HMP Long Lartin is a calm and controlled prison which could improve still further, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the high security jail in Worcestershire.

HMP Long Lartin holds some of the most serious offenders in England and Wales. At the time of the inspection it was holding just over 600 men, nearly all of whom were serving very long sentences. The throughput of prisoners, about three-quarters of whom were over the age of 30, was low, ensuring a stable and largely settled population. However, the risks presented by the population were considerable. At its last inspection in 2011, inspectors reported on a prison that was ensuring reasonably good outcomes across all four healthy prison tests: safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement. The findings of this inspection were similar. Overall the prison was reasonably safe and respectful.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• some effective arrangements were in place to evaluate risk and reduce the likelihood of violence;
• CCTV coverage and staff engagement ensured prisoners were well supervised and the number of violent incidents recorded was comparatively low, although some were very serious, including a murder which took place in 2013;
• security measures were applied in a generally proportionate manner;
• all prisoners had their own cell and much of the newer accommodation was good;
• the majority of prisoners felt respected by staff;
• an up-to-date reducing reoffending policy, supported by a comprehensive analysis of need, was in place;
• offender management arrangements worked well with most assessments and sentence plans completed to a good standard and in a timely manner; and
• most of the prison’s resettlement work was good and tailored to the needs of the very few prisoners who were discharged from Long Lartin.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• support for those at risk of self-harm was mixed and despite some recent improvement, the case management and care for those in crisis needed to better;
• the older wings retained the ‘night san’ remote unlocking system that allowed access to sanitation, which led to some poor and degrading outcomes for prisoners; and
• although prisoners had satisfactory access to time out of cell and most prisoners were engaged in work, training or education, the overall effectiveness of learning and skills provision was inadequate.

Nick Hardwick said:

“Long Lartin manages some significant risks but does so with confidence. The prison is calm and controlled and although there is more to do, improvement is evident.”

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

“This is another positive report which shows continued improvement at Long Lartin.

“The Governor and his staff are working with some of the most serious and high risk offenders and they deserve real credit for doing so safely and effectively, as the Inspector has found.

“The prison will continue to work hard to achieve further improvement, building on the recommendations from this inspection.”

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 Long Lartin is a dispersal prison in the high security estate. It holds category A and category B prisoners and serves courts in the West Midlands, South Wales and the South East.
4. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 20-31 October 2014.
5. Please contact Jane Parsons in HM Inspectorate of Prisons Press Office on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview.