Drug-fuelled violence and a lack of staffing for rehabilitation schemes have fostered an increasingly “volatile” atmosphere at High Down prison, investigators have found.
A report by the prison’s independent monitoring board (IMB) also vindicated the father of a former inmate who, speaking to the Sutton Guardian earlier this year, said he was concerned prisoners spent too long locked in their cells.
The IMB, members of the public who work to ensure prisoners are treated with fairness and decency, found violent incidents at High Down rose by 19 per cent between 2014 and 2015 and warned: “The mood in the prison has become more volatile”.
From March 2014: Government denies 'crisis' at High Down Prison
There were 190 outbreaks of violence in 2014, which rose to 217 the following year.
From March 2014: Worried relatives slam Government's denial of High Down prison 'crisis'
From April 2014: 'No crisis - prison safe', says High Down's Governor
During a focus group meeting with prisoners in November 2015, members of the IMB were told the legal high spice was one of the major aggravating factors and was the “greatest problem in the prison”.
An IMB spokesman said: “While staff numbers have improved during the year, there are still not enough officers to truly engage with prisoners and help them address the frustrations that prison life inevitably brings.
“There are opportunities for prisoners to take classes ranging from literacy to life skills such as cooking, business skills and Open University courses, and workshops including brick-laying, plastering and barbering.
“However, there are not sufficient resources to provide appropriate ‘purposeful activity’ for all prisoners, leaving many ‘banged up’ in their cells for many hours.”
The IMB was particularly critical of maintenance contractor Carillion, whose processes it described as “elaborate, time-consuming and inefficient”.
Its report said: “The experience has not been a positive one for High Down, with delays in repairs, with cells out of action for extended periods, convoluted ordering procedures that have resulted in shortages of basic equipment, and such serious oversights as many months with no functioning lift on the very house block where there are several prisoners with limited mobility.”
But inspectors were able to praise “many areas where valuable work is being done” at High Down. They added: “The board sees frequent examples of officers dealing with prisoners with tact and understanding.”
In March, the father of a former inmate at the Banstead prison told this newspaper his 23-year-old son was routinely locked up for 22 hours a day and fed out-of-date food.
The dad, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “You can’t do a lot worse than locking a man up for that long. They are turning him into a nutcase.”
From February 2016: Four prisoners died inside High Down prison in 2015, Ministry of Justice figures show
His son had worked as a chef in other prisons and despite having the right qualifications, was not offered work in High Down, he said.
He added: “It seems foolish to train people up to that standard and then not to use them.”
The report comes two years after the former Justice Secretary Chris Grayling’s prison reforms were place in the spotlight by a ‘mackerel mutiny’ in October 2013.
From November 2014: Government "got it wrong" over cuts which led to "mackerel and dumplings" prison rebellion
Prisoners barricaded themselves in their cells and demanded “mackerel and dumplings” in a protest at the lack of hot meals and exercise.
During their trial cuts at the prison were revealed and the jury eventually cleared all 11 men of mutiny - a crime usually associated with the Navy and which until 1998 was punishable by death.
From March 2015: Savage staffing cuts have made "genuinely fair and decent" regime at High Down prison difficult to deliver, report finds
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “As this independent report recognises, High Down has several areas of excellence and staff should be praised for their work rehabilitating prisoners.
“The prison has safe and decent staffing levels, with eight new officers and more expected to join shortly.
“We have also passed new laws so those smuggling packages over prison walls now face up to two years in prison.
“However we must do more, which is why the Justice Secretary has asked us to look at how we can ensure the right tools are in place to tackle these problems.”
A Carillion spokesman said: “Carillion took over the provision of facilities management services at this prison in June last year.
“The majority of staff carrying out this work have been employed at the prison for many years and are committed to providing a high quality service. “Our team meet regularly with prison management to discuss work plans and any issues arising.
“We are disappointed that the IMB report is critical of the hard work being carried out by our people, in what is a very challenging environment.
“Carillion brings a high level of experience in facilities management for a range of clients in many different sectors.”
To read the report, click here: HMP High Down's Independent Monitoring Board's report.docx
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