HMP Garth was managing the pressures it faced well, but staff shortages were undermining progress in some critical areas, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the training jail in Lancashire.

• HMP Garth, at the time of its inspection, held 780 men serving long sentences for serious offences. It was beset by chronic staff shortages which impacted adversely on many aspects of its work. It had recently taken on a new role as a national category B sex offender treatment hub and two wings holding about 200 men had been re-roled to fulfil this. Despite the pressures it was under, the prison had managed the establishment of this new function well.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• most prisoners, including the newly arrived sex offender population, said they felt safe and the prison was generally calm and well ordered;
• physical conditions were mostly good and the prison was generally clean;
• mental health services were very good, and the Beacon Unit was an excellent resource for prisoners with personality disorders;
• public protection arrangements were sound; and
• a wide range of offending behaviour programmes, including sex offender treatment, was available, but a new needs assessment was necessary to ensure it was adequate for the current population.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• cells on the first night wing were dirty and badly prepared and reception and induction processes were haphazard;
• the number of violent incidents had been rising steadily and there was a sharp increase in the two months before the inspection;
• some frightened prisoners sought sanctuary in the segregation unit, drug recovery wing and ‘reintegration wing’ and there was no clear strategy to get these men safely back to normal location;
• drug treatment services were good, but they were undermined by too readily available drugs and alcohol and prisoners lodging on the drug recovery wing for their protection, rather than their need for treatment;
• the management of equality and diversity was weak and prisoners with protected characteristics reported more negatively than the population as a whole in many areas;
• relationships between staff and prisoners were undermined by a lack of continuity of staff on the wings, and staff shortages impacted on the delivery of some basic processes;
• staff shortages meant the prison was running a restricted regime, and most prisoners could only attend education or work for three and a half days a week, which was frustrating because the prison had sufficient, good quality activity places; and
• the strategic management of resettlement was reasonably good but staff shortages and the reorganisation of offender supervisor roles badly affected offender management work.

Nick Hardwick said:

“HMP Garth has an important and difficult role and some of the significant challenges it faced at this inspection were caused by staff shortages outside its direct control. For the most part these pressures were well managed: priorities were managed proactively and the successful introduction of the new sex offender population was a real achievement in these circumstances. Nevertheless, the weaknesses in some critical areas – safety, equalities, activities and offender management – undermined its core function as a training prison for serious offenders.”

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

“”At the time of the Inspection Garth had a number of staff vacancies but, as the Chief Inspector makes clear, was managing a difficult population really well.

“Since the Inspection the prison has received twenty new Prison Officers with six more due to start shortly. The additional staff will enable the Governor to further develop the regime at Garth and address the recommendations in the report”

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 Garth is a category B training prison.
4. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 11-22 August 2014.
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.