Will prisons ever move on from COVID?

A report by the prison inspectorate into conditions at HMP Lewes, a category B prison in Sussex, repeated many of the same issues which have plagued the prison estate since the pandemic.

Inspectors said they were disappointed by a lack of progress in safety, respect, and purposeful activity with the 520 men held in the jail were spending long periods locked up in dirty conditions, with very limited access to work, education, or activity. The Chief Inspector, Charlie Taylor, has repeatedly complained that too many prisons are continuing to deliver the same sort of restricted regime forced upon custodial establishments during the pandemic. The inspectorate does acknowledge the profound problems created by the virus, the number of positive tests shot up again last month with 2,678 new confirmed cases in July 2022, 1,590 more than in June 2022 with 93 establishments affected. Nevertheless, it feels that recovery has been too slow.

HMP Lewes

Lewes is one of our Victorian prisons built back in 1853 as the county prison for Sussex. It is a category B local prison for men (both adults and young offenders) with the primary function of receiving prisoners from the courts. It holds both remand and sentenced prisoners. The demands on this local prison are clear to see from the key statistics included by the inspectorate in its report. The turnover of prisons is high, with an average of 188 new prisoners received every month. Three in ten prisoners have drug dependency needs and a similar proportion are referred for a mental health assessment every month. Just over one tenth of the prison population are foreign nationals.

The inspection verdict

The inspectors are very critical about basic living conditions. They found that most prisoners were spending 22 hours locked up during the week while workshops and classrooms remained empty. Despite the high level of unemployed prisoners, inspectors said that standards of cleanliness on the wings had deteriorated – rigorous routine cleaning was not taking place. Similarly, many cells had extensive graffiti on the walls that was still visible despite being painted over.

Prisoners were struggling to access some basic needs. For example, new arrivals to the jail were only given one set of clothes, which meant that they had no replacements when items were sent to be washed. They also frequently complained of difficulties with getting phone numbers added to their approved list, so it took a long time for them to make contact with their families.

Other serious problems were identified with the oversight of those at risk of suicide or self-harm considered poor. Inspectors expressed their concern that many prisoners who were on an assessment, care in custody, and teamwork plan (ACCT) said they did not feel cared for, especially in a jail that contains many vulnerable men who have only recently come into custody.

As in many prisons at the moment, under-staffing was a key problem underpinning many of these problems. The prison suffered from difficulties with recruiting sufficient high-quality staff in what is a relatively wealthy part of the country. This problem was particularly acute for operational support grades (OSG) and administrative staff; these roles were essential to a properly functioning prison. Security vetting processes were taking so long that prospective recruits were taking jobs elsewhere. Inspectors acknowledged that the prison had developed a strategy to support new recruits, and the backlog of training was being addressed as pandemic restrictions were lifted. However, many staff members were still leaving after short periods of service.

On a more positive note, inspectors did note an in offender management and resettlement services.

Conclusion

Inspectors accepted that Lewes is a difficult prison to staff and run with old buildings that are expensive to maintain, but said that there needs to be a greater focus on getting some of the basics right. Inspectors felt that there is still the opportunity to build momentum with what they describe as a potentially effective leadership team to get the prison back on track and make it a better place for prisoners to stay and staff to work. However, there is no denying the scale of the challenge for Lewes and many other prisons, particularly if staffing problems persist and COVID infection rates go up again over the coming winter.