepted

A review of the Local Security Strategy will consider whether any changes are possible to the physical and procedural security and regime arrangements on C Wing. However, HMP Brixton is a closed category C prison which holds category D prisoners and the review will be constrained by resources and facilities currently available under Business Development Group (BDG) and Mobilisation, Transition and Transformation (MTT) guidelines. Fitting privacy locks to all C Wing cell doors has been costed and a bid for funding will be made.

Head of Security &

Operations / Head of

Residence

30 September

2015

30 April 2016

5.20 Visits restrictions should only be imposed in response to visits-related activities. (1.51)

Rejected Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 15/2011, Management of Security at Visits, provides that closed visits may be

Security Policy Unit (SPU)/

imposed in the absence of specific visits-related activity. Closed visits may be imposed as an administrative measure where necessary in accordance with Prison Rule 34 (1) and (3), i.e. for reasons of securing good order and discipline or for the prevention of crime or in the interests of any persons. They should be applied where prisoners are proved or reasonably suspected of involvement in smuggling prohibited items through visits, or are considered to pose a reasonable risk of involvement, or when the application of closed visits is otherwise necessary for the grounds specified in the Prison Rules. In considering the imposition of closed visits, establishments should be able to demonstrate that in deciding to apply closed visits they: (a) have taken into account all the individual circumstances of the case; (b) have acted proportionately; and, (c) have kept the requirement for the closed visit under review. Visits restrictions will only be imposed in line with national policy. The Head of Security & Operations will carry out a monthly review of any visits restrictions imposed on a prisoner or their visitors.

Head of Security & Operations

30 April 2015

5.21 Intelligence reports should be processed within 48 hours of receipt by the security department. (1.52)

Accepted Trained analysts are now in place which has greatly speeded up the processing of intelligence reports. In addition to this, the over-time facility will be used to deal with any backlog.


Completed and ongoing

5.22 The drug and alcohol strategy should be informed by an up-to-date needs assessment and reflect the current challenges of drug availability, including new psychoactive substances such as spice. The supply reduction meeting should be held regularly, to ensure an appropriate focus on the current substance misuse challenges. (1.53)

Accepted A needs assessment will be completed by the Head of Reducing Re-offending and it will be used to inform the revised drug and alcohol strategy to ensure that it reflects the current challenges of drug availability, including new psychoactive substances. The Drug Strategy meeting will be held quarterly and will cover all aspects of current substance misuse and the actions required to combat it will be agreed.


offending

31 August 2015

30 June 2015

5.23 The prison should ensure that all measures identified in the supply reduction strategy are in place. (1.54, repeated recommendation 1.45)

Accepted As 5.22, the quarterly Drug Strategy meeting agenda will cover all aspects of current substance misuse including the supply reduction strategy.


offending

30 June 2015

Discipline

5.24 Recording and management oversight of the use of force, including special accommodation should be effective. (1.67, repeated recommendation 1.57),

Accepted The Head of Safer Custody & Equality will visit the CSU every weekday to ensure that the recording of use of force including the use of special accommodation complies with national policy. The Use of Force Committee chaired by the Deputy Governor will carry out spot checks on the paperwork for all of the incidents that took place in the preceding month and actions will be taken to improve the quality of recording.


31 May 2015

5.25 The use of force committee should regularly review video recordings of all planned use of force incidents and should analyse data to establish emerging trends and areas of particular concern. (1.68)

Accepted The monthly Use of Force Committee chaired by the Deputy Governor will review video recordings from all planned use of force incidents and any footage of spontaneous use of force. The Security Department will store all CCTV and video evidence which will ensure availability when required for analysis. The Head of Safer Custody & Equality will analyse incident data to establish emerging trends and areas of particular concern and will take action to deal with any perceived trends.


31 May 2015

5.26 Sufficient investment should be made to resolve the structural and decorative issues in the segregation unit accommodation. (1.74)


Significant investment and decisions about a potential loss of bed spaces on B Wing would be required for fundamental structural improvements to be made to the CSU. However, a bid will be made for this project in 2015/16. In the meantime, a painting programme will take place in the CSU and all repairs will be reported and acted on quickly.


30 April 2016

30 April 2015

5.27 The regime for prisoners in the segregation unit should be improved. (1.75, repeated recommendation 1.64)

Accepted A review of the regime offered to prisoners in the CSU will be undertaken by the Head of Safer Custody & Equality. A handbook for CSU prisoners, outlining what prisoners can expect and what they will be entitled to, will be given to all residents. The Head of Safer Custody & Equality will carry out daily checks alongside the duty governors to ensure that the expected regime is delivered.


31 July 2015

30 April 2015

Residential units 5.28 Toilets in cells on A, B and G wings should be

appropriately screened. (2.9, repeated recommendation 2.10)


Wing managers will carry out monthly checks on all cells to ensure that toilets are screened. A costing exercise to improve the screens on G Wing has been commissioned

Head of Residence

30 April 2015

through Mitie. 5.29 All showers should be clean, well maintained

and screened to provide full privacy. (2.10) Accepted Wing managers will carry out monthly checks on all

showers to ensure that they are cleaned, screened and well maintained. Action will be taken to correct any non-compliance.

Head of Residence

30 April 2015

5.30 Prisoner applications should be tracked to ensure completion and to raise prisoner confidence in the system. (2.11)

Accepted The Head of Residence will consult with prisoners and staff as part of a review of the applications process and look to implement an effective process by the completion date.

Head of Residence

30 September

2015 Staff-prisoner relationships

5.31 Personal officers should contribute to sentence planning boards and offender assessment system (OASys) reviews where appropriate. (2.18, repeated recommendation 2.20)

Accepted The Head of OMU will ensure that offender supervisors request contributions to HDC and OASys reviews from personal officers and the education and activity staff. OASys quality checks will be used to ascertain the degree to which this is happening. The Head of Residence will carry out 5% checks and the Wing Managers will carry out 10% checks on the timeliness and quality of personal officer Prison-NOMIS entries.

Head of OMU/ Head of

Residence

30 April 2015

Equality and diversity 5.32 Equality monitoring data should include foreign

nationals and be assessed promptly to help ensure equality of outcomes for different minority groups. (2.26)

Accepted Equality monitoring data including information about foreign nationals will be collected during induction by the Equality Officer and then entered on Prison-NOMIS. The Equality Officer will maintain a list of foreign national prisoners and will liaise with Border Agency staff and offender supervisors to keep up to date with any issues that arise and to ensure prompt action where necessary. Equality monitoring data including information about foreign nationals will be discussed at the monthly Equality meeting, when any required actions will be agreed to ensure equality of outcomes for different minority groups.


30 April 2015

5.33 The prison should hold regular forums and consultation with prisoners across each of the main diversity strands. (2.27)

Accepted The Head of Safer Custody & Equality will arrange prisoner consultation groups every six months to cover the main diversity strands. Diversity Representatives will be in place on each wing to ensure that the Equality Officer can receive feedback to pick up any issues as soon as possible. Any issues will be reported to the monthly Equality meeting which the Diversity Representatives will attend.


31 May 2015

30 April 2015

5.34 All discrimination incident report forms should be Accepted All discrimination incident report forms (DIRF) will be quality Head of Safer 30 April

monitored effectively and checked by a senior manager to ensure a full and prompt investigation. (2.28)

checked by the Deputy Governor after they have been investigated by the Equality Officer.

Custody & Equality

2015

5.35 Foreign national prisoners liable to deportation should have effective access to independent legal representation. Those who cannot afford to pay for it should be offered free advice. (2.40)

Partially Accepted

The Home Office fully supports the need for foreign national offenders (FNO) to receive independent legal advice and would advise them to speak to their legal representatives who will be able to provide them with independent advice. There would however be a conflict of interest if the Home Office were directly involved in the procurement of that advice. FNOs can request a list from the prison of solicitors in the area who will be able to provide specialist independent legal advice. NOMS does not fund legal advice, however HMP Brixton is in talks with the Lambeth Law Society in order for them to provide free advice to foreign national prisoners and posters are on display on the wings giving contact details for solicitors who are able to provide an initial free consultation. Bail Information for Detainees (BID) staff will attend the prison every quarter to offer advice to prisoners in detention or facing detention.

Immigration Enforcement, Home Office/ Head of Safer

Custody & Equality

Completed

30 April 2015

5.36 The Home Office should serve all decisions to detain a person under immigration powers at least one month before the end of a prisoner’s custodial sentence expiry date. (2.41)

Rejected Every effort is made to ensure that an FNOs removal by deportation coincides with his or her release from prison on completion of sentence or during the Early Removal Scheme period where that applies. Where the removal of an FNO is not possible on completion of their sentence, detention may be continued under immigration powers. Every effort is made to ensure that prisoners are aware of the decision to maintain detention at the end of their sentence. Any FNO who meets the criteria under the provisions of automatic deportation within the UK Borders Act 2007 will have been advised that they are liable for deportation from the date of their conviction HMP Brixton has no control over when the Home Office decides to enforce detention on a foreign national prisoner but the Equality Officer ensures that as soon as the notification is received then the paperwork is served without

Immigration Enforcement, Home Office/ Head of Safer

Custody & Equality

any additional delay. 5.37 Prisoners with disabilities should have an up-to-

date personal emergency evacuation and care plans where necessary, and all wing staff should be aware of them. (2.42)

Accepted Prisoners who require a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) will be identified in Reception. Wing staff will generate a PEEP which will be kept in the wing office. Wing managers will carry out monthly checks to ensure PEEPs are current and relate to those prisoners on the wing.

Head of Residence

30 April 2015

Complaints 5.38 The prison should explore prisoner’s limited

confidence in the discrimination incident and general complaints processes and take action to address it. This should include informing prisoners of the results of regular analysis of the patterns and trends of complaints and the response to them. (2.55, repeated recommendation 2.42).

Accepted The Head of Corporate Services will provide a breakdown of the number of complaints made, subject trends and the results of quality checking of responses for the bi-monthly Queensland meeting (the Governor’s Prisoner Consultation meeting). This report will include information about the number of complaints about staff and the number of complaints where discrimination is alleged. The local equality policy and the DIRF process will be promoted and explained during the induction process to new arrivals. The current local deadline for all DIRFs to be investigated is seven days, but every DIRF will result in an interim response to confirm that it has been received. The Equality Officer will give every prisoner who has submitted a DIRF feedback in person about the results of the investigation. The Zahid Mubarek Trust attends the establishment every quarter to quality check all DIRFs.

Head of Corporate

Services / Head of Safer

Custody & Equality

30 April 2015

30 April 2015

Health services 5.39 Prisoners should be able to report health care

complaints confidentially. (2.69, repeated recommendation 2.57)

Accepted A new confidential healthcare complaint system which is managed by the healthcare contractor has been implemented.

Head of Healthcare

Completed and Ongoing

5.40 Did-not-attend rates and waiting times should be subject to sustained management action to drive them down. (2.80)

Accepted Did not attend (DNA) activity and behaviour is tracked and monitored on a monthly basis by the Head of Healthcare. In an effort to provide a service equitable to that in the community, action is taken to not book a further appointment where an individual repeatedly chooses not to attend appointments. Healthcare staff will look at strengthening how it could work with the prison to improve this process and discussions are underway with the

Head of Healthcare/

Head of Residence

30 April 2015

Governor. Waiting times for appointments will also be closely monitored and reported to the Governor every month by the Head of Healthcare.

5.41 The out-of-hours medical cover should emulate the service provided in the community. (2.81)

Accepted The demand for out of hours (OOH) cover at HMP Brixton currently does not warrant a site visit. However, OOH arrangements within Care UK are the subject of a review and this may change. In the meantime, Videolink technology is available for orderly officers and prisoners to seek advice regarding medical concerns. First Aid trained staff are available throughout the day and night and any prisoner experiencing severe medical problems is taken to hospital.

Head of Healthcare

Completed and Ongoing

5.42 The X-ray facility should be available to patients as required by clinicians. (2.82)

Accepted The healthcare commissioner will procure a service provider to interpret x-rays.

Head of Healthcare/

NHSE Commissioner

31 July 2015

5.43 Medication administration should be adequately supervised, to ensure privacy and compliance, and reduce the risk of bullying and diversion (2.89, repeated recommendation 2.80)

Accepted The prison operates to MTT and BDG staffing levels which provides supervision of controlled medication by prison officers.

Head of Residence

Completed

5.44 Prison officers should be trained to recognise when a prisoner requires assistance from mental health practitioners. (2.98)


Subject to courses and funding being made available, prison officers will be trained to recognise when a prisoner requires assistance from mental health practitioners. In the meantime, a programme of ACCT Case Manager and ACCT Awareness training continues to be delivered to all staff and it includes information on mental health issues.


30 April 2016

Catering 5.45 Breakfast packs should be issued on the day

they are meant to be eaten. (2.105, repeated recommendation 2.109)

Rejected There is no capacity to serve breakfast to prisoners on the day without severely impacting on the regime. The serving of breakfast packs the evening before is a well-established practice across the prison estate and one, which contributes to a swifter start to the morning regime, including start time for work and other activities. The contents of the packs are suitable to be stored in the prisoners’ cells overnight.

Head of Corporate Services

5.46 Prisoners on the main wings should be able to Accepted Prisoners on all of the wings will be able to eat outside of Head of 30 April

eat out of their cells. (2.106, repeated recommendation 2.110)

their cells using chairs and tables provided. Residence 2015

Purchases 5.47 The cost of items in the prison shop list,

including telephone credit, should be in line with that in the community (2.111, repeated recommendation 2.117).

Rejected Selling prices for items on the National Product List used for prison canteen reflect prices on the high street and are normally set at the manufacturer’s recommended retail price (RRP). Under certain circumstances some items may be set below RRP but never above. For example, where the item is price marked the marked price would be charged. NOMS firmly believes using RRP is the fairest way of pricing and the prices charged to prisoners are reviewed every week in line with the issue of the Prisoner Product List. Surveys continually demonstrate the competitiveness of NOMS pricing with the high street and in many instances NOMS comes out as one of the cheapest.

Commercial and Contract Management Directorate

5.48 The prison should ensure that arrangements for the distribution of shop goods do not increase the risk of victimisation. (2.112)

Accepted The canteen service will be closely supervised by prison officers and supervising officers to minimise the risks of victimisation of prisoners. While some isolated thefts do take place, these will be immediately dealt with through the IEP or adjudication systems.

Head of Residence

30 April 2015

Time out of cell 5.49 Evening association should be available to all, to

promote family contact. (3.6) Rejected In accordance with PSI 75/2011, Residential Services, the

current policy is to move away from central prescription. This provides greater local flexibility for Governors and recognises that a one size fits all approach is not appropriate in this area. In line with this approach, previous guidance on standard core day delivery has therefore been withdrawn. There will no longer be a central mandate for core day timings or regimes and there is the flexibility for Public Sector Governors to agree appropriate regimes that meet the needs of the establishment’s population within available resources as part of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) /contract discussions. It is therefore down to local discretion to decide on issues such as timing, length and frequency of association, work and other activities within

Policy Team, Equalities, Rights and

Decency Group (ERDG)/ Head of Residence

each establishment approved through normal line management arrangements. The NOMS Agency Board do not expect significant changes or curtailment in existing regimes given that evening association is generally necessary to maintain access to ‘domestics’ and to provide appropriate time out of cell to maintain well-being, support social interaction and avoid risk of disorder. However, a minority of establishments do not provide evening association and this is acceptable as long as the regime remains compliant with the specification, and has been approved through the SLA process. HMP Brixton operates the national core day which does not provide for evening association for all prisoners. Enhanced prisoners and all Cat Ds have access to telephone calls and time out of cell during weekday evenings.

5.50 All category D prisoners should have privacy keys to their cells and they should not be locked in their cells during the evening and night. (3.7)


A business case will be submitted for funding to fit privacy locks to all Category D cells.

Head of Residence

30 September

2015 5.51 All prisoners should have at least one hour of

outdoor exercise each day, in yards which are adequately equipped. (3.8)

Partially Accepted

National policy set out in the Residential Services Instruction (PSI 75/2011) states prisoners are afforded a minimum of 30 minutes in the open air daily, as defined in the Service Level Agreement/Contract. This provision is mandatory, subject to weather conditions and the need to maintain good order and discipline. The prison operates the standard national core day which does not provide for one hour of exercise each day. However this is available for Cat D prisoners. Prisoners have the opportunity for access to open air during the lunch period and to and from activities. A proposal for equipping the yards in line with the report will be put together and considered within budgetary constraints.

Policy Team, ERDG/ Head of

Residence

31 December

2015 Learning and skills and work activities

5.52 Prison managers should develop further the self- Accepted The Head of Reducing Re-offending will update HMP Head of 31 May 2015

assessment and quality assurance process to ensure that actions to improve the provision are prioritised, specific and measurable, and aimed at improving further prisoners’ outcomes. (3.17)

Brixton’s Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and all related action plans to ensure that each point is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound). Manchester College’s SAR moderation boards will take place and increased support will be provided to learners. A course and subject area review will take place to identify under-performance, plan improvements and measure impact. Learner feedback and evaluation data will be included in all course reviews.


31 May 2015

5.53 Managers should analyse participation and achievement data to identify variations in performance and set targets for improvement. (3.18)

Accepted In partnership with Manchester College, the Head of Reducing Re-offending will set up regular reviews of performance data and will monitor achievement against targets.


offending

30 April 2015

5.54 Managers should ensure that there are enough relevant progression opportunities in education and vocational training to level 2 and above. Sufficient English and mathematics provision should be available to meet all prisoners’ assessed needs. (3.27)

Accepted In partnership with Manchester College, a full curriculum and accommodation review will be carried out by the Head of Reducing Re-offending, which will ensure sufficient levels of English and Maths provision as well as appropriate progression opportunities are provided. The prison now has centre approval to deliver Level 2 qualifications across all vocational provision. Suitable Level 3 programmes will be identified and implemented as part of Manchester College’s 2015 curriculum review.


offending

30 June 2015

30 June 2015

5.55 Prisoners’ acquisition of work and employment skills should be systematically recognised and recorded to ensure that they are aware of their progress in the development of their employability skills. (3.28)

Accepted Individual Learner Plans (ILPs) will be written to clearly link to prisoners’ sentence plans. All ILPs will include targets to achieve applicable employment and personal skills which will be monitored by curriculum leads as part of the ILP audit and teaching observations. All ILPs will contain information that links to the learners’ prior attainment and future progression. Deputy Education Managers and Curriculum leads will meet to regularly share and identify good practice. All teaching staff will attend Manchester College ILP workshops to raise overall quality.


offending

31 May 2015

30 September

2015 5.56 The standard of teaching and learning in

education and vocational training should be raised further through effective and more

Accepted Teaching observations will be carried out by Manchester College managers to ensure that English and Maths is embedded in the curriculum and will provide an assessment


offending

31 May 2015

extensive use of the observation of teaching and learning arrangements and through planned professional development for staff. (3.35)

of learners’ progress. Manchester College managers will also implement peer lesson observations. After teaching observations have taken place any relevant follow on targets will be set in one to one meetings with teachers. Manchester College managers will carry out quality reviews regularly to identify training needs for their staff and to put support in place where necessary. Manchester College managers will recruit regional advance practitioners to support and coach tutors and trainers. The key performance indicator (KPI) target for teaching observations will be set at 70% ‘good’ or better.

31 May 2015

5.57 Tutors should ensure that, in setting targets in individual learning plans and in the assessment of prisoners’ work, they refer to the specific skills and knowledge that prisoners need to develop. (3.36)

Accepted Manchester College managers will ensure that all learning support targets are meaningful and followed up. The tutor will also be supported to bring about improvement in the learner’s work and their ability to succeed. Feedback from ILPs will be used in supporting the learner’s English, Maths or language needs. All written tutor feedback and/or assessment will include corrections to support the development of English, Maths and IT skills

Head of Reducing re-

offending

31 May 2015

31 May 2015

5.58 The prison should increase the amount of support for prisoners with additional learning needs, particularly in English and mathematics. The number of peer mentors should be increased and they should be used throughout the learning, skills and work provision, to support teaching and learning. (3.37)

Accepted Manchester College managers will ensure that all tutors will implement best practice for learning support and all classes will recruit a peer assistant who will be identified to be on the tutor’s session planning documents. A learning assistant for English will be recruited by Manchester College managers.


offending

30 June 2015

5.59 Prisoners’ achievements in vocational training and educational qualifications should be improved particularly in English and mathematics. (3.41)

Accepted Manchester College managers will hold bi-monthly data sessions with the Functional Skills Co-ordinator. The Vocational and Personal and Social Development Team will analyse retention, success rates and achievement data and identify actions to support improvements. Manchester College managers will improve access to appropriate IT resources to support learning and assessment and they will implement a split Maths class for Entry Level 1 to 3 and Levels 1 and 2. An additional learning support assistant will also be recruited for English. Success rate targets will be included in staff appraisals. KPI targets for success will be set at 75% for Functional Skills by July 2016 and 85% across all other areas.


offending

30 June 2015

30 June 2015

30 June 2015

5.60 Attendance in education and vocational training should be better managed to ensure that prisoners allocated to these activities attend regularly and that the use of places is maximised. (3.42)s

Accepted As 5.4, Manchester College managers will implement strict daily monitoring of non-attendance to all activities. Any non-attendees without a valid reason will be dealt with through the IEP scheme. New monitoring processes for ensuring attendance are also being jointly reviewed by the Head of Reducing Re-offending and the Head of Residence. Class recruitment processes are being altered to ensure that all classes are subscribed to 120% of capacity. Manchester College managers are recruiting a full-time post that will focus on the recruitment of prisoners to education outside of the initial allocation process, with an emphasis on interaction with prisoners on their wings.


offending

31 May 2015

30 April 2015

5.61 Managers should analyse data on non-library users and implement strategies to increase usage, including making the library available at weekends. (3.47)


The SLA for the library is currently being finalised and will factor in the number of staff supplied by Lambeth Library Services. Once there is an increase in staff, work will be undertaken to expand the current data for attendance, highlighting the sections of the population who do not use this resource. There is currently no scope for weekend library access due to the MTT/BDG profile. However, the library is now open for two weekday evenings per week and it is hoped this should provide more visit opportunities, especially for


offending

31 July 2015

prisoners who work full-time. Physical education and healthy living

5.62 Additional PE staff should be recruited as a matter of urgency, to ensure that all prisoners are able to access PE. (3.53)

Accepted A recruitment campaign will take place to fill the current Physical Education Instructor (PEI) vacancies to ensure that a full programme can be offered to all prisoners.

Head of Residence

30 September

2015 5.63 The outside all-weather surface should be

resurfaced to the latest standards, to ensure that continued use is made of the facility. (3.54)


A bid will be submitted to resurface the all-weather areas to the latest standards.

Head of Contract

Management

30 April 2016

5.64 An appropriate range of accredited vocational PE training courses should be provided, with opportunities for progression (3.55, repeated recommendation 3.42)


Subject to the recruitment of three additional PEI grades (as 5.63), HMP Brixton will offer a full programme of PE training courses with opportunities for progression.


offending

30 September

2015

Strategic management of resettlement 5.65 The reducing reoffending strategy should be

informed by a needs analysis that reflects the current population and uses offender assessment system (OASys) data to provide more evidence of offending related need. It should be used to inform development objectives in the strategy. (4.7)

Accepted A full needs analysis will be carried out by the Head of Reducing Re-offending, which will be used to inform a review of the Reducing Re-offending Strategy. The review will use OASys and segmentation data to ensure that it has considered the risk assessed needs of prisoners.


offending

30 September

2015

Offender management and planning 5.66 Objectives in sentence plans should address all

risk and reoffending needs identified and not be restricted to those for which interventions are available at the establishment. (4.16)

Accepted The Head of OMU will ensure that offender supervisors set targets in OASys documents based on risk assessed needs via the quality checking process.

Head of OMU 30 April 2015

5.67 Offender supervisors should have regular planned contact with prisoners allocated to them. (4.17)

Accepted The Head of OMU will ensure that offender supervisors are advised to maintain contact with their allocated prisoners and record interactions with them monthly.


5.68 Allocation to work and interventions should be informed by assessments and planning by the offender management unit. (4.18)

Accepted An OMU representative will attend the weekly Sequencing meeting and where an OASys is available it will be taken into consideration in this process.


Reintegration planning 5.69 All prisoners should have an assessment of their

resettlement needs when they arrive and there should be a process to ensure that their needs are met in a timely fashion. (4.32, repeated recommendation 4.31)

Accepted Resettlement plans are now generated at the local prisons that serve the courts, for all prisoners with the recent introduction of the national basic custody screening tool (BCST). The Community Resettlement Company (CRC) caseworkers will ensure all resettlement issues that need to be addressed are dealt with before the prisoner is released.


offending

30 June 2015

5.70 The outstanding resettlement needs of prisoners Accepted The Offender Rehabilitation Act has transferred resources Head of 30 June

should be checked in good time for these to be addressed before release. (4.33)

and responsibilities in this area to the CRC for London, MTC-Novo. The Heads of OMU and Reducing Re-offending will ensure that information systems are in place to assist the CRC in addressing resettlement needs in a timely manner prior to release.


2015

5.71 Senior managers should review the induction process and identify clear roles and responsibilities for the Prospects and A4e Justice staff, to provide clarity to prisoners and avoid duplication of effort. (4.41)

Accepted Induction arrangements will be reviewed as part of the current discussions with Manchester College in relation to improving the range and quality of the curriculum. The Induction process will make clear the respective roles of Prospects and the education provider.


offending

30 September

2015

5.72 The current ‘work ready’ programme should be reviewed and an appropriate programme that meets all prisoners’ employment preparation needs should be introduced. (4.42)

Accepted The current Work Steady Programme will be reviewed as part of discussions with Manchester College in relation to improving the range and quality of the curriculum.


offending

30 September

2015

5.73 Prisoners’ financial needs should be assessed on arrival and there should be services which meet the needs of all prisoners. (4.51, repeated recommendation 4.51)

Accepted As 5.69, resettlement plans are now generated at local prisons for all prisoners. CRC caseworkers will ensure all resettlement issues including financial needs that need to be addressed are dealt with before the prisoner is released.


offending

30 June 2015

5.74 Financial education should be available to all prisoners. (4.52)

Accepted Financial education will be reviewed as part of the discussions between Manchester College and the Activities Hub Manager (see 5.72).


offending

30 September

2015 5.75 The visitors centre should be expanded to meet

the needs of the population. (4.60, repeated recommendation 4.61)


Bids have been submitted to expand the visitors’ centre. However, success will depend on funding and the physical space available.


30 April 2016

5.76 A survey of visitors should be undertaken to inform the development of provision. (4.61)

Accepted Quarterly visitors’ surveys will be undertaken by Spurgeons in conjunction with HMP Brixton to inform on developments in provision.


30 June 2015

5.77 There should be better privacy for those on closed visits. (4.62, repeated recommendation 4.63)

Rejected In accordance with national policy as set out in PSI 15/2011, Management of Security at Visits; this must be balanced against the need to maintain security. Staff must be able to observe visitors who are suspected of smuggling contraband, and this cannot be achieved without compromising some privacy. There is no other practical alternative location for Closed Visits to take place.

SPU/ Head of Security & Operations

Housekeeping points Early days in custody

5.78 Information about the establishment should be provided in holding rooms. (1.17)

Accepted Induction information will be provided in holding rooms. These are currently being updated as part of a

Head of Security &

31 May 2015

refurbishment programme in Reception. Operations 5.79 Attendance at induction should be monitored, to

ensure that all prisoners complete it. (1.18) Accepted As 5.60, Manchester College managers will implement

strict daily monitoring of non-attendance to all activities including induction and non-attendees without a valid reason will be dealt with through the IEP scheme.


offending

31 May 2015

Self-harm and suicide 5.80 The implementation of Prisons and Probation

Ombudsman recommendations should be included in the continuous improvement plan and reviewed regularly. (1.40)

Accepted The implementation of Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) recommendations will be an agenda item at the monthly Safer Custody Meeting chaired by the Deputy Governor and included in the Safer Custody Continuous Improvement Plan.


30 April 2015

Incentives and earned privileges 5.81 Prisoners should be notified in writing about the

receipt of a ‘red’ warning. (1.59) Accepted Prisoners will be informed in writing when being issued with

a ‘red’ warning in line with IEP policy. Head of

Residence 31 May 2015

Residential units 5.82 Response times to cell call bells should be

monitored to ensure that they are answered within five minutes. (2.12)

Accepted Live monitoring of cells bells by managers is not possible but routine checks take place monthly on the system and any faults are reported and fixed quickly. Staff will be reminded of the importance of responding to cell bells.

Head of Residence

30 April 2015

Equality and diversity 5.83 Equality and diversity action plans should be

kept under review and set out future priorities for action, with deadlines. (2.29)

Accepted The Equalities Action Plan is reviewed at the monthly Equalities Action Team meeting, which is chaired by the Governor and actions are agreed with set deadlines.


30 April 2015

5.84 The prison should implement its paid carer scheme. (2.43)

Accepted HMP Brixton will implement a paid ‘buddy’ scheme in which a prisoner carer will be paid £5.00 per week to do basic tasks such as collecting meals and some light cleaning.


31 May 2015

Faith and religious activity 5.85 All prisoners should be seen by a chaplain within

24 hours of arriving in the prison. (2.50) Accepted All prisoners are able to be seen by a chaplain the day after

arriving in the prison. Head of


Completed and ongoing

Health services 5.86 There should be a prison-wide strategy to

promote health and well-being. (2.70) Accepted Health trainers will be employed to play an active role in

health promotional activities for the prison working alongside the gym and nursing teams.

Head of Healthcare

30 April 2015

5.87 Nurses should receive clinically certificated training, or equivalent, in the management of

Accepted A programme is in place to introduce nurse-led clinics. Nurses are scheduled to attend courses on long-term

Head of Healthcare

30 September

long-term conditions. (2.71) conditions this year with at least one attending a nurse prescriber course.

2015

5.88 The availability of condoms should be made known to prisoners. (2.72)

Accepted The availability of condoms will be made known to prisoners through the introduction of an information leaflet.

Head of Healthcare

30 April 2015

5.89 Prisoners should receive information on how to access health services, in a format they can read, when they enter the prison. (2.83)

Accepted A leaflet describing the healthcare services on offer at HMP Brixton will be available to prisoners in Reception and via the induction process and Healthcare representatives.

Head of Healthcare

30 April 2015

5.90 Two staff members should transport controlled drugs around the prison when cells are unlocked, with one of these having a walkie-talkie radio. (2.90)

Accepted The two members of staff who transport controlled drug (CD) medication will now carry a radio. This requirement will be reiterated to staff in meetings and emphasised in the protocol.

Head of Healthcare

30 April 2015

Time out of cell 5.91 All wings should publicise their most up-to-date

core day timetable. (3.9) Accepted Wing Managers will ensure that the most up to date core

day timetable is prominently displayed for prisoners. Head of

Residence 30 April

2015 Physical education and healthy living

5.92 Prison managers should ensure that the condition and use of the PE facilities on A wing are monitored and supervised more effectively. (3.56)

Accepted The A Wing manager will ensure that the condition and use of the PE facilities on A wing are monitored and supervised more effectively by carrying out monthly checks.

Head of Residence

30 April 2015

Strategic management of resettlement 5.93 All contacts with the prisoner should be recorded

in P-Nomis. (4.19) Accepted All functional heads will remind their staff via meetings and

SPDR reviews about the importance of recording contact with prisoners on Prison-NOMIS. Wing managers will carry out a 10% quality check on Prison-NOMIS entries and functional heads will carry out a 5% check.

All functional heads

30 April 2015

Offender management and planning 5.94 Representatives of departments that work

closely with a prisoner should attend the interdepartmental risk management team meetings concerning him. (4.23)

Accepted Invites will be sent to all departments for the Interdepartmental Risk Management Team (IDRMT) monthly meeting. In the event a representative is unable to attend, a report will be sent.


Recommendations

Housekeeping Points

Accepted 55 Accepted 17 Accepted Subject to Resources/Partially Accepted 15 Accepted Subject to Resources/Partially Accepted 0 Rejected 7 Rejected 0 Total 77 Total 17

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