Read the report: HMP Bedford

HMP Bedford, a small local men’s prison which has stood on the same site for more than 200 years, was found by inspectors to have been under considerable pressure from COVID-19 outbreaks.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) visited the prison in February and March 2021, at a time when Bedford held 372 prisoners. In 2018, the prison had been so poor, with significant violence problems, that it was subject to a rarely used HMI Prisons Urgent Notification.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said Bedford had experienced two large-scale outbreaks of the virus in December 2020 and February 2021. “At its peak, the second outbreak saw 20% of prisoners testing positive and a large proportion of staff absent from work.

“Leaders were committed to managing the spread of COVID-19 and worked hard to apply guidance on isolating prisoners. At the time of our scrutiny visit, no further prisoners had tested positive, but some staff absences continued.”

The governor had a clear understanding of the issues facing Bedford and was committed to taking steps out of the restricted regime at the earliest opportunity. Inspectors found that communication with prisoners about the pandemic and the restricted regime was thoughtful and proactive and peer workers were used creatively to inform and support others.

Living conditions had been improved since 2018 and the prison was cleaner. The provision of basic items such as bedding, clean clothing and cell cleaning materials was now more reliable and work on equality and diversity had seen some recent improvements.

Bedford had increased the size of its safer custody team but many of HMI Prisons’ previous concerns persisted. The reported level of assaults between prisoners and on staff was the highest of all similar prisons over the last year. Thirty per cent of prisoners said that they currently felt unsafe and nearly half said that they had been bullied or victimised by staff.

Mr Taylor said: “We saw some dedicated staff who interacted with prisoners well in order to provide good care and support. However, we also saw many examples of rule breaking going unchallenged, which fed the perception that prisoners could behave badly without fear of repercussion.

“The quality of staff–prisoner relationships remained mixed, with not all staff buying into the vision of a rehabilitative approach set out by the governor.” The report noted: “Forty per cent of officers had less than two years’ service and 22% had joined in the 12 months since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were concerned about their lack of skills in managing prisoners once the restricted regime was eased. A stronger presence of middle managers was not yet improving basic prison officer work.”

Recorded rates of self-harm had reduced over recent months, though some weaknesses in the care and support given to those who were vulnerable or at risk of self-harm continued.

Senior leaders had an ambitious and clear vision for education, skills and work. However, the important focus on rehabilitation and release planning to reduce reoffending and improve successful resettlement had largely been lost at the start of the pandemic.

The absence of support from the community rehabilitation company (CRC) staff was a huge frustration for the governor and others and left many prisoners ill-equipped for release. Mr Taylor added: “Direct support aimed at promoting positive family relationships had also ended a year ago and the slow implementation of in-cell telephones did not help in promoting contact with loved ones.”

Overall, Mr Taylor said:

“Many of the key concerns that we identify in this report reflect the challenges that leaders at Bedford have faced for many years. While improvements were evident under our test of respect, the more systemic issues of high levels of violence and underdeveloped staff–prisoner relationships persisted. The challenge of COVID-19 had led to poorer outcomes in rehabilitation and release planning and a lack of progress in our test of purposeful activity.”

– End –

Notes to editors

1. Read the report: HMP Bedford. Thhis report was published on 21 April 2021.
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. Read about scrutiny visits (SVs) and the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
4. On page 5 of the report you can read facts and history about HMP Bedford.
5. On pages 6-8 you can read key concerns and recommendations and nine examples of notable positive practice identified in this scrutiny visit.
6. This scrutiny visit took place on 2 February and 16-17 March 2021.
7. Please contact john.steele@justice.gov.uk – 07880 787452 – if you would like more information.