Read the report: HMP Swaleside

Conditions for prisoners held in HMP Swaleside in Kent were still not good enough, said inspectors who visited the Isle of Sheppey prison in October. The last full inspection in 2018 of the category B training prison for men – part of the high security and long-term estate – had raised sufficient concerns to lead to a follow-up independent review of progress in 2019. This had found insufficient or no meaningful progress in eight out of 12 previous recommendations.

Despite a fall in the number held to just under 1,000, which was below the prison’s capacity, outcomes for prisoners were still poor in rehabilitation and release planning, had deteriorated in respect and remained not sufficiently good in safety and purposeful activity. Levels of violence, including assaults on staff, were high, rising and often serious, and the incidence of self-harm had almost doubled since the 2018 inspection. There was limited analysis of data or development of strategy to achieve improvement in several important areas.

The failings were most clearly seen in the approach to prisoner rehabilitation, Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons said. Most prisoners were serving long sentences after committing violent or sexual offences and posed a high risk of harm to the public, “yet for the second successive inspection we saw a lacklustre and poorly coordinated service that was failing to meet the needs of the public or prisoners. It was no surprise to us that in our survey of prisoners, fewer than half of respondents thought their time at Swaleside would make them less likely to offend”.

Mr Taylor continued:

“In addition to some weak planning and coordination, progress across many areas of delivery, including rehabilitation and release planning, was hindered by significant shortages of staff, including specialist staff. Much of this was beyond leaders’ ability to influence directly, but it was a fundamental strategic risk and priority.”

But although the latest inspection found disappointing outcomes for prisoners, it was not the whole story, Mr Taylor said.

“The governor was enthusiastic and committed and he articulated clearly, although largely informally, his values-based vision for the prison. The energy of the leadership team was carrying the prison some distance and despite significant operational risk, it was settled and relationships were benign.”

There were also pockets of good practice.

Pointing to several examples where outcomes for prisoners were better, including efforts to upgrade aspects of the environment, the good work of specialist facilities such as the PIPE (psychologically informed planned environment) unit for offenders with personality disorder, innovative arrangements to support new staff and some useful work to encourage the promotion of equality, Mr Taylor concluded that “we sensed that leaders and their staff were doing their best and working hard to take the prison forward” but that the prison needed intervention and support from HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), particularly to increase staffing.

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Notes to editors

1. Read the HMP Swaleside report, published on 22 February 2022.
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. Swaleside prison, opened in 1988, is a category B training prison for adult men and is part of HM Prison and Probation Service’s (HMPPS) long term and high security estate. It is one of three prisons located on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
4. Inspectors identified three examples of notable positive practice during this inspection.
5. The inspection took place on 18–19 and 25–29 October 2021.
6. Please email barbara.buchanan@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.