HMIP Inspection, Swaleside

The prison was inspected in September 2023, and the full report can be read at the Ministry of Justice web site, just follow the links below. In their latest report the inspectors said:

First opened in the 1980s and located on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, Swaleside is a category B training prison currently able to hold 839 adult men. This constitutes a temporary reduction in population, although at the time of our inspection there were advanced preparations to re-open the closed accommodation units. The challenges faced in leading and operating Swaleside cannot be underestimated. Most prisoners present considerable risks, with well over 40% serving lengthy sentences of more than 10 years, a further 43% serving indeterminate sentences, mostly life, and one unit dedicated to the accommodation of men convicted of a sexual offence. Coupled with this, and despite the significant efforts of leaders, the prison had chronic difficulties in recruiting officers and more specialist staff. At the time of the inspection, this was reflected in very restricted daily routines and the presence of many temporary staff from other prisons required to sustain operations.

This was our sixth visit to Swaleside since 2016. During that time, we have repeatedly raised significant concerns about the prison, both in terms of the poor outcomes we have observed and the challenges it faces in making any progress following our reports. Safety outcomes have remained not good enough, and on only one occasion have we seen reasonably good outcomes in any of our healthy prison tests. I therefore took the decision to announce this inspection six months in advance to give leaders the opportunity to use our inspection as a focus for improvement. Our findings suggest that they grasped that opportunity. Outcomes in all four of our healthy prison areas remain concerning, but very real efforts had been  made by leaders and staff to mitigate the worst impacts of the strategic challenges faced by the prison.

It was, however, still not safe enough. Adequate reception and induction arrangements were in place, but there was some evidence from our survey to suggest new prisoners were more anxious about their arrival at Swaleside than at similar prisons. These feelings persisted among many, and although recorded violence had not increased since we last visited, it was higher than at comparable prisons. Work was being done to better understand the causes of violence in the prison and oversight, interventions and use of incentives were getting better, but investigations into incidents were not robust. Use of force was managed well and while the segregation unit was usually full, stays were not excessive and the quality of care was satisfactory. Most security measures were proportionate and effective but there was evidence to indicate that illicit drugs were too easily available.

The reduction of self-harm had been prioritised in the prison and although this had led to some improvements, seven prisoners had taken their own lives since we last inspected. A significant amount of work had been done to address the problem and progress had been made, but many initiatives were still too partial or applied too inconsistently.

Despite staff shortages, relationships between staff and prisoners were reasonably good, if inconsistent. We saw some positive interactions and most prisoners felt respected. However, supervisory staff and middle managers needed to go much further in offering inexperienced staff robust support and guidance. Many aspects of daily living were better than we often see. There was no overcrowding, living conditions were generally good and prisoner parties were deployed effectively to maintain and improve the environment. Access to clothing and other basic items was similarly good, while consultation, applications and complaints were managed reasonably well, albeit with more improvements needed. The promotion of equality, however, was much weaker, despite pockets of good and innovative practice.

Our spot checks indicated that 39% of prisoners were locked in their cells during the working day due to staff shortages and there were far too few opportunities for work or education. That said, there was some useful planning and work being done to mitigate the very worst consequences of these restrictions by making sure prisoners had more time out of their cells at weekends and offering reasonable opportunities to visit the library and gym. Our colleagues in Ofsted judged education, work and skills as ‘requires improvement’ overall, but this was better than many other prisons we have inspected recently.

The high-risk population held at Swaleside demanded effective work in the management of sentences and the reduction of risk. Despite some mitigations, there remained too few prison offender managers. Contact was too infrequent and work with prisoners was not sufficiently well coordinated. Key work, that might have helped bridge these gaps, had only recently been introduced. Interventions were now being delivered more consistently and the prison was doing good work to improve public protection measures and provide some resettlement support to the increasing number of prisoners who were being released from the establishment.

Overall, this is a concerning report. Swaleside is a prison that continues to struggle and where outcomes still need to improve dramatically. Had there not been a reduction in population in recent times it is hard to imagine how the prison would have coped. The governor has shown commendable commitment to the prison and has evidenced an energy and application that has helped keep it remarkably stable despite all of the challenges. There was no sense of helplessness at Swaleside; staff were very committed and were not overwhelmed by their circumstances. They seemed to support the governor’s vision and priorities and we saw many examples of good practice, innovation and creativity that were mitigating problems and helping to sustain a sense of purpose and progress. We have highlighted several priorities and concerns that we hope will assist leaders, and we plan to return to this prison in the near future to see if progress is being sustained.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
November 2023

 

The inspectors provided a short list of their major findings

 

What needs to improve at HMP Swaleside

During this inspection we identified 14 key concerns, of which five 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. Fourteen prisoners had died at Swaleside in the previous two years, including seven whose deaths were self-inflicted. Ongoing weaknesses included inconsistent support for prisoners at risk, a failure by some night staff to carry anti-ligature knives, slow responses to cell bells and inadequate reviews of Coroners’ and PPO recommendations.
  2. Levels of violence remained high and investigations into violent incidents were often delayed and of poor quality.
  3. Many staff lacked confidence and assertiveness in their management of prisoners. Supervising officers did not provide sufficient visible support on many wings.
  4. Prisoners’ attendance rates at education, skills and work had not improved over time and were too low. Too few prisoners developed positive attitudes towards education and work.
  5. There were few progression opportunities, and many category C prisoners were unable to transfer to a more suitable prison because of national population pressures. There was inadequate one-to-one work to mitigate these systemic problems.

Key concerns

  1. The routine use of strip-searching, alongside the use of a body scanner, was sometimes excessive and unnecessary.
  2. Drugs were too easy to obtain and measures to reduce supply were not comprehensive or effective.
  3. Key work sessions were increasing in number but most lacked substance or quality and many were little more than occasional welfare checks.
  4. Nearly all wing kitchens were closed, depriving the predominantly long-term prisoner group of the incentive of self-catering and the opportunity for developing life and social skills.
  5. Work to support fair treatment and inclusion remained weak. The experiences of the diverse prisoner group were poorly understood and disproportionality was not systematically identified or addressed.
  6. Some aspects of clinical governance were weak and did not ensure patient safety. Record keeping was poor, medicines administration and regimes did not meet national guidance, and some Prison and Probation Ombudsman recommendations had not been embedded.
  7. Prisoners did not have access to an adequate range of psychological therapeutic interventions and waiting times for those that were available were too long.
  8. The daily regime was restricted because of staff shortages, and a lack of teachers and instructors significantly impacted prisoners’ engagement with work and activities.
  9. Careers information, advice and guidance were ineffective and did not inform a coherent plan for prisoners to help develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviour prisoners needed to be successful in their progression. New arrivals to the prison waited too long to be allocated to education, skills or work.

Return to Swaleside

To read the full reports follow the links below

  • Inspection report (1 MB), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Swaleside by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (11–21 September 2023)
  • HMP Swaleside (844.59 kB), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Swaleside (3-13 December 2018)
  • HMP Swaleside (844.59 kB)Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Swaleside (29 March – 8 April 2016)
  • HMP Swaleside, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Swaleside (22 April – 2 May 2014)
  • HMP Swaleside, Unannounced short follow-up inspection of HMP Swaleside (4 – 7 July 2011)
  • HMP Swaleside, Announced inspection of HMP Swaleside (31 March – 4 April 2008)

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