Custodial Review Edition 73

Custodial the

Review

The Custodial Review informing the Prison, Border Agency and Police Services Edition 73

Striking new custody suite at Bridgewater see page 10 Work-related wellbeing in the prison service: a national study see page 16 World War One commemoration boards produced by HMP Hull see page 18

The Restorative justice’s policing information pack see page 20 Transforming Rehabilitation see page 26

www.custodialreview.co.uk For thousands of products, services and links

Fireworks Fire Protection installs world’s first LPS 1223 approved fire suppression system in The Clink at HMP Brixton.

Fireworks are pleased to announce that they are installing the Hydramist® 15ampu kitchen fire suppression system. It’s the world’s first LPS1223 approved watermist fire suppression system and it protects the deep fat fryers on the site. The Clink Restaurant is situated in the old Governors house that has been used recently as administration offices within the grounds of the prison and has been replaced with a three-storey restaurant and meetings venue, which is due to open in the next few months.

trusts and philanthropic individuals to build future Clink restaurants and each training restaurant relies on the income from diners and donations to operate.

Edmond Tullett, Governor, HMP Brixton says: “Brixton is more than delighted to host the third Clink training restaurant in the Regency Roundhouse which dates back to 1819. The restaurant will provide an unforgettable experience for customers and an unrivalled opportunity for prisoners to acquire marketable skills that will lead to local jobs and provide a pathway to a better life.”

The kitchen will be operated by prisoners who will take on full-time positions within the restaurant under the guidance of a tutor chef and restaurant manager.

Fireworks design and install specialist high pressure watermist fire suppression systems to meet a large number of different applications for the Custodial sector and have over 150 installs throughout England and Wales. As a distributor for the Hydramist product range they are now able to offer systems to cover the risk of fire in prison kitchens with the latest installation just complete at HMP Peterborough.

The Hydramist® 15 AMPU offers fast and effective extinguishing of catering equipment fires, is safe for people and the environment and dramatically reduces the spread of smoke from a fire.”

Kitchen Fires:The Problem

The restaurant will follow The Clink’s Five Step Programme that has been successfully implemented at the award winning and successful Clink restaurant at HMP High Down in Surrey, educating prisoners and equipping them with the skills and tools to secure employment upon their release.

Chris Moore, chief executive of The Clink Charity believes Brixton will cement the future for further Clink restaurants. “Brixton was the perfect site for our next restaurant. HMP Brixton is undergoing a regeneration project and was looking for an organisation to work with to develop the building into an opportunity for rehabilitation. The central location lends itself to securing support from local businesses and members of the public, providing they are committed to The Clink’s vision and once the necessary security checks have been processed, providing real-life experience for those prisoners who make it through the selection process to join the programme.”

In 2012 the charity agreed a partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) who supports the charitable initiative in a bid to open a further seven Clink Restaurants over the next four years. The charity is solely reliant on the generous support of the industry, charitable

Until now restaurant and commercial catering fryers have used dry powder or wet chemical fire suppression systems. Whilst effective at initially suppressing and extinguishing the fire these traditional systems offer little or no cooling resulting in a prolonged return to production for the kitchen. Additionally they leave a large amount of potentially hazardous residues from the chemical based fire equipment and surrounding areas which must be cleaned up before cooking can re-commence.

This leaves a restaurant without a kitchen during this period.

Kitchen Fires:The Solution The Hydramist® 15AMPU uses atomised tap water at high pressure to quickly and effectively extinguish the fire and prevent re-ignition by cooling the oil and hot surfaces. The Hydramist® system’s very fine droplets of water turn to steam upon contact with the flames.

The steam created then smothers and extinguishes the fire in under 10 seconds. After extinguishing the fire the mist continues to cool the oil and hot surfaces to below ignition temperature in less than 30 seconds preventing re-ignition of the fire. After activation next to no clean-up is necessary as only clean water is used allowing the kitchen to be back in operation extremely quickly (in most cases within minutes). A further advantage of this system is that smoke is prevented from spreading throughout the kitchen and into other areas as the smoke particles from the fire are captured by the watermist droplets and the smoke is washed out with the fire. The Hydramist® 15AMPU uses a high pressure pump connected to the kitchen water supply resulting in a system that can run for as long, or short, as required. The Hydramist® 15AMPU Kitchen Fire Suppression System offers a cost effective, fast reacting solution to this fire risk. Using a wall mounted Hydramist® pump also eliminates storage issues associated with traditional fire suppression equipment.

For more information on the Hydramist® 15AMPU please call Lee Haines on 01953 458420 or email lhaines@fireworks-ltd.com

Contents Issue 73

the Custodial Review Editorial Sales: Tracy Johnson, Richard Harper, Mary Reale Tel: 01234 348878 sales@custodialreview.co.uk

Annual Subscription £30 Free to qualifying individuals

Administration: Lyn Mitchell Design/Production: Amanda Wesley Publisher: Steve Mitchell The Publisher holds all copyright and any items within may not be reproduced in any way, for any purpose, without the written permission of the Publisher.

This publication contains Crown Copyright material reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland.

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News

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Striking new custody suite at Bridgewater

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Work-related wellbeing in the prison service: a national study

WW1 commemoration boards produced by HMP Hull

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The Restorative justice’s policing information pack

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Menu management at Full Sutton

24 News 26

Transforming Rehabilitation

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Product news

The publisher will consider financial reimbursement for relevant articles. If you have an article, or wish to compose one, on a relevant topic then please contact the publisher on stevem@pirnet.co.uk. Its subject to acceptance so please contact prior to starting and will appear on the Custodial website.

Copyright: the Custodial Review Published by Review Magazines Ltd, 53 Asgard Drive, Bedford MK41 0UR. Tel: 01234 348878 Fax: 01223 790191 E-mail: info@custodialreview.co.uk Website: www.custodialreview.co.uk HM Prisons Executive and the Home Office do not sponsor or in any way support this Publication in any substance, commodity, process, equipment, editorial or service advertised or mentioned in this book, nor are they responsible for any inaccuracy or statement in this publication. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the information contained within, this publication is based on submissions to the Publishers who cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The Publishers cannot be held responsible for any article, advertisement, picture or photograph supplied

by Advertisers and Associations which may contravene the Official Secrets Act or that have not first been cleared by the Home Office of Prisons Executive, should that have been necessary.

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Custodial Review is now accepting articles from serving officers and staff within the whole custodial industry.

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Independent evaluation of the Cascade Foundation at HMP Doncaster This is the preface of a report commissioned into the work of the Cascade Foundation.

The full report can be viewed on line at www. thecascadefoundation.org This report was prepared for The Cascade Foundation, which teaches and supports men with hidden disabilities at HMP Doncaster.

The organisation’s mission is: Supporting and educating offenders, ex-offenders, those at risk of offending and others with dyslexia-related learning difficulties.

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thanks also go to senior managers and staff across several departments in the prison who willingly gave their time to the evaluation and contributed their views. Finally, we would like to thank Jacquie Buttriss, The Cascade Foundation’s Chair of Trustees who responded in detail to every request, clarification and explanation we sought.

This piece of work was limited in time and scope but SJS hopes that results from this evaluation report will provide the evidence needed to strengthen the project.

Independent Evaluation of The Cascade Foundation at HMP Doncaster Jackie Lowthian, Director, Social Justice Solutions said: “We hope that The Cascade Foundation is able to extend their support further, to other people in custody, many of whom will have struggled with learning since early childhood.

The study was made possible with the full co-operation of Serco managers and staff at HMP Doncaster and on behalf of Social Justice Solutions, I wish to thank all who contributed for their time and support.”

Left to right: Lord Addington (Patron), Jackie Hewitt-Main (Founder/CEO), Rt Hon Sec of State Chris Grayling MP, Rebecca Harris MP (Patron), Richard Main (Trustee), Jacquie Buttriss (Chair)

Cascade commissioned Social Justice Solutions Ltd. (SJS) to undertake a short, retrospective evaluation study of the first 12 months of operations at HMP Doncaster. Previously, the Foundation had provided similar services for men imprisoned at HMP Chelmsford. This new service at Doncaster was at the invitation of the then Prison Director (Governor), John Biggin OBE who had been greatly impressed with the way the Foundation worked and the results they had achieved.

This evaluation study aims to understand what the project is trying to achieve, examine how it operates, identify the outcomes it produces and discover the impact it has on those it engages in learning.

In a short space of time this work would not have been possible without the support of many individuals. Most importantly, SJS wishes to acknowledge and thank all the learners and volunteers for their time and contributions. I would also like to thank Jackie Hewitt-Main (Director of the Cascade Foundation), Colin Nugent (Head Tutor) and Phil Aldis (Post-Release Support Worker) for the considerable efforts made in facilitating interviews/observations and collating data.

Additional support from Cascade volunteers, Scott Harper and Kevin O’Rourke, ensured our week in the prison was productive. Our the Custodial Review

Prisons urged to get involved in No Smoking Day Prisons are being urged to get involved in one of the UK’s biggest health campaigns which last year encouraged hundreds of thousands of smokers to make a quit attempt.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is encouraging prison staff to use No Smoking Day as an opportunity to raise awareness and boost participation among offenders by promoting the support available to them.

In the UK, studies carried out between 2005 and 2010 estimate smoking prevalence in prisons in excess of 80% in both male and female offenders.

Despite the high prevalence of smoking in prisoners, they show the same resolve as other smokers to want to quit. A 2013 report published jointly by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that quit rates among prisoners who used stop smoking services was comparable to quit rates in the general population.

The same report pointed to NICE findings that demonstrate that many British prisoners want to ‘achieve something’ while in prison and view quitting smoking as a big achievement.

No Smoking Day 2015 will be held on Wednesday 11 March and is set to inspire quitters with a ‘Proud to be a Quitter’ theme.

Hannah Dedman, marketing manager at the BHF, said: “With such high rates of smoking in prison, it’s vital that prisons take action Page 4

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in spreading awareness of the stop smoking resources and support available to offenders.

“The prison environment provides a setting to engage an otherwise hard-to-reach population and offer them access regular, consistent stop smoking advice and therapy. Prisons who want to get involved in this year’s No Smoking Day should visit NoSmokingDay.org.uk to order or download a free organiser pack.”

When the right resources are in place, stop smoking services in prisons are hugely successful. With recent discussions surrounding smoking bans in prisons, we’re encouraging staff to hold No Smoking Day events on 11 March.”

Smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and a variety of cancers. The good news is that stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health, and the risk to your health decreases significantly soon after stopping.

The British Heart Foundation is calling on all smokers to attempt to quit on this year’s No Smoking Day 2015, held on 11 March. The theme is ‘Proud to be a Quitter’ theme, which the inspirational stories of ex-smokers to highlight the life-changing benefits of quitting.

Visit nosmokingday.org.uk to order or download the free No Smoking Day organiser’s pack, which includes posters, leaflets and a handbook. Join the conversation on twitter using the hashtag #NoSmokingDay.

Charities in front seat of new reoffending drive The government fired the starting gun in December on making key reforms to the way ex-offenders are looked after in the community, in an effort to tackle stubbornly high reoffending rates in England and Wales.

In December Justice Secretary Chris Grayling signed new contracts with a host of charities, private companies and public organisations who will be brought in to manage offenders post-prison.

The successful organisations make up a diverse mix of providers that bring a wealth of experience including supporting people off drugs and alcohol, finding them secure homes and helping them into work.

These new providers will support around 45,000 offenders released from sentences of less than 12 months each year. This group currently get no statutory post-prison support and almost 60% of them go back to crime within a year.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said:

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We finally have in these reforms the opportunity to break the depressing cycle of crime, prison and re-offence that so many individuals are stuck in.

that will see offenders managed by the same provider from custody into the community, ensuring a proper through-the-gate approach to rehabilitation.

Every year tens of thousands of offenders are released from prison with £46 in their pocket, get no support and are left to walk the streets. The majority reoffend quickly – and they commit thousands of crimes. That will now change, with proper support and mentoring for every offender who leaves prison, with a real focus on helping them turn their lives around.

Under this system, the new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) will be required to draw up a plan for an offender’s rehabilitation within the first few days of them entering prison. The same organisation will then continue to support that individual throughout their time in prison, and this will continue as they are released into the community. The focus of the CRCs will be as much on helping ex-offenders sort their lives out as on traditional supervision.

We will pay the organisations that deliver this support by what works – and between them they have the skills and experience to deliver what does. Some of our most successful rehabilitation charities will now have the chance to use their skills to rehabilitate thousands of offenders who up to now have just been left to fall through the cracks.

The successful bidders are made up of a diverse range of public, private and voluntary organisations. Nineteen of the 21 contract areas will be led by new partnerships and joint ventures between private sector firms and some of Britain’s biggest and most successful rehabilitation charities, and six will be run with the involvement of a probation staff “mutual”. In addition, around 75% of the 300 subcontractors named in the successful bids are voluntary sector or mutual organisations, putting them at the frontline of offender rehabilitation.

There was strong competition for each of the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), with bids showing real innovation.

This includes proposals for far greater use of new technologies, both to enable frontline staff to work more efficiently and to enhance offender supervision. A wide range of models for mentoring prisoners on release were also put forward, along with extensive new rehabilitation activities, and more targeted services for specific offender groups such as women or those with mental health problems.

Contracts have been split across 20 regions for England and one for Wales, and the successful bidders will be responsible for supervising and rehabilitating an estimated 200,000 low and medium risk offenders.

Almost 1,000 organisations, including 700 listed as VCSE (voluntary, community or social enterprise) have put themselves forward to work with the chosen providers to develop new ways of reducing reoffending and protecting the public.

Providers will only be paid in full if they are successful at reducing reoffending, helping drive innovation and getting best value for taxpayers.

Along with extending community supervision to all offenders, a nationwide network of resettlement prisons is also being created

They will also work hand in hand with the public sector National Probation Service, which is tasked with protecting the public from high risk offenders.

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described difficulties in arranging a suitable environment for interviews.

“Police stations tend to be noisy with bright or flickering lighting and strange smells,” says Dr Maras. ‘But people with autism are often sensitive to sensory input and as a result they can struggle to maintain concentration in interviews.’

Over 600,000 people in the UK have autism, many of whom will come into contact with the police at some point in their lives. Poor social-communication skills can make them vulnerable when involved with the Criminal Justice System as a victim, witness or suspect.

Individuals with autism process memories in a different way from other people, which can lead to misunderstandings.

Conventional police interview techniques are not effective for people with autism

During the study, officers also answered questions about existing interview practices that they considered worked well, and were asked what could be done to develop understanding and skills. The researchers found examples of excellent practice, especially among police officers who were able to draw on their personal experience of the disorder through familiarity with a family member or colleague with autism.

Police find interviewing and interacting with witnesses and suspects with autism a real challenge, a study has revealed - highlighting that the ways officers have been taught to interview are at odds with what is needed in these situations. Existing interview techniques tend to focus on open questions, only later narrowing down to closed questions, but research shows that people with autism may need focused questions from the outset.

On a further positive note, related research shows that there are simple and effective strategies that can enhance the evidence that people with autism give and improve their credibility as witnesses. For example, providing information about a witness’s diagnosis can improve his or her perceived credibility; unusual and stereotyped behaviours can be attributed to autism – rather than a lack of credibility.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded research studied what does, and does not, work when police interview people with autism. The researchers - Dr Katie Maras, University of Bath, and Dr Laura Crane, City University London - are calling for better training of police and criminal justice professionals as, at present in the UK, these groups currently have no standard compulsory training about autism.

At an event for police officers entitled ‘Experiences of autism and policing’, Drs Maras and Crane will lead a research-based training workshop that aims to improve practices. It takes place on 4 November as part of the ESRC’s flagship annual Festival of Social Science.

“Laura Crane and I have heard of many cases where problems have arisen because police and other criminal justice professionals know very little about autism,” says Dr Maras.

“Research in this area is still in its infancy, but it’s steadily accumulating. There’s a crucial need to get findings to practitioners to help them obtain the best evidence possible from people with autism.”

More than 400 UK frontline and investigative police officers holding a variety of ranks provided information for the study. They spoke of the difficulties and challenges they encounter when obtaining written, oral and identification evidence. Officers reported, for example, finding it hard to build rapport with people with autism, which usually plays an important part in interviews. They also Page 5

For further information contact: Dr Katie Maras, Email: k.l.maras@bath. ac.uk Telephone: 01225 383137

Custodial Review is now accepting articles from serving officers and staff within the whole custodial industry.

All articles will appear on the Custodial website and will appear in the magazine subject to the Publishers discretion. Approx length 1500 to 2000 words. We are also pleased to accept news and information.

Please contact the Publisher, Steve Mitchell, stevem@custodialreview. co.uk or on

01234 348878 for more details.

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Tailored curriculum to help women gain vital skills in prison Education and training for female offenders is to be given a boost as Justice Minister Simon Hughes set out plans for a tailored curriculum in women’s prisons that will better meet women’s needs.

The new approach from the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills will see each woman’s English and maths skills assessed within the first week of her prison sentence. Women will also be assessed for special educational needs.

Female prisoners will have a tailored learning plan to meet their individual needs and will be offered a mix of ‘life skills’ and formal educational skills which will build on the established programmes already offered in women’s prisons.

The training will mean that female offenders are better equipped when they leave prison, have a greater chance of finding employment and are less likely to reoffend. It can also help with self esteem and confidence issues.

The MOJ will also work with education partners so women can continue their education and training on release.

Justice and Civil Liberties Minister Simon Hughes said: Putting in place the right services for female offenders is vital if we are to reduce reoffending.

This is why we are providing a tailored curriculum for women to help them lead law abiding lives.

I want to see all women benefit from targeted education and training in prison which meets their needs. This will prepare them in the best way possible for eventual release and future employment opportunities.

In 2013/14, 39 women gained a NVQ Level 2 in mentoring at Drake Hall prison – including 10 women who have trained to become peer mentors, working in a variety of support roles. For example, providing support in a classroom setting to encourage participation from offenders who may struggle with low self esteem, confidence, anxiety and ‘failure’ issues.

The cost of the alternative curriculum will be met within existing budgets.

The changes are being launched as the government introduces wide-reaching reforms to offender rehabilitation aimed at bringing down the stubbornly high reoffending rates which currently see more than 57% of all offenders sentenced to less than 12-months go on to reoffend within a year of release.

This new approach will see a greater emphasis on through-the-gate support for offenders, including those on short sentences who currently get no statutory supervision on release. the Custodial Review

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Crackdown on violence in prisons A major step forward in the fight against violence in prisons has been announced by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).

The new joint protocol produced by the Prison Service, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) will set out that when there are serious assaults on prison staff, the perpetrators will be prosecuted unless there is a good reason why not.

The protocol will also provide robust guidelines for joint working between prisons, police and CPS to ensure that wherever possible prisoners who commit serious assaults on staff or other serious crimes – such as hostage taking, arson, absconds – are punished through the courts.

It will help to improve crime reporting and information sharing and most importantly it will improve the service to victims of crime in prisons, especially hard-working prisons staff. It will be fully implemented in prisons in England and Wales before the end of the financial year.

It is already the case that there is a presumption that sentences for offences committed in prison will be served at the end of, rather than alongside, the initial prison sentence. The protocol will help reinforce this.

This new approach sits within the Prison Service’s wider violence reduction strategy, focused on reducing violent behaviour and making the most of the latest technology such as body worn cameras. Work is already underway in London aimed at tackling gang related crime in London prisons.

The MOJ has also put forward new legislation in the Serious Crime Bill now going through Parliament to ensure that prisoners who possess knives and other offensive weapons in prison will face prosecution under a new criminal offence punishable by up to four years in prison. This will further strengthen the measures available to tackle the most serious violence in our prisons.

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: I am delighted that this new approach to investigating crime in prisons will ensure that those that attack staff are prosecuted and fully brought to justice. It will mean that more of the prisoners who assault staff will spend longer behind bars.

Violence in prisons is not tolerated and assaults on our hardworking staff are unacceptable. I do not underestimate the hard work and challenges that prison staff face on a daily basis which is why we have been working extremely closely with the police and CPS to tackle this issue.

We have always had a complex and challenging prison population but are taking appropriate steps to ensure that we carefully manage the increased levels of violence.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright said: This protocol will make it clear that prosecution should usually follow when prisoners assault hard-working prison staff. Prison officers deserve the greatest clarity and the best protection we can give them.

These new guidelines will provide additional guidance to prosecutors, who review all charging decisions in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. It will ensure that different police force and CPS areas pursue prosecutions of crimes within prison in a consistent and efficient way. While it is right that there should be some local prioritisation of crime investigation and prosecution, all agencies want to ensure that serious crimes in prison are dealt with fully by the criminal justice system.

There were 3,427 assaults on staff in the 12 months to June 2014, 25% were referred to the police, but the majority were dealt with by adjudication.

Final approval on Wrexham Prison in north Wales The £212million prison is due to open in 2017 and will create approximately 1,000 jobs.

Responding to the announcement that Wrexham Council has given final approval for the scheme, Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns said: North Wales has long needed its own prison and this final approval is very welcome. This development, through its construction, running and maintenance, will bring a huge number of jobs to Wrexham and the surrounding region and give a great economic boost to north Wales’ economy.

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: I welcome this final approval. Preparatory work has already started on site ahead of schedule and main construction will begin shortly. We remain in no doubt that the prison will be a huge benefit to the region. Once operational it is estimated that the prison will create about 1,000 jobs and boost the local economy by about £23million per year.

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Helping women in prison maintain family links Women in custody will be given help to maintain vital ties with their families through the introduction of family engagement workers.

Women in custody will be given help to maintain vital ties with their families through the introduction of family engagement workers in all public sector women’s prisons, Justice minister Simon Hughes has announced.

Entering prison and being separated from their families and children, sometimes for the first time, can be difficult and have an impact on the wellbeing of many female offenders.

It is important that women are punished for the crimes they have committed, but giving them emotional and practical support to deal with the impact of their actions on their families can make a huge difference. This reduces the risk of self harm, helps to keep female prisoners safe and well, and can also be a key factor in helping them to turn their lives around and move away from committing further crimes in the future.

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Family engagement workers are now in place in all female public sector prisons to:

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act as case-workers to support women or young adults in custody

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co-ordinate support for family members in the community

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provide training for prison staff and other agencies on engaging effectively with other members of prisoners’ families

Justice Minister Simon Hughes said: Every public sector women’s prison will have specially trained family engagement workers who will help to maintain and improve links with the women’s families.

Many female offenders find it extremely difficult to cope with separation from their children and families while they are in custody.

Helping them to make practical arrangements,

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stay in touch and rebuild their family relationships is not only key to keeping women in prisons safe and healthy, it is also a vital factor in reducing their risk of reoffending upon release.

system than their civilian counterparts, it also highlights that more needs to be done to capture a picture of how many veterans are being sentenced and entering prison.

More support for veterans in the criminal justice system

Stephen Phillips QC MP said:

Ex-servicemen and women entering the criminal justice system will be better supported and given a stronger chance of rehabilitation.

But we cannot lose sight of the needs of the minority of veterans who do end up in the criminal justice system.

The Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has announced a package of measures to identify and support veterans when entering and leaving prison. This follows the publication of a review into veterans in the criminal justice system by Stephen Phillips QC MP as part of this government’s Armed Forces Covenant.

Early interventions, better coordination of veteran-specific programmes, and tailored through-the-gate support for offenders leaving prison will be at the forefront of tackling offending by this group.

From January 2015, every prisoner coming into custody will be asked if they have been a member of the armed forces, and prisons will be given new guidance about helping them during their sentence.

Simon Hughes visited Eastwood Park prison in Gloucestershire and saw first hand the important role a family engagement worker can play in supporting women and their families through custody.

Mr Hughes announced that the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is working in conjunction with a collection of charities united in the ‘Prison Family Support Alliance’ to provide family engagement workers in all public sector women’s prisons, as well as some young offenders institutions.

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We were reassured to find that if you have served in the armed forces, you are actually less likely to find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

That’s why it is vital for them, their families, and our communities that more is done to look at who they are and how we can best support them.

Professor Neil Greenberg, the Royal College of Psychiatrists Lead on Military and Veterans Health said: The recently published review into veterans in the criminal justice system is a most welcome document which appears to have resulted from appropriate consultation and has consequentially reached logical and evidence based conclusions. The recommendations of the report, if implemented as presented, should lead to the small proportion of veterans who come into contact with the criminal justice system being helped to access a wide range of supportive services which should improve their life trajectories with consequential benefits for them, their families and for the rest of society. In particular, by addressing their welfare and mental health needs effectively, it seems likely that their risk of reoffending will be much reduced.

Too often, offenders are not being identified as veterans – information which could help those who work with them focus more closely on their rehabilitation needs.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: Most ex-service personnel have successful civilian lives and do not enter the criminal justice system - but I am determined to help the minority who have committed an offence turn their lives around.

Society owes a huge debt of gratitude to those who have served their country, which is why our commitment to support them and their families is enshrined in the Armed Forces Covenant.

We will identify veterans at the earliest opportunity, so that we can take a more tailored approach to help them turn away from crime.

This support will extend to offenders’ families, who also feel the sacrifices made by our service men and women.

The government commissioned the review published today, ‘Former members of the armed forces and the criminal justice system’.

Although the report finds that veterans are less likely to enter the criminal justice

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Alongside a commitment to identify veteran offenders in prison, the government’s ‘Liaison and diversion’ programme has also been working since April to identify veterans in police custody and courts. Where appropriate, they can then be referred to armed forces specific services – with excellent support available from over 2000 voluntary sector service charities.

Offenders will also benefit from the ‘Transforming rehabilitation’ reforms made under this government, which will ensure, for the first time in recent history, that virtually every offender released from custody will receive statutory supervision and rehabilitation in the community.

The review was announced in Parliament in January 2014. The aim of the review was to identify properly the reasons for ex-service personnel ending up in the justice system, to look at the support provided to them and how that support can be improved.

Dualway – designed for any anti-barricade door situation Since its launch the unique DUALWAY Anti-Barricade door system from Cooke Brothers has already generated a huge amount of interest leading to a surge in business for the company from a number of industry leading names operating in the specialist Custodial, Secure Units, Mental Health and Hospital Healthcare sectors.

Designed to suit either new build or retrofit applications where individual doorsets are required within an existing facility, the Dual Way Door System provides unrestricted and immediate access into a room in a situation where a patient has barricaded himself or herself in.

The Dual Way system utilises a frame within a frame principal, allowing for a standard 44mm or 54mm doorset to be mounted within a secondary high security steel outer frame. In everyday use the standard inward opening doorset operates as a normal door, providing full 90-degree access using a purpose designed full height Anti-ligature continuous

hinge. The outer frame is produced from preformed steel providing rigid support, whilst the high level of security engagement is by means of purpose design heavy duty mechanical hook bolt locking as standard or with the option of an electronically powered locking system where required.

Dualway door closed position

In an emergency or barricaded door situation the door and inner frame can be quickly released enabling the complete doorset to swing outwards allowing immediate entry into the room. Access is achieved by releasing the dual hook locks mortised into the outer frame and operated by unique security profile keys or where specified via an electromagnetic access control system.

To discover more about the unique DUALWAY AntiBarricade Door System please contact the sales team at Cooke Brothers Ltd on 01922 740011.

Email: sales@cookebrothers.co.uk or to view the latest DUALWAY video by visiting the web site www.cookebrothers.co.uk

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Striking new custody suite at Bridgewater Bridgwater has a new Police facility that incorporates a large custody suite, a Police station and state of the art accommodation for other, non public facing units.

Built on an industrial estate to the north of the town it was constructed under the PFI scheme by the Blue light Partnership.

This is made up of a consortium comprising Bilfinger Project Investments who are the project managers, Miller Construction who are the main contractors and Cofely who will be providing the facilities management. Aviva have provided the funding.The designers on this project were Ryder Architecture and URS.The consortium has also built two other new custody units in the Avon and Somerset Police area.

Sallie Blanks fulfils the Project Manager role for the Police. She has a diverse background having trained originally to be a company secretary and then returning to her studies to gain her Masters in Occupational Psychology. Many years spent accompanying her former husband, a senior officer with the British Army, gave her a unique ability to carry out any task that presented itself. Sallie is very up front about her lack of architectural, engineering and construction knowledge, but openly admits to being able to bring a team together and organising workflow. As she puts it, “it’s not rocket science, its mostly common sense and organisation”. Project Management is a role she came to whilst working with a team on a major planning application for Bristol Zoo. It was during this time she had to step up to the full role when the Project Manager passed away suddenly. Success in this led to her being invited to perform the Project Manager’s role for some Avon and Somerset Constabulary projects, including the custody suites. the Custodial Review

Custodial Review (CR) Why did there have to be new custody suites in this Police area?

Sallie Blanks (SB) Most of the Avon and Somerset Police custody estate was very old and was at risk of becoming unfit for purpose within a few years. It was old, tired and increasingly costly to maintain. It had become obvious that Avon and Somerset Police needed to provide custody facilities that were compliant with modern requirements and, where appropriate, exceed these standards. At the same time, the pressures on funding and staff resources made it obvious that the custody facilities urgently needed to be more efficient to run in terms of energy, workflow and personnel.

CR Before this programme what custody facilities were available and what do you have now?

SB We had a considerable number of small facilities attached to Police stations throughout the force area, in all there were about 100 antiquated cells. We now have three large custody centres that service the needs of the whole force area. One is in NE Bristol and another is at Keynsham between Bath and Bristol, both have 48 cells. The Bridgwater unit has 36 cells and has been designed so that we can add more cells if there is a demand for greater capacity in the future. We also have a satellite facility at Yeovil and a’ seasonal suite’ at Minehead to provide facilities at the outer reaches of the Avon and Somerset region. The overall concept is that detainees will be brought to one of these new centres and be processed in a very streamlined and efficient way and if detained

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be kept in facilities of the highest quality.

CR Was the Police force able to specify what facilities they wanted at Bridgwater or was it a case of getting a custody suite ‘off plan’ so to speak?

SB Setting the requirement was a very long process and the Home Office guidelines were followed very carefully to ensure that the brief for the PFI tender competition was as accurate as it could be at the time. I became involved in the project after those stages so I cannot be more specific. The architects that Miller used are a company called Ryder Architecture, who had built a similar custody unit in the north of the UK, so there was considerable experience in this field within the design and build team.

The result fits well within our requirements and we have a very striking building.

CR How did you pick the locations and sites for the new facilities?

SB The general positions were chosen by their need to be spread out through the force area of responsibility. The specific location is a more problematic issue as there are always local objections to closing a facility and centralising a county wide service. However whilst acknowledging these objections it’s obvious that a large unit that serves a big geographic area needs to be on a major transport route and have easy access. The land also has to be available and at an affordable cost, that’s why this facility has been built on an industrial estate.

CR I’ve visited a lot of newly built custody units and seen a lot of modern equipment being used, how high Tec, high spec and

A huge skylight allows natural light into the suite.

dramatic have you gone and why?

SB When we decided to build from new we had the opportunity to install the latest equipment and software available. So what we have installed here is a very modern integrated

access control system that’s linked with the CCTV and the data and building management.

There is a huge amount of processing going on that also enables us to manage the sites more efficiently without high levels of staffing.

The communication technology we have

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enables the Custody Inspectors to carry out the reviews on all the sites from their existing locations without having to travel. This means that management can be more streamlined. continues overleaf u

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Striking new custody suite continued The building itself is also striking externally and internally as we wished to create a fabulous environment for staff to work in whilst still ensuring good value for money . The custody desk area is a good example of this and it has the ‘Wow’ factor in abundance. It’s a good area to be in and a huge change from the previous cramped and somewhat shabby facilities. It provides us with a slicker and more efficient way of handling our detainees so that they are in our custody for less time and the arresting officer is back out on patrol much more quickly too. The custody staff also have a very good environment to work in, which is a huge and welcome change from the past.

CR Is this building used for any other purpose other than a custody suite and what knock on effect has that had on local policing?

SB It is also a Police centre so there is an enquiry office at the front of the building, with Police station facilities such as the neighbourhood response team, a Tri force facility, investigation and criminal justice teams behind. It has replaced Bridgwater Police Station; however we have retained a touchdown presence in the town centre that we share with the local council. We have also done this at Kingswood in South Gloucestershire. Our research shows that we do not need a full set of police facilities in the centre of towns, where land is expensive and transport links are congested. The public need easy access to a police presence in the centre of their communities, and we have found that co-locating with other local public services works well for everyone.

The custody desk was designed to provide privacy and safety.

CR Energy efficiency is a huge concern these days, what have you done in that regard?

SB Energy efficiency and reduction in ongoing running costs have been major considerations in the building of the three units. To this end here at Bridgwater we have rows of photo voltaic panels on the south facing roof; we have built in dual fuel boilers so that we can immediately switch to the most economic fuel at any moment, and Combined Heat and Power stand by boilers. The cooling systems are predominately passive and this is done by having the windows controlled by the BMS. We set the temperature range and it’s maintained automatically but because of the psychological value of individual control over the working environment, we have installed manual overrides to the windows to enable an instant ‘blast’ of fresh air, before the BMS takes back control and brings the building back to within the temperature parameters.. We have enabled daylight into each cells through skylights, with services housed in buildings above the cell corridors.

Wide corridors were designed in to enable ease of movement.

CR How have you future proofed the building? You can drop another wing of continues overleaf u the Custodial Review

One of the cell wings. Chubb locks were used throughout on the cell doors.

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Striking new custody suite continued

Chubb electronic locks were used on all cell doors.

cells into the space you have left for it, what about the additional rooms that the efficient processing detainees require?

SB The building at present consists of three corridors, each of 12 cells, built either side of a central control desk area. Two suites of ancillary facilities, such as the intoximeter rooms, detainee food preparation kitchens etc, are clustered around the custody desk area. This layout enables us to close down or separate off the groups of cells into two sections this gives us considerable flexibility in how we operate the facilities. It also means that as technology advances and new facilities are required we will be able to re-role rooms as may be required. It may be that we will only need one intoximeter in future and we will be able to create space for new systems by changing the use of rooms. This being a large facility makes that more possible.

CR How has the move from many outlying custody suites to one central one been managed?

SB We have had a project team, called ‘Project Adapt’ running for four years. It’s worked alongside the design and development of the whole building and incorporated all the issues and areas that are affected by the change. This has led to an amazing amount of positive feedback from both the staff that work here and our ‘customers’ - the people who we detain here. It’s an exciting new place that clearly has the ‘Wow’ factor. It also has a good atmosphere and people really like working here. It’s catapulted us from a weary 20th century set of facilities into a futuristic building that’s inspiring to work in.

CR Thank you for talking to the Review. the Custodial Review

The panel above the door is to allow fitting of a screen that will allow the occupant to view who they are talking to.

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There are many completed examples of Fibrocem used in cells and custodial areas throughout the United Kingdom.

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Work-related wellbeing in the prison service: a national study Research findings from several countries indicate that prison service employees experience challenging working conditions and typically report high levels of job-related stress. In the UK, the sector has recently experienced extensive changes to structure and governance, prisons are increasingly overcrowded and understaffed, and the incidence of assault and injury is rising. Nonetheless, little is known at a national level in the UK about prison officers’ perceptions of their working conditions and the implications for their wellbeing, as well as organisational functioning and the safety of staff and prisoners. This research project was commissioned by the POA to examine these issues.

This study utilised the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) approach (see http://www.hse. gov.uk/stress/standards/ to establish whether the prison service is meeting the minimum recommended standards for the management of work-related wellbeing. This is measured across several dimensions: demands, control, support from managers and co-workers, role, relationships and change. Also examined were levels of psychological health, job satisfaction and work-life balance. Personal experiences of violence and intimidation and the implications for wellbeing were investigated. The availability of support services and attitudes towards stress and sickness absence in the prison service were considered. The POA was also

interested in members’ views about plans to increase the retirement age of officers to 68.

An online questionnaire was completed by 1,682 prison officers and associated staff.

The majority (85%) of the sample was male with ages ranging from 20 to 67 years. Most respondents worked in the public sector (97%).

The findings of the survey are summarised below Perceptions of working conditions The findings indicate that the employing organisations are not meeting the HSE minimum standards for the management of their employees’ work-related wellbeing.

Lower levels of wellbeing than average were found for all of the HSE’s work stressor categories. The biggest “well-being gaps’” relate to demands, job control, manager support, change management and relationships.

Wellbeing for all categories (particularly demands and relationships) is considerably lower than in other emergency and safetycritical services, such as the police and the fire and rescue service.

In terms of demand, respondents frequently have difficulties managing their workload. They are often required to work very intensively and neglect some tasks because they have too much to do.

Respondents seldom feel in control over their pace of work and are rarely able to decide when to take a break.

In terms of manager support, respondents can sometimes talk to their supervisor about something that has upset or annoyed them.

Nonetheless, they rarely get support to help them cope with the emotional demands of the job.

Preferred bidders of prison services competition announced Preferred bidders for the management of a range of works, maintenance and facilities management services across public sector prisons revealed.

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Respondents are fairly clear about their role in terms of what is expected of them at work and have the information required to do their job.

In relation to change, Respondents feel they are seldom consulted about new initiatives at work and have little knowledge of how they will work out in practice.

Less than 7% rate the quality of their on-thejob training as very good or excellent, while more than half (57%) see it as poor or very poor. Most (79%) are extremely dissatisfied with their opportunities for promotion.

Violence and intimidation Almost three-quarters of respondents reported that they regularly experience verbal abuse from prisoners. More than half receive verbal threats and are subjected to intimidation often or regularly.

Three respondents out of every ten have been physically assaulted by a prisoner, with most assaults occurring during the last four years.

Those who have experienced physical assault tended to have poorer mental health. Twothirds of those who had been assaulted are dissatisfied with the support they received to help them recover.

escorting of contractors and their vehicles to public sector prisons across England and Wales.

The preferred bidders are:

• • • •

Amey and Carillion have been named as the desired providers following a competition process to provide: maintenance works and building projects management of prison stores waste disposal and collection energy and environmental management cleaning

In terms of relationships, there is evidence that bullying and harassment are more common in the prison service than in other sectors.

Only just under one-third of respondents have never been subject to harassment and only 40% never experience bullying at work.

Each company was selected as a preferred bidder for 2 separate geographical areas following a competition process that is set to save taxpayers around £115 million over a 5 year period.

The Ministry of Justice on 18th November 2014 revealed the preferred bidders for the management of a range of works, maintenance and facilities management services across public sector prisons.

• • • • • •

Respondents are considerably more satisfied with the support they receive from coworkers than managers. This helps them manage the demanding nature of the work and is a considerable source of satisfaction.

Lot 1 – Amey – North East, North West,Yorkshire and Humberside Lot 2 – Amey - East Midlands, West Midlands, Wales Lot 3 – Carillion - East of England, London Lot 4 – Carillion - South West, South Central, Kent and Sussex

The competition was announced in June 2013 and formally launched in January 2014, as part of the government’s programme of work to drive down costs and improve outcomes across the prison estate without compromising public safety.

The new providers are expected to start delivering services on 1st June 2015 following a period of mobilisation.

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Professor Gail Kinman and Dr. Andrew Clements Health and wellbeing The overall level of mental health found in this survey was considerably poorer than that reported by other occupational groups.

The most common symptoms are anxiety, emotional exhaustion and insomnia.

Almost 60% of the sample feels stressed at least once a week, with two in every ten feeling this way every day. More than onethird of respondents have been diagnosed with a stress-related illness since they started working for the prison service.

There is a considerable lack of awareness of the support available to help officers manage stress. Almost half (45) are unsure whether any services are available to them.

Just over half (52%) feels unable to discuss any work-related stress they experience with their line manager, with only 12% being able to do this often or always. Most respondents are able talk to their colleagues about stress.

A considerable majority (84%) feel under pressure to come into work when they are unwell at least sometimes, with more than half always experiencing such pressure. The most common reasons for this ‘”presenteeism” are pressure from managers, fear of dismissal, feelings of guilt and safety concerns due to staff shortages and not wanting to let colleagues down.

Work-life balance The majority of respondents (70%) have difficulty “switching off” from work-related concerns. This has a negative impact on their personal life and their ability to recover from the pressures of work.

Job satisfaction and retention The job is very important to many

respondents and the majority feels a strong sense of personal accomplishment and pride in doing a good job. Most believe that they positively influence prisoners’ lives.

The level of job satisfaction found in this survey is considerably lower than in other occupational groups in the UK. Job security, pay and opportunities for promotion are generally considered the least satisfying aspects of work, but the way the organisation is managed has the lowest ratings overall.

As mentioned above, relationships with coworkers is considered the most satisfying aspect of work Seven out of every ten respondents regretted their choice of job, and half are seriously considering leaving the prison sector in the near future.

Working beyond the age of 60 The majority of respondents expressed concern that working beyond the age of 60 will adversely affect their ability to do their job.

Three-quarters indicated that working after 60 would impair their job performance a great deal. Only 4% believed that it would affect them a little or not at all.

Conclusions The findings of this survey indicate that wellbeing in the UK prison sector is generally poor, with serious implications for the wellbeing of prison officers and organisational functioning. The level and impact of violence and intimidation, and a lack of support to manage the impact of such incidents, is a serious cause for concern. The extent of presenteeism in the sector, the evident stigma linked to work-related stress, and the difficulties many officers experience in switching off from work concerns are also likely to have serious consequences in safety critical work, with potentially serious consequences for the personal safety of staff and prisoners.

By Gail Kinman, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology, University of Bedfordshire This survey was conducted by Professor Kinman, together with Dr. Andrew Clements and Dr. Jacqui Hart. Please contact Professor Kinman on gail.kinman@beds.ac.uk if you would like a copy of the full report.

If you are not receiving your copy, or you have a colleague who would like one, let us know!

We will need your name, title, position & FULL address.

To obtain your copy, or to subscribe please forward your up-todate information to: The Custodial, 53 Asgard Drive, Bedford MK41 0UR. Tel: 01234 348878 Fax: 01223 790191 Email: sales@pirnet.co.uk or go onto www.custodialreview.co.uk and click ‘Subscribe’.

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World War One commemoration boards at HMP Hull Graham Sainty is the Head of Learning and Skills at HMP Hull. They have recently completed a very emotive task of producing a large set of commemoration boards containing all the names of people from Hull who left for the first war and who never returned. The boards have been mounted on the walls in the main entrance of Hull railway station, where nearly everyone departed on what was to be a one way journey for many.

I spoke to Graham to find out what was behind the project and how it was carried out.

CR How did this begin, who came up with the concept of putting all the names on boards and displaying them in the railway station?

Graham Sainty It was originally the idea of a Prison Officer Stephen Johnson who was exmilitary and very keen on not letting the history or the memory of the people of Hull’s part in the first war fade away. The centenary was coming up and it was an idea that resonated with many people. When Mr Murray, Head of reducing Reoffending, had spoken to the Railway Area Manager, Dave Hatfield, he decided that the station entrance hall would be an apt place for their permanent display.

CR How many boards are involved, where did the information on the people come from and how much space was involved at the station?

GS There are 20 boards in all, all have been custom made and the entrance hall area of the Station is a large place, however the walls will be filled with all the boards are in place.

The information on the soldiers came from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who hold all the information on who died and where they are from. To find out who came from Hull we had to work logically through the pages of information, there are approximately 900,000 names on the lists, so it was a long and painstaking job that took just over 6 months to do. In all about 4800 people were identified as coming from Hull. An additional problem was that Hull was a transit point; so many more people came through the town just to use the railway. the Custodial Review

Graham Sainty and Dave Hatfield

CR The boards themselves, there are approximately 250 names on each board and twenty one boards in all. How did you set out?

GS Stephen Murray did the visit to the station where the space available was determined.There were unused white arches that were not being put to any use other than the odd spot of graffiti.

Dave Hatfield the Area Manager had been under some pressure to put advertising on these areas as they were in the main entrance to the station.

However he was of the opinion that recognition of the part the building played in the life of Hull in the early 20th century was more important.

He had instituted a policy of promoting local events and culture throughout the station as a

The service of dedication at Hull railway station.

way of giving the building some additional local reference and this fitted in with his ideals very closely.The parent company, 1st Group, had supported him in this. By close examination it was determined how much space there was and therefore how many board could be mounted and their size.We then knew how many names there would be on each and so how big the typeface would have to be.

CR How did you achieve the task of actually putting the names on the boards?

GS The four inmates who worked on this sorted the names alphabetically; the Page 18

frames and backboards were made in the woodworking shop from oak covered marine ply. This was to reduce the chance of any moisture from causing splitting. The glass at the front was cut to size from a large piece of laminated glass. A yacht varnish was used to protect the wood and it was put over a matt stain on which the gilt lettering was placed.

The gilt letters had been printed onto backing sheets in groups of 14 names, these had to be transferred to the boards individually and the process was achieved by the extensive use of time, patience, a steady hand and a lot of masking tape. The inmates that did this part of the job describe it as ‘Difficult’!

CR When did it all go up on the walls and was there a ceremony?

GS A dedication service and ceremony was held in Remembrance Sunday, it was attended by the Royal British Legion and the local religious groups the first lieutenant of Hull and the Mayor of Hull. It’s notable that a lot of inmates leave Hull from the railway station and they will be able to see something that they know was made by the prison. Each of the boards has a notification on it of where it was made, though the names of the people who made them are not recorded on them.

However one of them has found a surname identical to his own in the lists of people.

CR Thank you for talking to the Review.

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The Restorative justice’s policing information pack This is an exciting and important time in the development of restorative justice in England and Wales. Its use is expanding across the criminal justice system, particularly among police forces. The Restorative Justice Council’s vision is of a restorative society where everyone has access to safe, high quality restorative justice wherever and whenever it is needed. We still have some way to go before realising this vision, but widespread support and increasing provision means we are certainly closer than we were just a few years ago and significant progress continues to be made.

Restorative justice gives victims the opportunity to communicate with the offender who harmed them - an approach that has significant benefits. It gives victims a role at the heart of the criminal justice process by offering them a voice and enabling them to explain to the offender the impact that the offence had on them, to ask questions, and to potentially receive an explanation and an apology. For the offender, restorative justice can help them to understand the impact of their actions, take responsibility for them, and make amends. It can help the victim to put the incident behind them and move on and it can help the offender to choose a different path in life.

There is now substantial evidence to show that restorative justice works. Putting a face to a previously anonymous victim can provide a wake-up call for an offender and Ministry of Justice figures credit restorative justice with reducing the frequency of reoffending by 14%.

It also helps victims – 85% of victims who meet an offender face to face are satisfied with the outcome, while 80% report that they would recommend restorative justice to other victims of crime. This reduction in reoffending means that restorative justice saves money at a time when resources are scarce.

Restorative justice is popular with the public.

A recent poll found that 75% of people agree with the idea of restorative justice and almost three-quarters would be willing to take part in it themselves. The polling also found that victims of crime are significantly more likely to support restorative justice, with 84% supporting the idea. This implies that personal experience of being a victim of crime can lead to a greater understanding of the need for restorative justice and the benefits it can bring to other victims.

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Restorative justice cuts crime, saves money and is popular with the public. Perhaps most importantly of all, though, it helps victims come to terms with what has happened to them, giving them a voice in a process in which they all too often feel marginalised. Restorative justice is not a cure-all solution to the problem of crime but it is an important and valuable tool which the police can use to deal with crime more effectively. Building confidence in justice and meeting the needs of victims are central to the role of the police. Restorative justice can help to deliver these benefits.

Given these facts it is unsurprising that police forces all over the country are increasingly utilising restorative justice in their work and many police officers are doing excellent restorative work.Yet despite positive steps forward, the vast majority of victims and offenders never access restorative justice.

Across the country, restorative justice provision is patchy and inconsistent. The quality of provision also varies.

This can lead to restorative justice being used inappropriately. There is all too often a confusion about exactly what restorative justice involves. Some people think that a scribbled ‘sorry’ note passed to a victim represents restorative justice in action, others confuse the process with reparation. We have heard of ‘restorative justice’ used to deal with cannabis possession. Clearly there

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was no victim to take part in the process so the officer disposed of the cannabis and told the offender not to do it again before noting down that he had used restorative justice to deal with the offence. Clearly more needs to be done to inform forces of what restorative justice involves and the benefits it can bring.

Restorative justice, then, is an important and valuable process which can be used to deal with crime effectively. But this process is under-utilised and often misinterpreted. It is in this climate that the Restorative Justice Council has developed an information pack to assist police forces in their provision of high quality restorative justice.

The content of the pack is intended to inform police forces about restorative justice and the positive results it can achieve, and to help them to deliver it safely and effectively. It is suitable for all forces from those hoping to introduce restorative justice to those who have extensive experience and wish to ensure that their use of restorative justice is carried out to the highest standards.

The pack provides an overview of key aspects of restorative justice in relation to policing including useful facts, questions and answers and accounts of restorative justice in action.

There are also case studies and articles on implementing restorative justice in a police force, training and accreditation.

The information pack has the backing of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) who are making a concerted effort to increase the use of restorative justice by police forces. Ellie Acton, ACPO’s National Restorative Justice Policing Manager, said: “I hope this information pack will enable stakeholders to be clear as to what restorative justice is and the practicality of its application at any stage of the criminal justice process. This clarity will better enable the police to harness the great benefits this approach can bring to victims, offenders and communities through effective and positive communication.”

This resource can be used to help to explain what restorative justice has to offer.

Restorative justice can repair the harm caused by crime, empower victims by giving them a voice, encourage offenders to change, and ultimately reduce crime. Police forces need to be encouraged and supported to use it in their day to day response to crime.

The Restorative Justice Council’s information pack on restorative justice and policing is available at: www.restorativejustice.org.uk/ policeinfopack

Custodial Review is now accepting articles from serving officers and staff within the whole custodial industry.

All articles will appear on the Custodial website and will appear in the magazine subject to the Publishers discretion. Approx length 1500 to 2000 words. We are also pleased to accept news and information.

Please contact the Publisher, Steve Mitchell, stevem@custodialreview.co.uk or on

01234 348878

for more details.

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Menu management at Full Sutton correct the problems, however it was simply too inefficient, especially with the pressures on staffing that have now become more acute.

CR What event prompted the decision to look into a change being made?

PM The tipping point was when the Catering Manager, Bryan Monkman, attended an area catering managers meeting where Gary Hazard of was making a presentation of their new menu Management system called Athena, Bryan liked the look of it and so it was decided to carry out a study into how effective it could be here.

CR So what was so attractive about this new system? What did it do that solved the issues you had with the old system?

Paul Mackintosh is the Catering Supervisor at HMP Full Sutton. He joined the Prison Service in 1998 as a residential officer and ten years ago a vacancy came up for a trainee caterer. It was a role he thought he could be good at and so became a Catering Officer. Paul contacted me about a new system that HMP Full Sutton has brought in to help manage the catering operation. It sorts out the problem of gathering the multiple menu choices from the wing, and a lot more besides.

CR You have a new menu system installed here, what was the situation that brought about this need?

PM The system we had in place since 1997 was probably very similar to all the other catering menu systems across the service, we collated the menu choices on each wing then sent the figures over to the kitchen.

Quite often the figures were then revised, or didn’t add up, or special diets were forgotten and so we were constantly chasing people and changing numbers. This involved lots of different staff doing lots of small jobs and there were just too many people and variables in the information loop. This needed to change as in these times of pressures on staffing and waste it was inefficient and inaccurate. There were no massive failures or issues with it and we had tried many times to fine tune it to the Custodial Review

PM It cuts out most of the input requirement from staff on the wings, all the admin is done within the kitchen by the people who have most to gain by doing it right first time. To achieve this new menu selection forms are sent out to each wing, the prisoner fill them out and they are collected before being returned for collating within the kitchen. The distribution and collection of the forms is all the administration that is done on the wings.

Each form has a prisoner’s name and number on it, the week the menu is for, the choices and the ingredients. Once the prisoner has made their selections this form comes back to us.

The 600 or so forms are then passed through an electronic scanner and read into the computer system. This cuts out all the issues we had with incorrect numbers, missing forms, special menus and so on. We know what’s been ordered, by whom and where they are.

Just as importantly we know if anyone’s form is missing. The system feeds from the CNOMIS location list which we update each day. Once a prisoners menu is in the system his meal choice selection will follow him to any location within the jail.

CR So the information from the forms is now available, what happens to this data?

PM It’s transfers across into the Athena system, this has all the information on required ingredients and it then calculates how many of each meal and where they are needed. It also calculates what is needed to be ordered from the suppliers to fulfil the requirement.

If there are any forms missing it allocates a generally suitable default menu that would be suitable for most people. All our prisoners are sentenced, so we know the numbers we are catering for.

CR Other than the reduction in the wing admin burden what other efficiencies has it bought to the catering system?

PM It also gives us very accurate ingredient figures, it also enables us to be more flexible when changing the menu, we now only need to order a week in advance instead of the previous delay of 4 weeks. It also helps with Page 22

the production of meals, we have a work party of 36 prisoners all of who work in the kitchen, we are there to supervise but it’s the prisoners who do most of the work. So they have to know exactly how to produce the part of the meal they are working on. This system allows us to put clear written step by step preparation instructions in front of the prisoner that lay out exactly how to prepare the dish. It covers the utensils, ingredients, heat source, mixing instructions and everything else needed for the meal to be prepared. This keeps the costs down as ingredients and energy are not wasted, either in the preparation or by incorrect procedure. It enable us to ensure that a standard product is sent out each meal time, meals need to be standardised and in line with the menu specification (Detailed meal information for prisoner viewing) especially with the new allergen legislation due to become law in Dec 2014.

It also covers the food safety and the HACCP requirements of preparing food. There are procedures and set points we have to follow and adhere to, we use a form called a CAT 4, this is the work sheet for each task, it lists the food safety regulations and the temperature/ time parameters for the food to ensure it’s safe & suitable for consumption. It also instructs on food storage as to which fridge/ freezer/dry store the produce needs to be located in. We have built & adapted the system in conjunction with PSI 44/2010 (Catering – Meals for Prisoners Prison Service instruction).

CR Now you have the system in and running since April, if you look back what would you have done differently in hindsight?

PM We would have taken more time to develop the system before it went live. This would have enabled us to iron out all the little anomalies prior to inception. It has the ability to assist in far greater ways than we originally thought it would and had we developed it more prior to it going live then we would have reaped greater benefits much earlier. Malcom Kellett and I worked on this, however it was on a ‘when we can’ basis and it would have been far better to have taken one of us out of the job for a set time and used it to get the system fully up and running before it was being used full time.

CR How has it developed since April?

PM All the catering staff have now learnt how the system works and have had an input into the process so to fine tune it to our needs.

By the end of 2014 we will have to include all the food intolerances into our menu planning and the ingredients list we give to prisoners, the system can do that. We also wish to tackle obesity so we can obtain the calorific content of the food on the menu choice description.

This is getting us ahead of requirements so we are prepared and not playing catch up.

more efficient because we are now able to give the staff specific instructions on how to do something. This helps with new staff or with a change in menu.

CR All prisons are trying to reduce landfill so what about waste food?

PM We are ordering far less in advance, we have fewer out of date food problems so we have cut waste. We are not wasting as much food in the preparation stage as we can control portion sizes far more accurately.

What waste we do generate is turned into compost at the recycling shop.

CR Quality control has become a big issue over the years, does this system help produce a more consistent product?

Gary Hazzard

CR What effect has it had on staff?

PM Within the kitchen it hasn’t reduced our work load, however it will have freed up wing staff from the role of collating & inputting all the prisoners menu choices, they will have more time for other more important matters.

As pressure on staffing levels is not easing up the reduction of this from their workload must be a welcome one. It’s made the kitchen

PM The cat 4 worksheets we now distribute around the kitchen sections now contain far more information and it’s used to prepare the meals so is far more specific. Not only is there content and process information on the sheet there are also parts of it that need to be filled in to record and keep data relating to food safety for that part of the meal. For instance the time and temperature of something removed from the fridge will have to be recorded on the sheet as will time

and temperature during the cooking process, how long it’s standing for etc. etc. It also dissuades the catering staff from deviating from the recipe, if the sheet doesn’t specify an ingredient then it’s not included, this has a benefit that a particular dish tastes the same every time it’s produced. It’s reduced the routine work for the managers and enabled us to get the quality right. We now have a more effective audit trail for all our food safety/ HACCP/Allergen etc documentation.

CR Thank you for talking to the Review.

The system was originally written for the Education service, it was adopted by Onley prison that saw its potential for use in the custodial environment. It’s flexible and adaptable enough to cope with changes to food regulations and specialist dietary requirements. It took about 6 months for Full Sutton to set up their system; however the 400+ dishes and HACCP parts of it can be transferred to other establishments so saving them the longer set up times. With a dedicated person on set up and with the importing of the existing data from another establishment the system could be up and running in a month.

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01/06/2012 11:53

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Duchess of Cornwall opens ‘Fine Cell Work’ pop-up shop at Fortnum & Mason

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The Duchess of Cornwall was guest of honour at Fortnum & Mason when she opened a special pop-up shop in support of Fine Cell Work – the charity that trains

Illicit prison phones to be cut off Mobile phones that are being used by prisoners will be cut off under proposed new legislation.

Phone networks will be compelled to block mobile phones and SIM cards by the courts if they are being used in a prison, as part of the government’s proposed amendment to the Serious Crime Bill.

The amendment – discussed in Parliament on Monday – will be a powerful new tool in the fight against illicit mobile phone use in prisons.

Illicit mobile phones in prisons can lead to bullying and disorder, as well as being used by serious and organised criminals to continue their illegal activities, such as drug smuggling from behind bars.

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prisoners in paid, skilled, creative needlework, undertaken in their cells, to foster hope, discipline and self-esteem.

The Duchess has been a supporter of the charity since its inception in 1997. All Fine Cell Work items are made to the highest standards and finest quality as prisoners are taught and supported by volunteers from the Embroiderers and Quilters Guild, many of whom are qualified textile workers. On average a needlework cushion will take more than 100 hours and can involve as many as 3000 stitches.

On the first floor at Fortnum’s, The Duchess welcomed customers into the space to shop the beautifully curated range of expertly crafted products. She also met with a number of Fine Cell Work staff, supporters and volunteers – the latter of whom were on hand to demonstrate some of the techniques they teach prisoners. The pop up shop at Fortnum’s includes everything from cushions and bags, to tea cosies and Christmas decorations, with many of the products featuring quirky, irreverent designs. This is the first time FCW has had a select pop-up area in a department store. In the past it has sold mainly through events and its website.

HRH shows her support for charity that trains prisoners in expert needlework

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Commenting on the launch of the pop-up shop, Ewan Venters, CEO for Fortnum & Mason, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have The Duchess of Cornwall opening this pop-up, and equally thrilled to be the first retailer to host a dedicated presentation of Fine Cell Work’s beautiful products.

Like The Duchess, we’re huge supporters of Fine Cell Work – both as an initiative in and of itself, and in terms of the incredible products that are handmade in British prisons.”

Building on the recently introduced blocking technology and thorough searching processes that have already helped to increase seizures, the new legislation will take advantage of cutting-edge detection equipment that will allow prisons to identify unauthorised mobile phones and SIM cards being used within prisons.

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: We will never tolerate the use of mobile phones in prisons and will continue to clamp down on their illicit use.

Our range of tough security measures has already successfully seen the number of seizures increase, but this proposed new legislation will significantly increase our ability to tackle this problem.

By ordering a phone to be cut off once it is identified, we will be able to reassure victims and prevent further criminal activity faster

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HRH Duchess of Cornwall with Victoria Gillies MD of Fine Cell Work Victoria Gillies MD of Fine Cell Work said: “It is a great honour that The Duchess of Cornwall has given her support to Fine Cell Work by opening the pop-up shop. Everyone associated with this enterprise is immensely proud that our products will be sold in the prestigious environs of Fortnum & Mason who are hosting our pop-up as a generous donation of support. For the prisoners who stitch independently in their cells, or take part in our workshops, knowing that their work is available to buy in this world renowned store gives a sense of achievement and purpose that is invaluable. The simple act of stitching offers innumerable benefits to prisoners, helping them to turn their lives around, establish a connection with society and foster hope for their non-offending future.” and wider than ever before.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has worked closely with the Home Office to develop the amendment to the Serious Crime Bill. If approved, the legislation will mean that once a phone has been identified, the Prison Service will be able to apply to a court for it to be disconnected without needing to seize the phone or prove it is being used by a specific prisoner.

Prisons already use a comprehensive range of robust searching and security measures to detect items of contraband with intelligenceled searches, body searches, use of x-ray machines, metal detectors and CCTV surveillance cameras, as well as body orifice scanners all helping to tackle the use of mobile phones.

Building on existing legislation and the serious and organised crime strategy, the Serious Crime Bill will enhance the ability of law enforcement agencies to pursue, disrupt and bring to justice serious and organised criminals.

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Transforming Rehabilitation by Russell Webster An historic day Friday 5th December 2014 was probably the most important day in the 107 year history of the probation service.

Chris Grayling, the Justice Minister, confirmed the preferred bidders to run the new 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) under the government’s Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) reform programme.

In just over two years (he was appointed Justice Secretary in September 2012), Mr Grayling has driven through the biggest change in the history of the probation service.

only. Two probation staff Community Interest Companies are part of the winning partnerships in Durham Tees Valley and London respectively.

Readers of Custodial Review will have noted that only Sodexo of these main providers has any extensive experience of working in the criminal justice system. The exclusion of G4S and Serco from the competition because of their financial improprieties in running the electronic tagging scheme means that most of the companies running probation and

either considerable “teething problems” or deep structural flaws – depending on whether you have an MoJ or Napo viewpoint.

It will clearly take a considerable period of time for new providers to bed in their new approaches and before we are able to see whether they have any positive impact on reducing reoffending. Since the most recent reoffending rates were the best for a decade, new providers may have their work cut out to ensure that they receive the full revenue under the payment by results arrangements.

Transforming Rehabilitation has three main components:

1. It splits the probation service into two

(unequal) parts: the smaller National Probation Service (NPS) remains in the statutory sector and supervises highrisk offenders as well as servicing the courts and dealing with enforcement.

The 21 CRCs were opened up to tender to the private and voluntary sector and supervise low and medium risk offenders.

CRCs deal with about 70% of the probation caseload.

2. Government funding for the new CRCs

will be increasingly on a payment by results basis over their ten-year contract length. New providers will have to demonstrate that they are reducing reoffending rates in order to get paid in full.

3. Short-term prisoners (those serving less

than 12 months) will receive statutory supervision and support for the first time.

The new providers The preferred bidders will take over the CRCs early next year (the date is as yet unconfirmed).

There will be eight new providers of probation as shown in the map below. As you can see, the big winners are:

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Sodexo and NACRO have been successful in six CRCs

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Interserve who are leading partnerships in five CRCs

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MTCNovo, a Joint Venture between MTC and a number of other organisations, have won London and Thames Valley.

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Working Links are the preferred bidders in three CRCs.

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The Reducing Reoffending Partnership (a Joint Venture between Ingeus, St Giles Trust and CRI) will run the two large Midlands CRCs (Staffs & West Mids and Derby, Leicester, Notts & Rutland).

A probation staff mutual was part of the winning bid with Working Links although the mutual’s primary service delivery function will be in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall the Custodial Review

providing pre-release services to prisoners will be on a steep learning curve as to how our criminal justice system operates in practice.

The next 2 to 3 years will inevitably be a very difficult time for probation staff and the offenders they supervise and support.

What does the future hold?

There has been extensive criticism of the government’s Transforming Rehabilitation project.

Many have protested on an ideological basis; claiming (quite fairly) that one of the driving forces of the project has been the privatisation of the probation service. The main probation union, Napo, attempted to halt TR by the use of a judicial review but failed to the extent that they had to pick up the majority of the MoJ’s legal costs.

Many others, including those who feel there may be real benefits in opening up probation to a range of new providers, have reservations about the pace of change and feel that the new system should have been piloted properly first.

In my opinion, the biggest difficulty facing “new probation” is that the service has now been effectively split into two, causing fragmentation and a whole new bureaucracy designed to communicate across the NPS/CRC divide.

Currently, probation is in turmoil with staff demoralised and angry, sickness rates at their highest ever level and the new system facing Page 26

Russell Webster is an independent consultant and researcher specialising in drugs and crime. He blogs extensively on Transforming Rehabilitation, payment by results and other related issues at www. russellwebster.com.

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Stop transporting men, women and children to and from prison together, says Chief Inspector Men, women and children should not be transported between courts and prisons in the same vehicles, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. He added that a greater use of virtual courts and video link would mean fewer escort journeys had to take place.

On 18/12/2015 he published a thematic report, Transfers and Escorts within the Criminal Justice System.

The report is the fourth that HM Inspectorate of Prisons has produced since 2004 that attempts to describe what happens to people inside prison vans. It draws on findings from police, court and Secure Training Centre (STC) inspections, as well as inspections of prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs) and an analysis of data that has been provided to HMI Prisons by escort services.

Between October 2013 and September 2014 there were 818,168 escorted journeys of men, women and children provided by Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) at a cost of £128.2 million, and 3,962 escorts of younger or more vulnerable children to or from STCs, provided by Secure Escort Services for Children and Young People (SESCYP) in a four-year contract costing £9.1 million.

PECS are currently provided by GeoAmey and Serco Wincanton and SESCYP by Serco.

Researchers collected details on the 195,811 escort journeys undertaken between 1 November 2013 and 31 January 2014. Of these journeys, 79% involved adult men, 8% women, 10% young adults and 3% children. The great majority of journeys were to and from court.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

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PECS escort vans may carry a mixture of men, women and children and a screen should separate the different groups, but this was not always in place and even if it was, it did not stop shouted abuse; there are no seat belts and detainees complained of being thrown around in the van as it travelled;

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two-thirds of adult prisoners surveyed said the vans they travelled in were clean, but inspectors saw some that were dirty and covered in graffiti;

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few prisoners on longer journeys were offered a ‘comfort break’ to use the toilet and instead had to use a liquid absorbing gel-bag to use in their cell while the van was on the move;

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adult detainees were routinely cuffed on and off the vehicle, regardless of risk;

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only about two-thirds of prisoners said they were told where they were being taken, and sometimes this was for valid security reasons but often there was no good reason;

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because there are fewer women’s prisons and YOIs and STCs, women and children travelled longer distances than men, and because men’s prisons ‘lock out’, but women’s prisons and YOIs for under-18s do not, men were always dropped off first if travelling with women and boys;

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adult prisoners could have long waits in a van after it had arrived at a prison if reception was closed and at the height of summer, inspectors found prisoners left outside over lunchtime in dangerously stifling and hot vans for up to two hours;

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the Person Escort Records that should accompany all detainees and identify their risks on the journey and at their destination were poorly completed; and

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in some cases, children were returned to police custody when the court closed at the end of the day until an escort was available to take them to an STC.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

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detainees generally reported that escort staff treated them well, although those from minority groups were less positive;

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children moving to or from STCs were escorted under the SESCYP contract, often by taxi, and reported a better experience;

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the escort experience we describe here a much less frequent event.”

Durham - generally positive but concerns over mental health Police custody in Durham was generally positive, but too many people with mental health issues were brought into custody instead of taken to health facilities, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, and Dru Sharpling, HM Inspector of Constabulary.

Publishing a report of an unannounced inspection.

The inspection was part of a national programme of joint inspections of police custody and the second inspection of Durham police custody suites. The first inspection was in September 2008. For this more recent inspection, inspectors visited the following fulltime custody suites: Bishop Auckland, Durham, Darlington and Peterlee, as well as the standby suites at Consett and Spennymoor.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

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there was a clear line of accountability and an effective management structure overseeing custody arrangements;

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there was a management drive to make use of alternatives to custody;

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interactions between staff and detainees were respectful and detainees said they were treated well;

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children were routinely asked about their escort experience when they arrived at STC and sometimes at YOIs; and

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the use of force was recorded so that it could analysed for learning and to spot trends;

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the use of virtual courts where hearings are conducted by video link is increasing and these obviate the need for escort journeys, which is welcome, but there is still work to do to better coordinate this.

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custody suites were clean and had been refurbished, although access to showers, especially for people attending court, needed to improve;

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initial risk assessments and risk management were good, although prerelease risk assessments were sometimes non-existent; and

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many aspects of health care were good.

Nick Hardwick said: “Escorts are a critical part of the custodial process – for detainees new to custody and in particular for those, like children, who might be particularly vulnerable, the effectiveness with which the process is managed may allay or inflame tensions and fears. The two most important measures to improve this process are an end to the transport of men, women and children in the same vehicles and the better use of virtual courts. For good reason, great efforts are made to keep children, women and men separate in custody and it is wholly inappropriate that they are transported in the same vehicles. However they are organised, the escort experience is likely to be expensive and detrimental for the detainee.

Much more should be done to increase the well-managed use of virtual courts and make Page 27

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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too many people who were mentally unwell were held in police cells;

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in some instances, arresting officers took detainees to cells as a result of inadequate staffing, which should be avoided to protect both detainees and officers from allegations of coercion; and

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access to out of hours adult services, provided by the local authority, were frequently poor, although young people were generally dealt with quickly. continues overleaf u the Custodial Review

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Police custody in Police custody in South Yorkshire generally positive Police custody in South Yorkshire had improved, and was positive overall, but the force needed to focus on improving risk assessments, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, and Dru Sharpling, HM Inspector of Constabulary.

On 9th Dec 2014 they published the report of an unannounced inspection.

The inspection was part of a national programme of joint inspections of police custody and the second inspection of South Yorkshire police custody suites. The first inspection in July 2010 had generally positive findings, but inspectors drew the service’s attention to improvements required in supervising the use of force and managing medications and mental health services. More recently, inspectors visited the following full-time custody suites: Barnsley, Charge Office Bridge Street (Sheffield), Doncaster, Ecclesfield and Rotherham, as well as a standby suite at Mossway.

This inspection identified a number of improvements, and some instances of good practice, but there were also a number of inadequacies, particularly concerning risk assessments and a specific use of force technique.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

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there were clear lines of accountability in the leadership and management of custody supported by forums and structures in which custody issues were addressed;

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South Yorkshire Police was developing plans to renew its custody suites by building new and larger facilities to replace the older suites currently in use;

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police staff were polite and interactions between most detainees and staff were courteous, and detainees said they were well looked after;

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despite their age, custody facilities and cells were clean and free from graffiti;

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there had been some excellent partnership work to secure local authority accommodation for young people in custody in Sheffield;

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all detainees were informed of their rights during their time in custody;

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appropriate adult services were available in most suites; and

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health care services were generally good and the street triage service which allowed people in immediate need of mental health care to be diverted without the need to be taken into police custody, was good.

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However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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the process for the collection and analysis of custody data and management information required improvement, as did quality assurance arrangements and processes to ensure learning was applied;

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most forces have a computerised custody system, but South Yorkshire had a mixed record-keeping system including handwritten records, many of which were in part illegible, which undermined accountable and effective risk management and handover;

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some restraint techniques were disproportionate, potentially unsafe and poorly supervised; and

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risk assessment and management in general was weak, with often formulaic handovers and pre-release risk assessments.

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the 2013-14 responses were an improvement.

This included a higher proportion of boys reporting that they could shower, use the telephone and go outside for exercise each day. There were 39 questions where the responses were a deterioration from the 2012-13 responses. In 2013-14, boys reported a poorer experience during their first few days, including feelings of safety on their first night, being offered help on arrival and information about being upset. Boys were more likely to report having been restrained (38% in 2013-14 compared with 30% in 2012-13) and having spent a night in the care and separation unit.

Boys were less likely in 2013-14 to report that most staff treated them with respect and more likely to report having an emotional or mental health problem. A higher proportion of boys said they were not involved in any activities at the time of the survey – 14% compared with 10% in 2012-13.

The report also found that:

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most boys (85%) said they were aged 16 or 17, 4% said they were 15 and 11% that they were 18;

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a third said they had been in local authority care at some point;

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11% said they had children;

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only 4% said they were foreign national;

Policy makers involved in reshaping the youth custody estate should listen to what children tell us about themselves and their time in custody, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. On the 10th Dec 2014 he published a thematic report on the results of surveys of children in custody.

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41% of boys said they were from a black and minority ethnic background;

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two-fifths (42%) of boys said they were Christian and 22% that they were Muslim;

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6% said they had a Gypsy, Romany or Traveller background; and

The report, Children in Custody 2013-14: an analysis of 12-18-year-olds’ perceptions of their experience in secure training centres and young offender institutions, published jointly with the Youth Justice Board (YJB), sets out how children describe their own experience of imprisonment.

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almost four-fifths (78%) said they were sentenced, with almost half serving less than 12 months.

Insights can be gained from listening to children in custody, says Chief Inspector

Over the past five years there has been a welcome drop in the number of children in custody and in response, several young offender institutions (YOIs) have been decommissioned and girls are now only held in secure training centres (STCs) or secure children’s homes. Most children in custody are there for serious offences. Research has shown that the characteristics of children in custody are different from those of the general child population: they are more likely to have education, health (including mental health) and family issues. The government has set out plans to reform the youth custody estate, replacing STCs and YOIs with a fewer number of larger secure colleges to hold the majority of children in custody. The aim is to improve the standard of academic and vocational training provided to children in custody.

Compared with last year’s YOI survey responses, there were five questions where Page 28

In April 2012, HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission began joint inspections of STCs. This report includes the second annual summary of children and young people’s experience of STCs. The report found that in 2013-14:

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37% said that they were under the age of 16 at the time of the survey;

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11% reported being Gypsy, Romany or Traveller;

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43% of young people said they were from a black or minority ethnic background;

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14% said that they were Muslim; and

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22% said that they had a disability.

There were only six statistically significant differences from the 2013-14 and 201213 survey responses, which all showed an improvement in responses in 2013-14. These included children reporting better treatment/ support by staff on arrival, and more children saying they had received advice/skills training

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to help them with jobs on release.

Nick Hardwick said: “These are selfreported perceptions and experiences and as such cannot answer on their own how safe, respectful and purposeful the youth custody estate and individual establishments are.

However, this unique insight into children’s own perceptions of their experience of custody should be of importance to policy makers, academics and all who have a concern about the treatment and conditions of children in custody. What children tell us about themselves and their time in custody should be listened to and used, both to prompt further exploration of the questions raised by their responses and to help shape the major changes to the youth custody estate that are now planned.”

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ensuring that prisoners’ calls to MPs are not recorded or listened to. The technical measures that have been taken are effective but depend on the accuracy of the data that is inputted and so human error remains possible. Insufficient action was taken to ensure that one private sector provider, SERCO, who use a different telephone monitoring system to public and other private sector providers, had introduced equivalent measures. I also have some further technical queries that it has not yet been possible to resolve.

“The system depends on prisoners being aware of their responsibilities to identify confidential numbers and I found that more needed to be done to ensure they understood this responsibility.”

HMP/YOI Feltham - significant Prison communications improvements, but still major concerns inquiry: steps to Progress had been made at HMP/YOI Feltham prevent prisoners’ but the establishment still struggled to manage the behaviour of the younger boys in a safe calls to MPs being and secure way, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. He repeated his call for monitored largely in an independent expert review of behaviour management of children in custody. In January place Steps taken by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to prevent prisoners’ phone calls to MPs being listened to or recorded in future have been largely, but not wholly effective, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. He published a report of the first stage of an Inquiry into prison communications.

On 11th November 2014, Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling asked HM Chief Inspector of Prisons to investigate the circumstances surrounding the interception of telephone calls from prisoners in England and Wales to the offices of Members of Parliament and to make recommendations to ensure that there are sufficient safeguards in place to minimise the risk of such calls being recorded inappropriately in the future.

The first stage of the inquiry was to undertake a review of urgent, practical steps which NOMS are currently taking to minimise the risk of recording or listening to calls inappropriately in the future. The second stage of the inquiry will look at the circumstances of how these telephone calls came to be recorded in the past. The second stage will be completed early in 2015.

Nick Hardwick said: “I have found that the urgent, interim measures taken by NOMS have been largely, but not wholly, effective in

he published two reports of announced inspections of the young offender institution in West London.

HMP/YOI Feltham is divided into two parts.

Feltham A holds up to 240 boys aged 15 to 18 and Feltham B holds over 400 young adults aged 18 to 21. They are managed as a whole but operate separately. Both were inspected.

Progress had been greatest at Feltham B and while there was also progress at Feltham A, some outcomes had deteriorated. Despite staff

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shortages, staff in Feltham A mostly worked in a calm, patient and sometimes courageous way to deal with very challenging and sometimes violent behaviour by some very troubled boys.

However the number of fights and assaults remained high and the unpredictable and reckless nature of some violence was very concerning. Staff tried to maintain an effective balance between care and control but some boys in Feltham A were kept isolated for far too long.

Inspectors were pleased to find, at Feltham A, that:

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reception, first night and induction arrangements were generally swift and effective and most boys reported feeling safe on their first night;

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Feltham’s approach to safeguarding was thorough and staff generally understood their responsibilities in respect of child protection and worked well with the local authority;

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the institution had gone to considerable lengths to address violence and bullying, with comprehensive strategies;

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the number of boys segregated had reduced and their length of stay in separation had similarly reduced;

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living conditions had improved and staff remained calm and constructive and weren’t thrown by challenging behaviour; and

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public protection work was sound and the resettlement needs of looked after children were attended to.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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behaviour management arrangements were overly complex, leading to continues overleaf

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confusion that was in danger of undermining effectiveness;

a high level of staff vacancies, it has improved significantly in almost every area.

although the number of fights and assaults had reduced since the last inspection, the violence still remained too high and there had been 79 assaults on staff in the preceding six months;

Inspectors were pleased to find at Feltham B that:

a significant amount of the conflict was gang-related and a quarter of the population were being managed on either restricted regimes or ‘keep apart’ lists which, although unavoidable, risked undermining relationships, stability and normal routines; although the number of self-harm incidents had reduced, too many boys in crisis were left locked up for too long with not enough to do; It could most boys had limited time unlocked but for a minority, it could be as little as an hour a day and this amounted to solitary confinement; attendance at activities was too low and far fewer training hours were delivered then planned, although the range of courses on offer had increased; and securing accommodation and employment, education and training placements on release continued to be difficult.

After Feltham B’s last inspection in March 2013, inspectors called for a radical rethink of its role. The prison and National Offender Management Service (NOMS) responded positively and took the decision that young adults who were remanded or serving very short sentences should no longer be held there. Feltham B is more stable as a result and outcomes are much better for young men serving longer sentences who continue to be held there. Managers and staff deserve credit for the work they have done. Although Feltham B still faces significant challenges, particularly

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Feltham B was now much safer, with considerably reduced levels of violence which were now comparable with similar establishments;

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at the previous inspection, inspectors were extremely concerned about the unprecedented frequency with which batons were drawn and/or used (108 times in 12 months). This inspection found they had been used just six times in six months; and

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there was good support for prisoners with a range of mental health problems and excellent mental health awareness training for staff.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

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a small number of uniformed staff were still dismissive and this undermined the work of their colleagues;

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although some aspects of learning and skills were good, there were not enough activity places to meet the needs of the population; and

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a backlog of assessments which identified what was needed to address prisoners’ behaviour and manage their risks was obstructing progress and needed to be addressed.

Nick Hardwick said: “The welcome reduction in the number of boys in custody means that those who remain are a more concentrated mix of very troubled boys who sometimes display very challenging and violent behaviour. As at other YOIs for this

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age group, staff in Feltham A still struggled to manage this behaviour in a safe and secure way. Staff need more help to do this and I repeat my call for the Youth Justice Board to initiate an independent expert review of its policies and resources for managing behaviour, reducing bullying and supporting victims across all YOIs.” “The report of our last inspection of Feltham B stated it was one of the most concerning we had recently published. In contrast, this report describes much greater progress than we have recently seen elsewhere. This is, in part, a consequence of strategic decisions about Feltham’s role but it is also largely due to the skilled and determined work of managers and staff. There is still much to do and the management of young adults in other parts of the prison estate is still a major concern.

In addressing these wider issues, much can be learnt from Feltham’s decline and subsequent improvement.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: “As this report makes clear the challenge faced by the Governor and staff at Feltham should not be underestimated. Many of the young people in their care have strong gang affiliations and a history of violence.

Managing their behaviour and supporting them to change and turn their lives around is a difficult and complex task. In this context the improvements achieved over the last 12 months are particularly impressive and the Governor and his staff deserve huge credit for what has been achieved.

“We will use the recommendations in this report to build on the progress made over the last 12 months

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Group Managing Director, Peter Murphy, said: “Mark was with Adams Rite Europe Ltd, who originally distributed the Pickersgill-Kaye Limited High Security Multipoint Locking Systems. He was actively involved in the conception and launch of the product range, and spent three years promoting the product in the security door market.

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