HMIP Berwyn

The prison was given an inspection in May 2022, the full report can be read at the Ministry of Justice web site, or just follow the links below. In their latest report the inspectors said:

“Located in North Wales and opened in 2017, Berwyn is one of the most modern and one of the largest prisons in the country. Designated a category C training establishment but retaining a small reception capability serving North Wales, at the time of our inspection the prison held 1835 men. Built in a campus style, the prison comprised three main house blocks sub-divided in to eight wings, a wing consisting of two landings. Wings were referred to as ‘communities’ in the prison. The environment, both built and external, is currently amongst the best available in the prison system.

Emerging from the COVID-19 restrictions, at this inspection we were encouraged to find a prison that was recovering well. Improvement was still needed to make sure the regime could provide a meaningful training experience, and some aspects of resettlement and release planning also needed to be better, but the prison was safer than at our last inspection in 2019.

The rate of violence was falling, although it remained comparatively high when set against comparator prisons. The rate of self-harm was also lower, and both of these important measures were indicative of our general observations of the prison, where effective plans were in place and work was evident in bringing about improvements.

Leadership was strong. The governor had been in post since 2019 and was highly experienced. He made himself visible, and his energy was setting the tone in the prison. He had, for example, structured the management team in a way that ensured he personally had very direct engagement in the day-to-day operational management of the prison. Leaders in general were clearly sighted on the prisons strengths and weaknesses and we were impressed by the quality of the prisons ‘self-assessment report’ which set out credible local priorities supported by achievable plans. Among the key challenges facing the prison was the need to recruit and retain staff. Leaders were resilient and creative in trying to tackle this issue, but most weaknesses or failings we found were linked to this lack of experienced staff. There was some evidence from our staff survey that staffing pressures were undermining local morale, but crucially, the shortage was impacting the quality of staff-prisoner relationships and the pace of regime recovery. Our observations suggested a generally supportive staff, but our prisoner survey as well as repeated prisoner complaints about staff indicated clear weaknesses in the approach of staff that needed attention.

The regime was improving, but too many prisoners spent too long locked up in their cells, not enough were engaged in meaningful activity and the prison was still not using all the education and workplaces it had available. Similar pressures were being experienced with respect to offending behaviour work, offender management and to a certain extent resettlement.

Berwyn is a competently run prison. Outcomes were either reasonable or improving and with the capable leadership we observed, there is every reason for confidence about the prison’s immediate future. We highlight eleven priorities and concerns which we hope will assist leaders going forward.

Charlie Taylor

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

June 2022

 

In addition the inspectors listed 11 area upon which they wished to prison to address

 

“What needs to improve at HMP Berwyn”

During this inspection we identified 11 key concerns, of which four 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. Patients waited too long to access routine primary care clinics. Primary care staffing and inconsistent prison officer escort arrangements led to long waits of up to 12 months for many routine clinics.
  2. Too many prisoners did not have enough activity or time unlocked, especially unemployed prisoners. There were insufficient education and work places for the population.
  3. Prisoners’ attendance in education, training and employment was not good enough. Not enough was done to encourage prisoners to attend activities and often only about 60% of prisoners allocated to an activity turned up.
  4. A staff shortage was affecting leaders’ ability to deliver a fully functioning rehabilitative regime. In particular, a severe shortage of band 3 officers, probation and health care staff affected the delivery of some services.

Key concerns

  1. Not enough prisoners understood the purpose of their allocation to education, training and employment. Some felt they were allocated to activities that were not aligned to their interests and often disrupted classes.
  2. Levels of violence remained too high. Data were not used well to monitor and identify trends over time, or to inform an effective action plan.
  3. Rates of self-harm remained too high. Key work was not used to support prisoners at risk of self-harm and debriefs following acts of self[1]harm were not always carried out. Analysis of self-harm data was too limited to measure progress and inform improved practice.
  4. The applications and complaints systems were not fully effective. Many prisoners waited too long for a response to their applications and complaints. Data were not analysed to understand and address common themes and there was a lack of effective quality assurance to drive improvement.
  5. Several patients had been taken off antipsychotic and other psychiatric medicines which had led to a deterioration in their condition. This created potential difficulties when psychiatric treatment had to be reconstituted.
  6. Telephone and mail monitoring arrangements were in disarray. Phone monitoring was not always carried out when required to reduce the risks of harassment and further criminal activity.

11. The frequency and quality of offender manager sessions with prisoners was not good enough to drive sentence plans. Work had become focused on timebound objectives such as parole reports, categorisation and OASys reports.

Return to Berwyn

To read the full reports, go to the Ministry of Justice site or follow the links below:

  • Inspection report (2 MB), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Berwyn by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (16–17  and 23–27 May 2022)
  • HMP Berwyn (869.04 kB), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Berwyn (4-14 March 2019)

You don't always get what you are entitled to unless you ask properly!

We can introduce you to  experienced  lawyers can help you with parole,  probation,  immigration, adjudications, visits and any other complaints  and disputes you have with the Prison Service.

The solicitors are all experts on how the Prison Service/Criminal Law  system works and will be able to provide to you the necessary advice and support to ensure you or your loved ones are treated fairly. These lawyers are "small enough to care about you, but big enough to fight for you"

and remember the old saying:

" A Man Who Is His Own Lawyer Has A Fool for a Client"

Click here to go to the list of lawyers in your area