HMP Thameside - improvements needed

HMP Thameside had faced evident challenges in bringing stability to the prison and there was much more to do, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report of an unannounced inspection of the local prison in south east London. Located next to Belmarsh and Isis prisons, HMP Thameside is a new establishment which opened in March 2012.

Findings from its first inspection, which took place when it had been open for nine months, were very mixed and improvement was required for most aspects of the prison – in particular, safety, the provision of purposeful activity and meeting the resettlement needs of prisoners. In autumn 2012, as an operational response to rising levels of violence, the prison had effectively locked down the prison and severely curtailed the regime and prisoner access to time unlocked. The prison had done little to evaluate the success of this strategy.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

  • levels of assaults were high and prisoners seemed to lack confidence in an inexperienced staff group to deal with violence or delinquency;
  • use of force was reducing but remained high, as did use of segregation;
  • the prison’s regime was one of the most restricted inspectors had ever seen, and time out of cell was very limited;
  • inspectors found 60% of prisoners locked up during the working day and some spent 23 hours a day in their cells;
  • there were far too few activity places for the needs of the population and much of the provision required improvement;
  • although resettlement services were developing, provision across most of the resettlement pathways was very limited; and
  • offender management was still developing, and although there was an enthusiasm to improve, the service had limited one-to-one engagement with prisoners and paid insufficient attention to risk reduction.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

  • prisoners’ reception into custody was reasonable and survey findings suggested prisoners felt safe;
  • prisoners at risk of self-harm were reasonably well cared for, and detoxification arrangements were developing;
  • the quality of accommodation throughout the prison was excellent;
  • the innovative use of interactive technology in each cell had great potential to improve the experience of prisoners; and
  • staff-prisoner relationships were very good, although the attitude of some nurses in health care required improvement.

Nick Hardwick said:

‘As an inspectorate, we are increasingly visiting institutions that are experiencing transition for one reason or another. The early development of a prison during its opening phase is both critical and demanding. The challenges that management and staff in Thameside had faced in bringing stability to this prison were clearly evident. The opening process had been hard work and very tough. There remained some big gaps at the prison and there was much to do before it could be seen as operating at its full potential.’

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

‘Thameside is still in the very early stages of its development and the staff and management team have worked incredibly hard to deal with the challenges inherent in running a new prison – particularly given the complex population it holds.

‘I am pleased that even in its infancy, the Chief Inspector acknowledges that progress is being made, with strong staff-prisoner relationships, a high quality of accommodation and an innovative use of interactive technology.
‘Decisive action has already been taken to address the concerns raised in this report and I am confident that Thameside is well placed to deliver a safe, secure and decent regime for the prisoners it holds.’

Notes to Editors:

  1. View the report. (409 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 unannounced inspection was carried out from 14-17 January 2013.
  4. HMP Thameside is a newly built local category B establishment holding convicted and remanded adult and young adult males. It is privately run by Serco.
  5. Please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Prisons Press Office on 0207 035 2123 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information.