HMP Lancaster Farms – limited work and education holding back safe and respectful prison
Lancaster Farms, located just outside the city of Lancaster, was providing decent outcomes for the 544 men held there at the time of our inspection. The prison was reasonably calm, with well-maintained buildings and grounds, and had improved its rehabilitation and release planning. However, following the trend across the estate, provision of purposeful activity – education, training, and work – was lacking.
Overall, this was an encouraging inspection. Although outcomes in purposeful activity needed to improve radically, our findings showed that a score of ‘reasonably good’ had been sustained in our two of our healthy prison tests, safety and respect, while outcomes in rehabilitation and release planning had improved and were now also ‘reasonably good’.
The prison had a respectful culture underpinned by relaxed and friendly staff-prisoner interactions. Prisoners surveyed were positive about their treatment by staff, although inspectors noted that delivery of the key worker scheme, which enables staff to develop constructive and motivational relationships with prisoners, was inconsistent.
The prison felt safe, and rates of violence had reduced since the last inspection. Leaders had correctly identified bullying and debt as drivers of violence and some measures had been introduced to tackle these, but more work was needed. Debt, alongside boredom, had been identified as reasons for self-harm, which was beginning to increase, but the prison’s response was ineffective. Too many at risk of self-harm spent long periods locked up, and this limited time out of cell was one of the biggest problems at Lancaster Farms. Those in full-time work or education had a good amount of time unlocked, but at the time of the inspection there were only enough full-time places for about a third of the population.
Lancaster Farms has a number of impressive qualities, but its fundamental purpose is resettlement, and it simply isn’t delivering on that at the moment. Senior leaders need to take our concerns about both the amount and quality of purposeful activity for prisoners seriously and act immediately to address them.
Notes to editors
- Read the HMP Lancaster Farms report, published on 2 December 2022.
- 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.
- HMP Lancaster Farms opened in 1993 as a remand centre and young offender institution (YOI). In 2011, it changed from a category B YOI to a category C YOI training prison. In 2014, it became a category C resettlement prison for adults.
- HMP Lancaster Farms is a category C resettlement prison.
- At the time of this inspection, the prison held 544 prisoners.
- Inspectors identified three examples of notable positive practice during this inspection.
- This inspection took place between 15 and 26 August 2022.
- Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.