Levels of violence had risen at HMP Altcourse, but the prison was still providing good work, training and education for prisoners, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the local Liverpool jail.

HMP Altcourse has had a succession of positive inspections, but this inspection was more mixed. The prison’s longstanding strengths of good relationships between staff and prisoners and high quality work, education and training remain, but it was less safe than at its previous inspection in 2012.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

• although prisoners said they felt safe and the prison seemed calm, levels of assaults against prisoners and staff, bullying incidents and fights were high and rising sharply;
• gang issues and the availability of drugs, particularly new psychoactive substances such as Spice and Black Mamba, were a significant factor in much of the violence and had also been the cause of hospital admissions;
• little had been done to address the disproportionate number of young adults involved in violent incidents;
• there was little support for victims and a failure to take prompt, firm action against perpetrators;
• there was high use of segregation in poor conditions and significant numbers of those in segregation were seeking sanctuary from violence elsewhere in the prison;
• the prison was overcrowded and many cells designed for one or two held an additional prisoner; and
• too little was done to tackle the significant need to address domestic violence offences.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

• the external environment was spacious;
• prisoners spent much more time out of their cells than inspectors usually see in prisons of this type;
• relationships between staff and prisoners were exceptionally good and there was an effective personal officer scheme;
• there was good care for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm;
• the prison maintained very good levels of high quality activity, with a strong emphasis on maintaining a good work ethic;
• prisoners achieved relevant qualifications and some teaching was outstanding; and
• resettlement provision was reasonable, and most practical needs, including maintaining family relationships, were well met.

Nick Hardwick said:

“The urgent priority for Altcourse is to reduce the high levels of violence. The prison needs to ensure it does this without damaging its longstanding strengths of positive relationships between staff and prisoners and good purposeful activity, which are critical if prisoners are to leave Altcourse with decent opportunities in order to lead law-abiding lives in the community.”

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

“As the Chief Inspector makes clear, Altcourse remains a good establishment which provides a positive regime focused on purposeful activity, education and rehabilitation.

“However, in common with other prisons across the estate, it is managing a challenging population which is increasingly prone to violence. Reducing violence is the establishment’s top priority and action is being taken in line with the recommendations from the report and we will monitor progress closely to ensure that the necessary improvements are achieved.”

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. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 9-20 June 2014.
4. HMP Altcourse is a category B local prison holding sentenced and remanded adult and young adult male prisoners. It is run by G4S.
5. Please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Prisons on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview.