Inspection of HMP Bedford

The prison was given full inspection in November 2023.  In their report the inspectors said:

At the last inspection of this inner-city Victorian jail we reported on improvements after we had previously issued an Urgent Notification in 2019. I am disappointed to report that at this inspection we found that standards had fallen badly: our four healthy prison tests rated the jail as poor for safety, respect and purposeful activity, and not sufficiently good in preparation for release.

The governor, who had been in post since January, had a reasonable understanding of the many challenges facing the jail. She was dealing with some complex personnel issues and as a result, was in the process of rebuilding her leadership team. She was, however, not visible enough around the prison where standards of cleanliness on wings and in cells had worsened considerably since our last inspection. On this visit we found filthy floors and serveries that compounded the overcrowded conditions in which most prisoners were held, while many cells had broken furniture, windows and were covered graffiti.

A new temporary deputy governor had recently arrived and had begun to grip some important areas such as the use of force. We were particularly impressed with the use of body-worn cameras during incidents, which at 90% was among the highest we have seen.

Although on paper the staffing situation at Bedford looked reasonable, too many officers were not available for full duties and levels of long-term sickness were high. Many officers were inexperienced and did not have a clear idea of the role. These shortfalls were affecting the delivery of many of the core services in the prison.

Some of the accommodation in Bedford was the worst I have seen. On E wing, the smell of mould in one cell was overpowering, with the walls damp to the touch, while the underground segregation unit was a disgrace. Here, problems with the drainage mean that on very wet days, raw sewage covered the floor and the cells were dark, damp and dilapidated. Despite this dedicated staff did their best to provide care for what were often very mentally unwell prisoners in wholly unsuitable conditions.

As at the last inspection, prisoners spent too long locked in their cells with not enough to do. For unemployed prisoners on some wings this meant they were unlocked for fewer than two hours a day. The provision of education was even worse than at our last inspection and was now poor. There were not enough places on offer, particularly in English and maths, where there were long waits to join courses. Attendance was much too low at just 52%.

Levels of violence remained very high, particularly assaults on staff which were among the highest in the country. Much of this was the result of the limited time that prisoners had out of cell, and the disastrous applications and complaints systems which meant prisoners found it hard to get questions answered or problems solved. There was virtually no key work being delivered, resulting in issues that could have been dealt with at officer level often ending up on the desks of senior leaders.

We were particularly concerned about the increase in levels of self-harm and the fragility of the support for the most vulnerable prisoners, particularly given that there had been a serious deterioration in mental health services.

There were often difficulties with booking visits, some of which were cancelled anyway, and the prisoners were offered little opportunity to make video calls. There were plans to make better provision for the large remand population, including the many who were released straight from court. Of ongoing concern at the jail was the 30% of prisoners who were released homeless, making it virtually impossible to break the cycle of mental health difficulties, drug taking, crime and imprisonment. I was disappointed to see that the departure lounge, which we had praised on our last inspection, was no longer operating.

While we left Bedford very concerned about the ongoing problems at the jail, there were many hardworking staff doing their best in difficult conditions. Encouragingly, the governor and the prison group director had no illusions about the challenges that they faced. There will need to be considerable support from the prison service with resource and infrastructure if this neglected prison is to improve and break the cycle of poor inspection reports. In future the governor will need to be more present on the wings overseeing progress and supporting her staff as they embark on what will be a difficult and lengthy transformation.

 

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
December 2023

 

The inspectors provided a list of their major findings

What needs to improve at HMP Bedford

During this inspection we identified 15 key concerns, of which seven should be treated as priorities. Priority concerns are those that are most important to improving outcomes for prisoners. They require immediate attention by leaders and managers.

Leaders should make sure that all concerns identified here are addressed and that progress is tracked through a plan which sets out how and when the concerns will be resolved. The plan should be provided to HMI Prisons.

Priority concerns

  1. Care for prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide was weak. ACCTreviews lacked a multidisciplinary approach and most were ineffective.Mental health referrals were too often overlooked.
  2. Levels of violence, especially against staff, were very high. Muchof this was fuelled by prisoner frustration at poor and inconsistenttime out of cell and lack of response to legitimate requeststhrough the application and complaints systems. Leaders did notdeliver a full and purposeful regime that motivated prisoners to behave,engage or progress.
  3. Many cells needed refurbishment and/or redecoration, manyprisoners were held in mouldy cells, with broken windows andgraffiti. Living conditions in the segregation unit were squalid. Therewas evidence of mould and infestation of rats and cockroaches.
  4. Prisoners, staff and managers reported witnessing racism.Systems to ensure fair treatment and inclusion were weak.
  5. Mental health services were poor. The quality and level of support forpatients were very limited and did not meet the needs of the population.
  6. Leaders had failed to provide a curriculum that adequatelyprepared prisoners for employment after release and thatbenefited vulnerable prisoners. They did not consider local skillneeds. They did not offer opportunities for accredited vocationalqualifications, progress or appropriate career pathways, nor did theyprovide well-equipped training areas.
  7. Leaders did not use education, skills and workplaces efficiently,allocate prisoners appropriately or secure high attendance overall.

Key concerns

  1. Care and support for prisoners in their early days haddeteriorated. Time out of cell was poor, first night cells were dirty andthe induction was not adequately organised or informative.
  2. The amount of force used by staff was high. Scrutiny had notidentified all examples of poor practice and excessive force.
  3. Staff did not develop effective relationships with prisoners. Keywork was not being delivered and prisoners lacked faith in the ability ofstaff to resolve legitimate concerns.
  4. The out-of-hours medicines cabinet was poorly stocked,contributing to delays in patients receiving medicines. There wasno governance of the use of the cabinet and it contained some out-of-date medicines.
  5. Leaders did not provide sufficient English and mathematicsspaces to accommodate the needs of the population.
  6. Leaders did not provide effective career education information,advice and guidance. Prisoners did not receive the right advice tohelp them with their next steps or future careers.
  7. Staffing shortfalls had had a detrimental impact on prisoners’ability to maintain family contact. Prisoners experienced delays innumbers being added to their phone accounts when they arrived. Visitsand secure video call sessions had been cancelled and there weredelays in post getting to prisoners.
  8. Too many prisoners were recorded as having been released withno address to go to or to accommodation that was notsustainable.

 Return to Bedford

The full reports can be read at the Ministry of Justice web site, just follow the links below: