Staff shortages were holding up progress at HMP High Down, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the local prison in Sutton.

HMP High Down held about 1,100 men at the time of the inspection. It was previously inspected in July 2011. Outcomes for prisoners had deteriorated significantly in the intervening period. Although they were now improving once again, progress was seriously impeded by serious staff shortages and a reliance on detached duty staff temporarily redeployed from other prisons. Vacancies, a high number of bed watches and a lack of consistent staffing adversely affected many areas of the prison. New staff were being recruited and managers had a realistic view of the improvements required.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• despite the pressures it was under, the prison was focused on keeping prisoners safe;
• in common with many prisons, HMP High Down had had a serious problem with the availability of new psychoactive substances but a combination of effective treatment and supply reduction strategies and education appeared to have reduced the problem;
• the number of self-harm incidents was low and inspectors saw individual staff providing very compassionate and professional care;
• security was well managed and generally proportionate;
• despite the prison operating a restricted regime, a fully employed prisoner had about nine hours out of cell on weekdays, which was good;
• management of learning and skills was starting to improve, albeit from a very low base;
• there was some very good vocational training and work available that offered prisoners opportunities to get relevant qualifications and experience, such as the Clink restaurant;
• the creation of a resettlement centre was positive, and some practical resettlement services were good, including help with accommodation on release; and
• health services were good overall, but staff shortages resulted in too many appointments being cancelled.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• the management and oversight of the use of force was inadequate, record keeping was poor and some incidents were not recorded;
• the management of equality and diversity issues was weak and the prison had done too little to understand and address the concerns of some prisoners from minority groups;
• there were insufficient activity places, almost a third of prisoners were unemployed, and unemployed prisoners were locked in their cells for about 22 hours a day;
• staff shortages had an impact on resettlement activities and this was exacerbated by poor coordination of the relevant services;
• there was significant variation in the quality of the work of the offender management unit and the probation team, insufficient coordination between them and a backlog of work; and
• there were no nationally accredited offender behaviour programmes offered and not enough prisoners were transferred to another prison to complete these, meaning some sex offenders were released without having their attitudes, thinking and behaviour addressed.

Nick Hardwick said:

“There remained a number of areas of serious concern at HMP High Down. The prison management was aware of most of these, and despite serious staffing shortages, credible plans for improvement were being implemented. We saw impressive work by some individual staff. However, there was still a big job to do. It is essential now that vacancies are filled, more activity places are provided and that managers ensure greater consistency in the quality of work done across all areas of the prison.”

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

“As the Chief Inspector has seen, staff at High Down are working hard to keep prisoners safe and support their rehabilitation, including through some innovative and effective training schemes.

“While good progress has been made over the last two years, we recognise that there is more to do.

“Fifteen new Prison Officers have joined High Down since the inspection and we will ensure the prison has the right resources and support to drive further improvement over the next 12 months.”

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 High Down is a category B local prison .
4. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 12-23 January 2015.
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.