HMP Preston was providing a good amount of work, training and education for prisoners, but needed to pay more attention to safety issues, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, as he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the local prison in Lancashire.

Previous inspections have found HMP Preston to be relatively safe, decent and purposeful and inspectors have reported positively about the outcomes it delivered. This inspection found the prison continued to perform reasonably well, but there was some deterioration against the inspectorate’s tests of safety and respect.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• prisoners were received reasonably well into the prison;
• support for prisoners who self-harmed was helpful and prompt action had been taken to address concerns following recent deaths in custody;
• security was generally proportionate and disciplinary procedures were well managed;
• substance misuse services had developed and the recovery unit was excellent;
• although accommodation was mixed, the environment was generally well looked after and most areas were clean;
• mental health services were very good;
• time out of cell for most prisoners was reasonable overall;
• leadership and management of learning and skills were good and focused on reducing reoffending work;
• there were sufficient activity places for nearly all prisoners held; and
• strategic management of resettlement was better than inspectors normally see and offender management work was reasonable.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• significantly more prisoners than in similar prisons reported feeling unsafe and victimised;
• there were high rates of drug availability and work to tackle the supply was limited;
• prisoners were less positive than on previous inspections about the quality of relationships with staff and inspectors found some examples where staff were dismissive; and
• work with prisoners’ families and visits arrangements needed to improve.

Nick Hardwick said:

“There was much that was good about what Preston had to offer prisoners with notably a good focus on purposeful activity and resettlement; the prison was stronger in these areas than many other local prisons we have recently visited. But disappointingly, we discerned complacency with insufficient attention to questions of safety and respect which was impacting on how prisoners perceived life at Preston.”

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

“I am pleased that the Chief Inspector has highlighted the excellent work being done at Preston to support resettlement and rehabilitation.

“There is no complacency about safety and security. The Governor has reinvigorated work to tackle drug abuse and violence which is a key priority for the prison.”

Notes to Editors:
1. Read the report
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. HMP Preston is an adult male category B local prison serving the courts of Lancashire. The prison has been identified as a resettlement prison.
4. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 31 March – 11 April 2014.
5. Please contact Jane Parsons on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview.