HMP Highpoint tried hard to provide purposeful activity for prisoners, but there just weren’t enough places, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report of an announced inspection of the Suffolk training jail.

HMP Highpoint is a large prison that holds about 1,300 adult men on two distinct sites, Highpoint South and North, which were for some time run as separate establishments, Highpoint and Edmunds Hill. The large perimeter and rural location were a security challenge and its isolated location was a long way from most prisoners’ homes.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• staff-prisoner relationships were generally good;
• the prison made good use of the activity places it had. Most were good quality and helped prisoners obtain useful qualifications;
• the threats posed by illegal drugs and mobile phones were proactively managed;
• there were strong links with local employers; and
• the prison made good use of prisoner orderlies in a number of roles, although some staff left it to prisoner orderlies to carry out confidential and sensitive procedures, which was inappropriate.

Inspectors were, however, concerned to find that:

• there was a marked discrepancy between prisoners’ own perceptions of safety, which were worse than in comparable establishments, inspectors’ own observations, and the prison’s data;
• prisoners said there were significant gang issues in the prison and their accounts were credible – prison managers had not identified this;
• offender management was undermined by a lack of contact between high-risk prisoners and their supervisors, despite a decent strategy and good policies;
• the standard of accommodation was mixed;
• the perception of prisoners from minority groups was often worse than those of the population as a whole;
• there were too few activity places available, and around 15% of prisoners were unemployed and locked in their cells during the working part of the day; and
• poor visiting arrangements made it difficult for men to maintain contact with their families.

Nick Hardwick said:

‘Despite the evident challenges of managing such a large site and population, the prison provided a generally safe and decent environment – although there were inconsistencies and prison managers were unsighted on some areas of concern. The prison tried hard to maximise the number of prisoners engaged in purposeful activity but there were insufficient activity places to ensure all men could participate. A sensible strategic approach to addressing men’s offending behaviour was undermined by too little contact between prisoners and the staff responsible for supervising their progress. Finally, visits arrangements and facilities were noticeably poor.’

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), said:

‘The physical environment at Highpoint presents certain challenges but I am pleased that the Chief Inspector has acknowledged that the prison has a fundamentally safe environment with strong relationships between staff and prisoners.

‘The Governor will use the recommendations in the report to build on the progress that has already been made and address concerns raised, particularly around the areas of purposeful activity and offender management.’

Notes to editors:

1. View a copy of the report. (482 kB)
2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. This announced inspection was carried out from 10-14 September 2012.
4. HMP Highpoint is a category C adult male training prison.
5. Please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Prisons on 020 7035 2123 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview with Nick Hardwick.