custodial review no 78

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

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

Custodialt h e

Review

Biggest shake-up of prison system announced as part of Queen’s Speech see p4

New report reveals hundreds still dying in detention see p16

The Cascade Foundations work in HM Prisons see p20

Jon Biggen on the Cascade Foundation see p22

Latest news from the Howard League see p24

Al Crisci and the Clink.. 11 years in see p12

Edition 78

Campsfield House Immigration Centre is a privately run immigration detention centre located in Oxfordshire. It was converted from a Young Offenders Institute to an immigration detention centre in 1993 and has a capacity of 215 persons. The Problem Campsfield House Immigration Centre has been suffered two fires in the last 5 years. The last fire (in 2013) spread from a cell area into the roof space above and extended along the roof of a wing of the accommodation block. The resulting conflagration required 10 fire tenders to get the blaze under control; the fire resulted in the hospitalisation of 2 men. The procedures needed for evacuation of an Immigration detention centre are far more challenging than that of an open access building.

The Solution Fireworks designed and installed a Hydramist’s Anti-ligature in-cell fire protection system in the cells and Hydramist Ordinary Hazard Group 1 fire protection system in other areas of the detention centre. The Hydramist in-cell anti-ligature fire protection system has been proven by UK Building Research Establishment (BRE) to suppress the fire, maintain a tenable atmosphere - allowing the detention centre time to respond to the fire threat - and evacuate the detainees safely. The Hydramist ordinary hazard group 1 fire protection system has been 3rd party certificated by Lloyds Register to CEN TS14972:2011 to suppress the fire in an Ordinary hazard group 1 fire risk. The certification testing proved that the Hydramist system is more effective than a sprinkler at reducing consequential loss whilst using less water – the result is that the facility has less consequential damage and can return to operation more quickly. Employing high pressure watermist allows water to be used in its most efficient fire suppression mode – resulting in the cell being able

to be re-instated very quickly and without water damage to the surrounding cells .Hydramist Fire protection systems have already saved many lives in prisons to date,The speed of the installation ensured continuity of accommodation for other detainees, and allowed the remainder of the immigration centre to be kept open whilst works were completed. Overall this minimised any possibility of disruption to the day to day business of the detention centre.

Experience Fireworks have installed Hydramist equipment has been installed throughout UK prisons since 2006. The UK home office figures for current prison population is over 86,000 inmates and prisons in the UK are now mostly protected by Hydramist equipment. Hydramist systems were selected by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office after extensive fire testing at the UK Building Research Establishment proved that Hydramist systems were much more effective than traditional hose reel systems and would save lives in prisons.

The BRE test criteria were:• Maintainatenableatmosphereforaperiodof20minutes

whenfiretestedinaccordancewiththespecifications• Dischargearelativelysmallamountofwater• Deliverasprayofwatermistwithsufficientmomentumto

dischargedropletstothebackwallofacell.The Inundation was to last for 5 minutes after pre-burn and operation of internal cell fire detection systems, then a simulated ‘rescue’ of an inmate involving opening the door for a set period of one minute would occur, followed by Re-closing the door and waiting 10 minutes during which time the fire was not to resume.

Watermist Ltd tested Hydramist® products as follows:• Mobile8andHosereelmountedhandheldlances.• Fixedincellnozzlewithglassfrangiblebulboperationusing

alocallymountedpumpunit.

In all tests Hydramist®: • Successfullyextinguishedthefireatthefirstattempt• Dramaticallyreducedcelltemperature,toxicgases&

smoketo‘tenable’levels.• Ensuredsufficientoxygenwasavailabletosustainlife

throughoutthecell.

Note: During the ‘rescue’ and the ten minute waiting period after inundation that the fire did not resume; temperatures & toxic gases in the cell continued to fall, remaining well below levels that could be harmful to life.The life-saving capabilities of the Hydramist system were borne out within weeks of the first installation when a young woman’s life became at risk due to a fire breaking out in her cell. The Hydramist system was deployed and she was safely evacuated – this was the first of many lives saved.

For more information please contact Lewis Oxley our Custodial Account Manager on 01953 458420 or email [email protected] or visit www.fireworks-ltd.com

Campsfield House Immigration Centre install Fireworks Fire Protection High Pressure Watermist Fire Suppression System

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the Custodial Review

4 Biggest shake-up of prison system announced as part of Queen’s Speech

9 News

12 Al Crisci and the Clink.. 11 years in

16 New report reveals hundreds still dying in detention

16 RAPt latest news

20 The Cascade Foundations work in HM Prisons

22 Jon Biggen on the Cascade Foundation

24 Latest news from the Howard League

26 News

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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, [email protected] or on 01234 348878 for more details.


NEWS l NEWS l NEWS l NEWS l NEWS l NEWS l NEWS

Biggest shake-up of prison system announced as part of Queen’s SpeechMore than 5,000 offenders will be housed in new reform prisons by end of the year as part of largest reform programme since Victorian times.

• Biggest shakeup of prisons since Victorian times begins, as first six reform prisons named, including one of Europe’s largest prisons, HMP Wandsworth

• Freedoms for governors extended to all key aspects of prison management as MoJ also publishes review on overhaul of prison education

• Prisons Bill centrepiece of new government legislative programme, which is focused on big social reform to extend life chances and opportunity for all

The country’s first autonomous reform prisons are today named as the biggest shake-up of the prisons system since the Victorian era begins.

The announcement of the six trailblazer sites in London, the East Midlands and north-east, including one of Europe’s largest prisons – HMP Wandsworth – means that more than 5,000 offenders will be housed in reform prisons by the end of this year.

The other prisons are HMP Holme House, HMP Kirklevington Grange, HMP Coldingley, HMP High Down and HMP Ranby.

These prisons will give unprecedented freedoms to prison governors, including financial and legal freedoms, such as how the prison budget is spent and whether to opt-out of national contracts; and operational freedoms over education, the prison regime,

family visits, and partnerships to provide prison work and rehabilitation services.

A new regime of transparency will hold governors to account, with comparable statistics to be published for each prison on reoffending, employment rates on release, and violence and self-harm.

The sweeping reforms of the prison system will further the government’s commitment to public protection through cutting crime by reducing reoffending.

The government will use legislation to extend these freedoms much further – enabling prisons to be established as independent legal entities with the power to enter into contracts; generate and retain income; and establish their own boards with external expertise. This will amount to the biggest structural reform of the prisons system for more than a century.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:“This is a One Nation Queen’s speech from a One Nation government. It sets out a clear programme of social reform, so we break down the barriers to opportunity and extend life chances to all. And nowhere is that reform needed more than in our prisons.

For too long, we have left our prisons to fester. Not only does that reinforce the cycle of crime, increasing the bills of social failure that taxpayers must pick up. It writes off thousands of people.

This is a government, and this is a country, that sees the best in all, and wants to give everyone the chance to rise up and make the most of themselves.

So today, we start the long-overdue, long-needed change that our prisons need. No longer will they be warehouses for criminals; they will now be places where lives are changed.

These new freedoms sit alongside the government’s commitment to replace decrepit, ageing prisons with modern establishments suitable for the needs of prisoners today – to be built with £1.3 billion of investment announced at the Spending Review.”

More autonomous reform prisons will follow later this Parliament. And the 9 new-build prisons announced at the Spending Review will be established with similar freedoms.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove said:“Prisons must do more to rehabilitate offenders. We will put governors in charge, giving them the autonomy they need to run prisons in the way they think best.

By trusting governors to get on with the job, we can make sure prisons are places of education, work and purposeful activity. These reforms will reduce re-offending, cut crime and improve public safety.”

The government is also today publishing Dame Sally Coates’s review of education in prisons, commissioned by the Justice Secretary. Alongside new Teach First-style programmes in prison, this will recommend robust learning plans to track individuals’ progression, and allowing governors to fund more stretching education programmes.

The government is also announcing the 8 police forces areas chosen for the piloting of satellite tracking – tags that track offenders’ movements using GPS technology. It is expected that the pilots will pave the way for the roll-out of the equipment across the country, and lead to new options for the management of offenders and the reduction of reoffending.

Pilots will begin in September in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northampton.

Chris Liddle, Chairman and head of prison and rehabilitation

design at HLM Architects gives a commentary about the Queen’s Speech on prison reform “In regards to today’s Queen’s Speech on prison reform. The government has made repeated noises about better facilitating and educating our offenders and turning the punitive process into one of rehabilitation to reduce the revolving door of crime and punishment.

Unfortunately, cuts in budget and lack of a systematic commitment means that time and again, sticking plasters are administered to the problems of the penal system instead of training, education, rehabilitation and preparing for release.

Many of our prisons are overcrowded, barren blocks of concrete that still resemble the Victorian era, unfit for purpose and at odds to the way we live in the 21st century, impacting and influencing the behaviour and well-being of those who reside and work there and on all activities that take place inside.

We create sound learning environments for education outside, but refuse to offer the same environment for penal education and training allowing many offenders to live, and try to develop, in conditions that are sub-standard.

If the government is to truly succeed in its aim to rehabilitate offenders, its prison governors must take an holistic approach to our penal system, seize the initiative and create environments that don’t eat away

at well-being but create a positive setting by providing facilities that foster personal improvement, self-esteem and preparation for release from day one.”

Chris Liddle has been delivering custodial and justice design and architecture for more than 14 years and as HLM has designed the following prisons:

• HM Prison Forest Bank – PFI prison in Salford

• Mons and Charleroi prisons – Belgium• Halden Prison (with Erik Møller

Architects) – Norway • HM Prison Magilligan – County

Londonderry • HMP Addiewell – West Lothian• HMP Peterborough – Peterborough • Warwickshire Justice Centre• HMP and YOI Inverclyde – Greenock,

Scotland • HM Prison Bronzefield – Ashford – the

first purpose designed women’s prison since Holloway,



Landmark law to tackle legal highs commences later this monthThe Psychoactive Substances Act will come into force on 26 May 2016.

A blanket ban on so-called ‘legal highs’ and tough new enforcement powers will come into effect on 26 May 2016.

The Psychoactive Substances Act will protect young people by banning any production, supply and importation or exportation for human consumption of these potentially dangerous drugs, linked to the deaths of 144 people in the UK in 2014 alone.

The act provides a range of criminal and civil sanctions including new powers for police and tough sentences of up to 7 years for offenders.

The UK will be the first country in the world to put in place a rigorous system of testing to demonstrate that a substance is capable of having a psychoactive effect, providing evidence to support civil action and prosecutions.

This act will bring to an end the open sale on our high streets of these potentially harmful drugs and deliver new powers for law enforcement to tackle this issue at every level in communities, at our borders, on UK websites and in our prisons.

The message is clear – so-called ‘legal highs’ are not safe. This act will

ban their sale and ensure unscrupulous traders who profit from them face up to 7 years in prison.

Sanctions under the act include:Up to 7 years in prison for the supply, production, possession with intent to supply, importation or exportation of a psychoactive substance for human consumption

Up to 2 years in prison for possessing a psychoactive substance in a custodial institution

Prohibition and premises orders, which will allow police to shut down head shops and online dealers in the UK, with up to 2 years in prison for those who fail to comply

Police powers to seize and destroy psychoactive substances, search people, premises and vehicles, and to search premises by warrant if necessary

The government has already taken action against so-called ‘legal highs’, having banned more than 500 potentially dangerous drugs since 2010 under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

The new act will go even further but legislation alone is not enough. The government continues to take action across prevention, treatment and recovery to reduce harmful drug use and is working with experts - including the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs - to develop a new drugs strategy.

Novus issues response to Coates reviewNovus is a not-for-profit large scale social enterprise delivering education, training and employability in more than 100 sites within prisons, approved premises and the community. Barbara McDonough, Chief Operating Officer, for Novus said:

“Overall we believe the Coates Review gets to the crux of the issue from its first headline ‘putting education at the heart of the prison regime’. We’re delighted this is the fundamental ‘thread’ running through the report and absolutely echoes our position.

The overall direction of policy within this report champions rehabilitation through education which is at the heart of our own recommendations. The idea of a ‘whole prison approach’ where Governors and providers of all services are working together to aid continuity and consistency of services, but one that puts education at the core, is absolutely what should be happening.

Autonomy for Governors

Looking more specifically at some of the key recommendations, the proposal for governor autonomy and ownership is key and one we have been championing. Creating a learning environment which puts the individual needs of the offender first and has better aligned and shared performance measures between governors and providers, is one we wholeheartedly support.

A small word of caution here would be to ensure this autonomy takes into account the importance of continuity and consistency as

mentioned above, not to mention economies of scale for a funding-challenged sector. We need to avoid fragmentation of services.

Flexible Funding

We also welcome the proposal for revising funding into a more flexible and agile model, one which is less restrictive and supports the curriculum requirements of individuals and incorporates access to crucial elements such as the arts. We again have been championing this.

Incentivising Offenders

Another key area is around incentives. We’re delighted to see included our recommendation that incentives should extend to ROTL (release on temporary licence) and to early release. Our own stats show that engagement in education directly correlates to employment on the outside and significantly reduced re-offending rates. The more we can do to encourage engagement in education, the more success we will have in securing productive futures for offenders.

Access to ICT

The other major area this report highlights, which we believe to be one of the most fundamental barriers to current prisoner education, is access to ICT. Dame Coates has rightly challenged and calls for an overhaul of the overly restrictive ‘rules’ surrounding prisoner access to crucial tools for life-skills in the 21st Century.

Again another area of this report we’re encouraged to see, is creating platforms that enable prisoner learning to transfer with them. This is a very transient population so establishing a system where an individual’s education and development goes with them –

and continues on the outside – is absolutely key to overall success.

The Role of EmployersWe’re also gratified to see highlighted the role of employers out in society and creating an environment where they can directly contribute to the curriculum – so offenders are re-entering society with the skills employers actually want to see.

The idea of a Charter Mark for employers to encourage this collaborative working is also one we embrace.

Specialised TeachersWe also welcome the focus on the calibre of teachers within this specialist sector, but this must be properly resourced to ensure those teachers are supported and incentivised to continue to excel in this complex education environment. We invest greatly in this crucial area but this must be universal across the sector.

Overall we believe this report accurately reflects the challenges the sector is facing and the recommendations and reforms it puts forward echo those we have also been calling for.”

Part of LTE group, Novus has more than 20 years’ experience in offender learning and is the largest UK provider of education, training and employability programmes to offenders, supporting learners in both custody and community settings.

They work with the Ministry of Justice, National Offender Management Service, the Youth Justice Board, and a wide variety of partner organisations, to raise the aspirations of offenders to increase employability and reduce reoffending.



Howard League responds to prison reform proposals in the Queen’s SpeechThe Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to the prison reform proposals outlined in the Queen’s Speech.

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “It is hugely encouraging to see that prison reform is at the front and

centre of today’s Queen’s Speech. There is no public service in such disarray as the prisons, and the rising number of assaults, deaths by suicide, and incidents of self-injury show that the need for change is urgent.

“More autonomy for governors, improvements to education and a more sensible approach to release on temporary licence are all steps in the right direction.

“Less helpful is the proposal to tag people during the week and lock them up at weekends. After the embarrassing disasters with tagging by private security companies, we should look to more creative ways to ease people into the community safely.

“Ultimately, the success of these reforms will depend on whether the government introduces positive measures to tackle overcrowding by driving down prison numbers.”

A copy of the Queen’s Speech can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/queens-speech-2016

Review puts education at heart of prison serviceA comprehensive plan to transform the standard of education in prisons has been unveiled by Dame Sally Coates.

• Governors to be given complete control of the education budget and freedom to tailor the prison curriculum – giving offenders the skills they need to find work on release and close the door on destructive behaviour;

• Every single prisoner to receive a personalised learning plan – improving the life chances of thousands of prisoners and reducing the likelihood they return to crime;

• New fast-track training scheme to attract top-quality graduates to the prison system – helping inspire learners and supporting prisons to deliver high-quality education.

A comprehensive plan to transform the standard of education in prisons across England and Wales and help prisoners get the skills and

knowledge they need to turn away from crime has been unveiled by Dame Sally Coates.

The announcement follows the publication of a wide-ranging and independent review into prison education by Dame Coates – an acclaimed former head teacher with over 30 years’ experience of taking decisive action to improve schools’ performance.

Evidence shows education and employment are critical in reducing reoffending and therefore cutting crime – yet just 1 in 4 prisoners enters employment on release from prison, compared with the current UK employment rate of 74.1 per cent. In addition, just 1 in 6 (16%) leave prison with an education or training placement.

Dame Coates said:

“Education should be at the heart of the prison system and I am reassured that so many people share my belief in the

power of education to unlock potential and transform lives.

If education is the engine of social mobility, it is also the engineer of prisoner rehabilitation.

Prisoners are in prison because they have done wrong. But once they have served their time, it is just to them and in the interests of their communities that they have the same decent chance to re-enter society successfully, to reject crime, to find work, to live fulfilling lives.”

In principle the Ministry of Justice has accepted all Dame Sally’s recommendations. Implementation plans will now be drawn up. The recommendations include:

• giving governors complete control of their education budgets and the freedom to tailor a curriculum according to the needs of their prisoners – ensuring prisoners are provided with the education opportunities and qualifications that will actually help them secure a meaningful and worthwhile job on release;

• creating tailored Personal Learning Plans for each prisoner on their arrival in prison –ensuring each prisoner’s education is prioritised while they are in custody and allowing governors to be held to account for the progress of each offender against their plan;

• giving prison governors greater discretion over prisoner access to ICT and digital technology to facilitate learning – making greater use of technology will significantly improve the quality, quantity and range of education given to prisoners, while keeping important safeguards in place;

• shining a spotlight on poor performance by introducing a new, stand-alone Ofsted judgement on the standard of education in prisons - ending the culture of complacency and taking tough, remedial action against those institutions who fail

to immediately improve;

• improving the quality of teaching with a new scheme to attract high-calibre graduates to work in prisons for an initial two-year period – attracting enthusiastic and inspiring professionals to transform prisons into learning environments with education at the heart.

Welcoming the report, the Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove, said:

“Dame Sally’s superb review makes a compelling case for change. The current standard of education in prisons is not good enough. Quality is patchy, prisoners are not being given the skills and knowledge they need to find jobs and governors are hampered by an overly bureaucratic system.

The review sets out a comprehensive plan. Prison governors will be given control over their education budgets and will have the freedom to change providers. At the same time, we will hold prisons to account for educational outcomes.

Through better prison education and rehabilitation, we will reduce reoffending, cut crime and improve public safety.

At present, 46% of prisoners commit another crime within 12 months’ of release. This high reoffending rate causes misery for victims and costs taxpayers an estimated £13 billion a year.

Improving prison education is one part of the government’s wider prison reform programme. We are investing £1.3 billion in the prison estate, replacing ageing and ineffective prisons with new buildings designed to support rehabilitation.

We are also setting up the first 6 Reform Prisons, with governors handed control over budgets, contracts, the prison regime and engagement with employers and other external organisations. Reforming the UK’s prisons.”

In response to the Prisons and Courts Reform Bill, which formed part of the Queen’s SpeechDr Michael Teague — a senior criminology lecturer at the International Policing and Justice Institute — argues that reform in the UK’s prison system is long overdue.

“We should never forget that people in prison are citizens who can contribute to society. The way in which we have warehoused prisoners, whilst paying lip service to effective rehabilitation has long been a national disgrace.

“The planned prison reforms are long overdue. No-one should be in any doubt that prisons are our country’s most neglected public service.


continues overleaf u


“We have the highest imprisonment rate in Western Europe — locking up 148 people per 100,000 of the population. We know that crime has been falling sharply for over two decades, yet the length of the average prison sentence has increased by one third.

“Over a quarter of prisoners in England and Wales survive in prisons that are overcrowded. Prison assaults are at the highest level they have ever been and self-harm is a serious problem. We need to urgently address the inexorable rise in prison suicide and the disastrous upsurge in prison violence.

“Politicians understand that there is no electoral advantage to be gained from advocating prison reform. The government is to be applauded for their courageous and innovative efforts, and we now have an extraordinary opportunity to rethink our approach to incarceration.

“Criminological evidence consistently demonstrates that there is no consistent correlation between prison numbers and levels of crime. Prison is ineffective in reducing re-offending — 45% of adults are re-convicted within a year of release.

“Under the proposed new legislation, prison governors will be able to determine how their budgets are spent and opt-out of national contracts. The possibility of unprecedented freedom for some prison governors represents a huge opportunity. Funding – and people – can be located where they can do the greatest good. Innovation and creativity, which have long been difficult to sustain in the prison environment, can be supported.

“If the government’s aspirations come to fruition, prisons will become centres of rehabilitation and reintegration into society, rather than huge warehouses of the socially excluded.

“The main concern is that unless we lock fewer people up, radically overhaul our system of sentencing, deal with overcrowding, and address the key issue of understaffing in prisons, then the laudable aspirations of today’s prison reforms are doomed to failure. There is little point tinkering at the edges, when only radical intervention will reap the much-needed results. “

The International Policing & Justice Institute

The International Policing & Justice Institute (the Institute) offers world-class police education solutions, research and innovation.

The Institute is based within the University of Derby’s College of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences, and draws on an interdisciplinary network of academic and applied expertise across the university, including forensics, computing, leadership, engineering, architecture and business.

It is the only institute in the world to offer a whole-country police education solution and is one of the only a number of institutes

in the world to run multi-lingual academic programmes that are sensitive to Islam.

The Institute has Europe’s largest concentration of expertise in criminal investigation within a university snd is the only institution in the world to have been commissioned to provide independent inspection of custody units.

Review of the youth justice systemAn interim report of emerging findings from the review of the youth justice system.

Plans to transform youth custody in England and Wales have been set out today (9 February 2016) by child behavioural expert and former head teacher Charlie Taylor.

As part of his review of youth justice, Charlie Taylor has recommended that young offenders should serve their sentences in secure schools rather than youth prisons.

Interim findings suggest the youth justice system would be more effective and better able to rehabilitate young people if education was at its heart. Smaller, local, secure schools would draw on educational and behavioural expertise to rehabilitate children and give them the skills they need to thrive on release.

The report has found:

• since 2006/07 the number of children in custody has declined by 64% to its lowest recorded level

• of those children who remain in custody, too many – almost two thirds – reoffend within a year of release

• around 40% of young people in under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) have not been to school since they were aged 14, and nearly nine out of 10 have been excluded from school at some point

• children in YOIs are only receiving 17 hours of education every week against an expectation of 30 hours

In response to these findings, interim proposals include:

• re-designing the youth estate so that it can cater for a smaller, but more challenging, group of children in custody

• placing education at the centre of youth custody, by drawing on the culture of aspiration and discipline which is evident in the best alternative provision schools

• replacing youth prisons with smaller secure schools which help children master the basics in English and maths as well as providing high quality vocational education in a more therapeutic environment

• giving local areas greater say in the way children are managed by devolving responsibility, control and money from Whitehall

Charlie Taylor will now continue his engagement with experts in this area, exploring these ideas further before producing a final report in July.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove said:

“I am in no doubt that our system of youth justice needs reform. Although youth offending is down, recidivism

rates are high, and the care and supervision of young offenders in custody is not good enough. That is why I asked Charlie Taylor to conduct this review. I welcome these initial findings and look forward to receiving the final report in the summer.”

Charlie Taylor said:

“Since beginning this review, I have been hugely impressed by the expertise and dedication of so many people who work with some of the most difficult and troubled children in the country. I am, however, convinced the youth custodial estate must be reformed to give children the support and education they need to become successful adults.

Education is important for all children, but for those involved in offending it is vital. We need a resolute focus on giving children in trouble with the law the skills, qualifications and aptitudes to lead successful, law-abiding lives.

The remainder of the youth review will examine the way young offenders are dealt with in court and the sentences available, how to prevent offending in the first place and how to reintegrate children back into the community following custody.”

The Home Office has introduced new legislation which will aim to finish the job of police reformThe Home Office has introduced new legislation which will aim to finish the job of police reform.

The purpose of the Policing and Crime Bill is to enhance the democratic accountability of police forces, and fire and rescue services, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency services through closer collaboration and build public confidence in policing.

It will strengthen the protections for persons under investigation by, or who come into contact with, the police; ensure that the police and other law enforcement agencies have the powers they need to prevent, detect and investigate crime; and further safeguard children and young people from sexual exploitation.



The main provisions of the Bill will:

• Place a duty on police, fire and ambulance services to collaborate and enable Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to take on responsibility for fire and rescue services, where a local case is made.

• Reform the police disciplinary and complaints systems to ensure that the public have confidence in their ability to hold the police to account, and that police officers will uphold the highest standards of integrity.

• Better enable chief officers to make the most efficient and effective use of their workforce by giving them the flexibility to confer a wider range of powers on police staff and volunteers - whilst for the first time specifying a core list of powers that may only be exercised by warranted police officers - and conferring a power on the Home Secretary to specify police ranks in regulations, thereby affording the flexibility to introduce a flatter rank structure.

• Reform pre-charge bail to put a stop to people remaining on bail for lengthy periods with no independent judicial scrutiny of its continued necessity.

• Stop children and young people under 18 experiencing a mental health crisis being detained in police custody - and restricting the circumstances when adults can be taken to police stations - by reforming police powers under sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Home Secretary Theresa May said:

“The Policing and Crime Bill aims to finish the job of police reform by freeing up police

time; ensuring forces have the right people and skills to cope with the changing nature of crime; increasing public confidence in the police; and overhauling the police complaints and disciplinary systems to increase accountability, ensuring cases are dealt with quickly and effectively.

Our police reforms are working and crime has fallen. The independent Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that crime has fallen by more than a quarter since June 2010, with some 2.9 million fewer crimes a year.

We are seeing the benefits of HMIC’s scrutiny in more accurate crime recording, particularly of violence. In addition, more victims of sexual offences and domestic abuse offences are coming forward. Public confidence in the police remains high. Public perceptions of crime are improving both nationally and locally, and more people believe the criminal justice system is effective.

The reforms included in this Bill will continue this progress by supporting dedicated police officers in delivering the best service possible and continuing to enhance the public’s confidence in their local force.”

The Bill brings in several new key measures, including initially limiting pre-charge bail to 28 days, placing a duty on police, fire and ambulance services to collaborate, reforming the police disciplinary and complaints systems and better enabling chief officers to make the most efficient and effective use of their workforce.

The Bill also contains provisions which will:

• Further strengthen the independence of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and ensure that it is able to deliver end-to-end inspections of the police.

• Strengthen the accountability and transparency of the Police Federation for England and Wales by extending its core purpose to cover the public interest and making it subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

• Amend the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), including to ensure that 17-year-olds who are detained in police custody are treated as children for all purposes, and to facilitate the increased use of video link technology.

• Amend the Firearms Acts to better protect the public by closing loopholes that can be exploited by criminals and terrorists, and by ensuring through statutory guidance that there is a robust process for assessing suitability to hold a firearms licence or shotgun certificate.

• Confer on the police and immigration officers a power to require an arrested person to state their nationality and to require suspected foreign nationals to produce a nationality document within a specified period following arrest and create a new offence for a failure to comply without reasonable excuse.

• Better protect children and young people from sexual exploitation by ensuring that relevant offences in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 cover the live streaming of images of child sex abuse.

Police reforms since 2010 have brought in proper accountability, real transparency and much greater efficiency. The Policing and Crime Bill gives effect to the Government’s commitments to “finish the job of police reform”, “enable fire and police services to work more closely together and develop the role of our elected and accountable Police and Crime Commissioners” and “overhaul the police complaints system”.

PM calls for rethink of treatment of pregnant women in prisonTreatment of pregnant women and female prisoners with babies to be reformed including tagging, problem-solving courts and alternative resettlement units.

The PM has called for an urgent rethink of how pregnant women are treated in jail after figures emerge showing 100 babies spent time living in a prison last year

The government will look at alternative ways of dealing with female prisoners with babies, including tagging, problem-solving courts and alternative resettlement units with their mother following birth.

He has vowed to look at alternative ways to deal with female prisoners after their baby is born, including the use of problem-solving courts and satellite tagging technology, to ensure these babies get the best possible start in life.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“It is absolutely terrible to think that some babies are spending the earliest months – even years – of their lives behind bars.

Prison staff do their best to make these environments pleasant. Some units even have special sensory rooms, so that babies can see colours, sights and sound – even nature – that they wouldn’t ever otherwise see inside the grey walls of a jail.

There are actually women in these prisons who were born in the same prison 20 years earlier, and then have ended up there later as criminals themselves.

Think of the damage done to the life chances of these children. It’s time to think seriously about whether this is the right approach.

We’ve got to break this cycle. So I want us to find alternative ways of dealing with women prisoners with babies, including tagging, problem-solving courts and alternative resettlement units.

At present, when a pregnant woman gives birth while serving a custodial sentence, she is usually transferred to a prison’s mother and baby unit (MBU) for an initial period.

MBU policy requires that these units should be available to accommodate babies up until the age of 18 months.

But under these proposed measures, the government will consider whether alternative measures could be employed to deal with female offenders, including problem-solving courts and alternative resettlement units.

Of course, this will not apply in every case and in some circumstances it may be in the best interests of the child for the mother and baby to reside in a traditional custodial setting.”

Alongside this, the PM has also confirmed that a major pilot of satellite tracking technology is set to launch later this year.

This type of tagging could be used to track the movement of non-violent offenders,



opening up radical new sentencing options: such as changing how we release prisoners on licence or the way community sentences are enforced.

The new pilots will begin on this later this year and this technology will be rolled-our right across the country by the end of this Parliament.

Review into racial bias in the criminal justice system beginsConsultation launching on gov.uk will feed into wide-ranging review led by David Lammy.

Offenders, suspects and victims have been urged to share their experience of possible racial bias in the criminal justice system.

The Prime Minister has asked David Lammy MP to lead the review to investigate evidence of possible bias against black defendants and other ethnic minorities in England and Wales.

A consultation will be hosted on www.gov.uk until June, with a final report published in spring 2017.

The Rt Hon David Lammy MP said:

“We know that there is disproportionate representation in the criminal justice system – the question is why.

Over the course of the next year my review will search for those answers, starting with an open call for evidence to get to grips with the issues at hand.

There is clearly an urgent need for progress to be made in this area, and the evidence received through this consultation will be crucial in identifying areas where real change can be achieved.”

Questions in the consultation include why respondents think black defendants are more likely to be found guilty by a jury, face custodial

sentences and report a worse experience in prison than white defendants.

Despite making up just 14% of the population of England and Wales, Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals currently make up over a quarter of prisoners.

Latest figures also show that BAME people make up a disproportionate amount of Crown Court defendants (24%), and those who are found guilty are more likely to receive custodial sentences than white offenders (61% compared to 56%).

The review will address issues arising from the CPS involvement onwards - including the court system, in prisons and during rehabilitation in the wider community, to identify areas for reform and examples of good practice from the UK and beyond.

Prison officer retires after 45 years of serviceOne of the longest tenured prison officers in England and Wales has retired after almost half a century of service.

Owen Williams, retired on 13 May after 45 years in the prison service at the age of 65, making him one of the longest serving prison officers in England and Wales.

Owen, known to friends and colleagues as OC, joined the prison service in 1971 after training

at Leyhill. He was first appointed to HMP Hindley until 1974 when he joined Swansea, where he has spent the majority of his service.

After 45 years OC has a number of highlights, including meeting Princess Anne when she first opened the Listeners Scheme and when HRH returned to mark its 25 years of success.

He was also selected to go to the Queen’s garden party to celebrate his time and work for the service.

Multi-talented OC had a break from serving as an officer when in 1985 he became a caterer at HMP Everthorpe. He then gained a promotion to Senior Catering Officer at HMP Gartree before returning to work on the landings in 1995 back at Swansea.

He said: “We have superb staff at Swansea, the young men are energetic and enthusiastic. I can jump over the heads of the youngsters, I can keep up with them and am just as enthusiastic!

I will miss the comradeship in the prison. It was very special and I have made solid and good friends. I have had a lot of support, including from the junior officers.

For instance, I am a bit of a dinosaur on the computer and am always taking advice from them.”

Following retirement Owen plans to go on holiday, and then continue to pursue his hobby of photography. He is in the process of moving house so will be decorating and gardening.

He added:“It is time for me to hang up the keys, as the cowboys say.”

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said:

“It is this kind of enthusiasm for work that epitomises everything that you

would look for in a Prison Officer.

Owen Williams is a valued member of our staff at HMP Swansea and we are grateful to his dedication to the service.”


Al Crisci and the Clink.. 11 years in

Custodial Review (CR) You first envisaged the idea of The Clink restaurant chain in 2005, how did you think it would develop?

Alberto Crisci MBE (AC) I announced the idea when I was being presented with an award at the BBC Food and Farming Awards for the Gourmet Lunch programme. This was a programme I had created a few years earlier in order for me to invite hospitality employers into the prison.

These four course Gourmet Lunches were aimed at senior managers, people that could make a decision and they began to break down the barriers that exist such as “He’s been in prison so I’m not even going to consider employing him.” Once they’d seen that prisoners are just like any other person they began offering the prisoners their business cards. This started opening up a lot of doors that had previously been firmly closed. This became important because even though the prisoners were getting their qualifications in prison kitchens they just weren’t getting jobs on the outside.

I decided that rather than presenting fabulous food for 10-12 people four times a year, I’d offer it to 60-80 people every day. The other thing I wanted to do was take the training we were offering in the main prison kitchen up to another level, because the training was based just on producing the standard prison menu. This menu restricted the variety trainees could learn to produce as there is no way they were going to make fresh pasta or ice cream for 1100 prisoners. It was all designed as an opportunity to offer such a highly trained person to potential employers that when they went out to interviews, their level of training would outweigh the fact they were an ex-prisoner. At the Clink they get better training than they would at college doing an NVQ Level 2.

I also wanted the public to change their attitude towards ex-offenders. 11 years ago there was a very negative attitude to them. I wanted the attitude to change to, “so they have committed a crime, they have deservedly gone to prison…. fine” Once they have finished their sentence it should be an opportunity to start again if they want to lead an honest life.

CR How has your role changed since you first started?

AC I first announced the idea 11 years ago and we opened the first Clink in 2009. That was 3 ½ years from first idea to full operation. Initially, I did everything. I taught to cook and serve, take bookings, everything involving running the restaurant. I was in charge of the whole project.

Since then, my role has changed considerably. We now have a CEO, and run four restaurants with two more in the pipeline.

We have an events arm and a gardening project to produce fresh food. My title and role now is ‘Director of the Brand’. With responsibility for maintaining the original

ethos and standards, as well as opening new restaurants. The CEO, Chris Moore, and I design the new restaurants, and visit new sites. We then hand that over to the operations team. I’m also Director of Events


which means serving the general public in and around London to include weddings and other receptions. At the events I work with ex-offenders, though serving prisoners prepare the food up to a certain stage. In addition we work with homeless people from the Centrepoint charity as well as students from Westminster Kingsway College. These form my team at the events.

CR What’s your role at Highdown prison now?

AC I’m now seconded from the MoJ to The Clink full time. I ceased to be the Catering Manager at the prison in around 2012.

CR How has the training of the prisoners changed since The Clink first opened?

AC The training is the same though it is over more sites now. We have remained a Registered Centre with City & Guilds. All the new sites have become Satellite Centres. Highdown Clink remains the main training centre and handles the administration of the project.

The courses are the same, the levels we train to are the same, however we have a much bigger team spread over more sites. We have trainers at all the sites, and our own staff have been trained to be assessors. We have a full time IQA for quality assurance to check the quality of the training and sign it off. Essentially it is the same as what I’d set up with more people and more sites.

CR Has the alcohol policy changed?

AC We continue the policy of not serving alcohol at any of our restaurants. A lot of our prisoners have alcohol issues so why should we put them at risk? We haven’t found this to be a problem, even in our restaurants outside the wall such as Cardiff. The fact that there is no alcohol has not affected their attractiveness at all. The Cardiff restaurant is the number one restaurant in Cardiff.

CR What is the gardening project?

AC One of my passions is that we try to use seasonal, British fruit and vegetables produced in the prison estate. You can’t get more local than inside the prison walls! When asparagus is in season we use that, and strawberries throughout the summer for example. Where we can’t grow it ourselves we will use local producers from near the prisons. We always try to use local butchers and greengrocers rather than large multinationals from whom you just don’t know the provenance and we want to support local producers.


We also purchase pork and lamb from East Sutton Park prison where they rear rare breed pigs.

We run a gardening project at HMP Send where they grow vegetables and supply fresh eggs to us. We have renovated eight large poly tunnels and have put in a full time gardener trainer who works for The Clink. Through the growing months they grow all the produce for the Highdown and Brixton Clink. In Cardiff they grow produce at Cardiff Prison and in Prescoed prison they produce eggs that we use in our restaurant. Manchester has only been going a year but we are preparing to set up a garden outside the wall. Next year they will be growing their own produce as well.

CR Has the type of job your offenders can get after the course changed at all?

AC Some end up as Baristas however some of them are working at top restaurants and hotels in London. We have graduates at the Lancaster Hotel in London, The Cavendish Hotel, The Renaissance Hotel, Roast in borough market and I recently learned that one of them from Brixton Prison had just passed his interview at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane. In Manchester one of our female offenders has started working at the Michelin starred Northcote Manor restaurant, while in Cardiff we have seven people working at the Millennium Centre, a premier centre for the arts and opera in the city.

CR With the placements you’ve been able to make, how well have you managed to tackle the stigma around prisoners rehabilitating?

AC Considerably, the Clink has become well known in the hospitality industry. We’ve won lots of industry awards, these are not charity awards, they are full industry awards. We won the Best Education and Training at the Catey Awards. The Sutton Clink won Best Restaurant the year it was opened and has won every year since. We are very well respected in the industry and I don’t think any other project has done as much to change the public’s perception of people who have been to prison. We have also been in a documentary that has been shown twice and been in an Inside Story programme. It has been very hard to measure but in the nine years since we began at Highdown, we’ve done at least as much as any other project to change the perception of what prisoners can do given the chance.

CR Do you have a large waiting list of prisoners who want to work in The Clink establishments?

AC Funnily enough, no. By the time we apply our own criteria, which includes not having anyone on remand, we can’t have anyone less than six months to go and any more than 18 months to serve, prisoners must be eligible to be returned to a UK address (so can’t be detainees) and Security must be happy with them as they will be working with the general public. By the time that’s all been applied it whittles down the pool that we can choose from. So anyone who applies and who meets the criteria then we will offer them a place. We are not selective beyond that.

Security won’t clear someone who has been violent, has dangerous psychological problems, or has tried to escape for example. However, a lot of the people we take on are repeat and prolific offenders. The risk of them reoffending for many of them is very high. We measure our success on reoffending rates so if for the last 10 years they have been in and out of prison but nothing has been done to intervene, and they haven’t engaged in any reoffending programmes such as The Clink, then the chances are they would have reoffended if

we had not intervened. If once they have completed the Clink Programme they do not reoffend, we have achieved our goals.

CR Is that how the Prison Service measures your ‘usefulness’? You’re now more on the rehabilitation side really now aren’t you?

AC Yes, I was a catering manager at Highdown originally. The Clink is all about reducing reoffending not about catering. The Gourmet Lunches idea was about reducing reoffending. Up until my secondment I was doing both. The Clink is not just another restaurant, it is about reducing reoffending and improving society.

To this end we also run a mentoring system. Mentors, who are employed by the Clink, get to know the prisoners while they are still serving. They start working with the prisoners during their last three months inside to find out what their needs are when they get out. This might be to get a job, somewhere to live, alcohol or drugs rehabilitation, whatever that might be. Then the mentor meets them at the gate, and carry on the relationship for a minimum of six months and up to 12 months however sometimes it’s even longer.

Mentoring is a key part of the programme, because if we just trained the prisoners and said, “See you later!” at the end of their term, they need to feed themselves and house themselves and may otherwise turn to crime to achieve that.

CR How many people have been through The Clink programme?

AC About 500 have been through since it began and that is about to grow very quickly because for the first two years there was just one restaurant, the third year there were two, the fifth year there were three, in the sixth there are now four and we’re planning on opening two more. We aim at working with 500 a year at full capacity.

CR Thanks for speaking to Custody Review.


Alberto Crisci MBE and Clink graduate Michael Ballogun

Al Crisci and the Clink.. 11 years in continued

Vic Laws MBE, Alberto Crisci MBE and Clink graduate Michael Ballogan


New report reveals hundreds still dying in detentionAn ongoing culture of secrecy, poor access to specialist mental health services and a lack of high quality independent investigations has contributed to hundreds of non-natural deaths in detention, according to a new report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Since 2014, over 225 people detained in prisons, psychiatric hospitals and police cells - many of whom had mental health conditions - have died of non-natural causes in England and Wales. When 2015 figures for psychiatric hospitals are also published, the final number could be far higher.

The Commission’s new analysis acknowledges that some improvements have been made in police custody, hospitals and prisons. There has been a welcome reduction in the number of people being held in police cells as a place of safety and there has also been a reduction in the number of deaths of detained patients in psychiatric hospitals. The Commission has noted that positive changes have been put in place to provide better support for prisoners with mental health conditions.

However, this is not enough. Progress is patchy and safety in prisons is a significant concern. Declining levels of safety and increasing violence has seen the number of non-natural deaths of

prisoners rise year on year. There were 84 non-natural deaths in 2013 which increased to 98 in 2014 and then to 104 in 2015.

The report also reveals that more must be done to increase access to specialist mental health services in prisons and that ‘information black holes’ - such as the lack of data on deaths following release from prisons – are holding back progress in reducing self-harm, injury and deaths. A critical issue for hospitals is the establishment of oversight of independent investigations following deaths of detained patients. For police custody the lack of approved mental health professionals in some parts of the country, is leading to delays in mental health assessments. It needs to be addressed urgently.

This report follows an inquiry by the Commission published last year and provides new analysis and recommendations to tackle the issues raised. These include calling for a change in the law to ensure psychiatric hospitals, prisons and police forces publish action plans to address recommendations from investigations and inspections; and calling on psychiatric hospitals to investigate whether independent investigations are being carried out into non-natural deaths of detained patients and confirm if they are of sufficient quality.

Other key findings/recommendations are:

• Data on use of restraint should be routinely published in prison as well

as data on the number prisoners with mental health conditions.

• Segregation should not be used for prisoners with mental health conditions.

• Families should be fully involved and supported through the investigations process to help ensure that lessons can be learned to prevent future deaths.

• The right to life should be central to the development of policies, procedures and investigations in to the deaths of people in detention.

Professor Swaran Singh, EHRC Commissioner on adult deaths in detention, said: “Failure to make progress in reducing the number of avoidable deaths is a national stain that we should no longer tolerate in modern civilised society.

“When the state detains people for their own good or the safety of others it has a very high level of responsibility to ensure their life is protected, and that is a particular challenge for people with mental health conditions. Progress has been so slow that we have continued to see a large number of tragic cases in the past two years where that responsibility has not been met.

There is a corrosive culture of secrecy and blame which is holding back the progress that’s so desperately needed. It is tragic that we appear to be going backwards not forwards in some areas, whilst avoidable deaths continue to rise.”

RAPt former client Amelia’s incredible London Marathon journeyAmelia Barber, 31, struggled with alcohol and drug addiction for several years causing her to lose her job, home, family and self-respect.

Now Amelia is free from drugs and alcohol, has a strong relationship with her family, works as a nurse on an oncology ward in London and is running the Marathon for RAPt, the charity that helped her turn her life around.

“My journey into recovery wasn’t easy but I will always be grateful to RAPt for helping me when I couldn’t help myself. I wouldn’t have wanted to do the Marathon for anyone else.”

“I’ve been to other organisations and seen other counsellors, but the ones at RAPt really stood out for me – they genuinely cared. I wasn’t treated as a textbook diagnosis, but rather as an individual deserving of compassion,” said Amelia.

Amelia is now one of four runners for RAPt at The Virgin Money London Marathon 2016. It is her second time running and raising funds for RAPt.

It took Amelia over a year to become clean and sober after she relapsed during RAPt’s Island Day Programme in 2011. Although she did not complete the programme, she says the initial weeks in recovery with RAPt were a stepping stone to the accomplished life she now leads.

Amelia’s journey to recovery began with RAPt and allowed Amelia to realise the opportunities available to her, giving her the commitment and drive to earn a qualification and start a career in nursing.

“RAPt’s programme was a huge step towards my recovery; I got counselling and it gave me the structure that I needed to turn up and start being accountable,” said Amelia.

“I am now clean and sober and have realised my ambition of becoming a qualified nurse.”

Amelia has also reconnected with her parents and sisters whom she had become isolated from due to her addiction.

“I had the privilege of running the marathon for RAPt in 2014. It felt amazing to cross the finish line and make my family proud.”

Amelia is now working as a nurse in an oncology ward at Guy’s Hospital in central London and has raised over £1,500 of her £2,000 target.

RAPt partner Blue Sky wins major charity award for ground-breaking partnershipRAPt partner Blue Sky, the social enterprise that breaks the cycle of offending by only employing ex-offenders, has won the Third Sector Business Charity Award for its partnership with Veolia, one of Europe’s leading environmental service providers.

The award, the charity’s 10th major award in 10 years, recognises Blue Sky and Veolia’s success in reducing reoffending by offering ex-offenders a first step on the employment ladder with a six month post at Veolia. Only 7% of those employed through the partnership have re-offended – eight times lower than the national average.

Employees could be working in anything from grounds maintenance in parks to litter picking, beach cleansing or leaflet distribution. The partnership has now employed over 220 ex-offenders in six years as part of Veolia’s local




authority contracts in Basildon, Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Dover, Ealing, Haringey, Kingston, Lambeth, Richmond, Rushmore, Watford and Westminster.

Kate Markey, Blue Sky MD said: “This award is testimony to the hard work and dedication of Veolia’s local contract managers and Blue Sky’s frontline staff working to make every opportunity count for ex-offenders. And it shows the vision and values of Veolia’s leadership in working with a social enterprise such as Blue Sky as part of it supply chain. We look forward to building on our partnership with Veolia in new locations and in new sectors, creating even more opportunity for ex-offenders.”

Tristan, who was helped by the partnership, spoke movingly about his experience: “Blue Sky and Veolia give people a chance to prove themselves, not many companies do that. Being in work has definitely helped to keep me on the straight and narrow. It has also improved my family life loads, especially my relationship with my girlfriend – we’ve now got a home together. I’ve learnt a lot and can see opportunities in the future.”

RAPt welcomes Minister to HMP Rochester addiction programme.

Andrew Selous, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation, visited RAPt’s dedicated recovery wing at HMP Rochester in Kent, on Thursday 5th May 2016, where prisoners go through intensive

rehabilitation to become crime, drug and alcohol free.

Independent research shows that RAPt’s intensive rehabilitation treatment programme leads to a 20% reduction in the numbers of released prisoners re-offending, and a 65% reduction in overall number of offences (1).

Adrian Smith, RAPt Service Manager at HMP Rochester, said: “The RAPt team here at Rochester are working relentlessly to help prisoners transform their lives away from drugs and crime. We were immensely proud to share our work with the minister today and hope he was inspired by the incredible results prisoners here have achieved. They really do leave our service with a completely different outlook and approach to life – and when released from prison are supported to carry this on and stay free from crime and drugs. We know that, with the right support, genuine rehabilitation is possible for prisoners across the country.”

Over half of all prisoners in this country (55%) report committing offences connected to their drug taking, with the need for money to buy drugs most commonly cited (2).

RAPt believes the best way to tackle this problem is through dedicated drug recovery wings like the one at HMP Rochester, and wants every prison in the UK to have one. Drug recovery wings are where prisoners are committed to a drug free environment, which is achieved through a combination of security, drug testing and incentives to stay free from drugs, alongside intensive programmes that work with prisoners with the aim of stopping drug use completely.

Notes1. Kopak, A. M., Dean, L. V., Proctor, S. L., Miller, L., & Hoffmann, N. G. (2014) ‘Effectiveness of the rehabilitation for addicted prisoners trust (RAPt) programme’, Journal of Substance Use, [Online] pp.1-8. Available from: doi:10.3109/14659891.2014.904938.2. Ministry of Justice (2013). Gender differences in substance misuse and mental health amongst prisoners, London: Ministry of Justice.

About RAPt

RAPt’s substance misuse treatment is the leading intensive, 12-Step based prison programme in the country. RAPt services can support prisoners at whatever stage they are at, with the ultimate goal of them taking part in the 21 week intensive rehabilitation treatment – and becoming drug, alcohol and crime free.

RAPt helps people from the moment they start one of its rehabilitation programmes in prison through to leaving prison and building a positive and productive life in the community. For more information visit www.rapt.org.uk

RAPt response to Prime Minister’s announcement on prison reformsRAPt (the Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust) the leading provider of intensive, abstinence-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes in UK prisons welcomes the attention the government is giving to improving the conditions and effectiveness of prisons in today’s announcement.

Mike Trace, CEO of RAPt, said: “The Prime Minister’s focus on improving prison conditions and prisoner rehabilitation is welcome. Drug addiction is one of the root causes of crime, and must be addressed within the prison reform plans if this rehabilitation ambition is to be achieved. Every prisoner is capable of transformational change, but they need the right support to turn away from drugs, a prolific problem in our prisons, if

they are to change their criminal behaviour for good. Drug recovery programmes can bring about the reductions in crime, and safer prisons, that the Prime Minister is looking for.”

Over half of all prisoners in this country (55%) report committing offences connected to their drug taking, with the need for money to buy drugs most commonly cited (2). Prison is therefore an opportunity to turn lives around by giving prisoners who need help to address their substance misuse.

Independent research shows that RAPt’s intensive rehabilitation treatment programme leads to a 20% reduction in the numbers of released prisoners re-offending, and a 65% reduction in overall number of offences (3). Despite the scale of the problem, less than 3% of drug dependent prisoners currently have access to this full intensive rehabilitation treatment. Yet for every 100 people completing this programme an estimated £6.3 million is saved on reduced crime and re-sentencing. Making the programme available to just 10% of drug dependent prisoners would equate to potential savings of £440 million a year.

RAPt’s statement in response to HM Inspectorate of prisons report: substance misuse in prisons – new psychoactive substances the most serious threat to safety.Mike Trace, Chief Executive Officer at RAPt, said: “Our front line staff in prisons are seeing the terrible impact of so called legal highs like spice every day. In the last year we’ve seen a seven fold increase in the number of prisoners coming to us for help with these type of drugs. The impact is shocking, with violence, addiction and deaths becoming more common. For the first time in 24 years there are times when our staff are even worried for their own safety.

“There is no one quick fix – but by working with prison security, developing testing and providing rehabilitation treatment services we can tackle this major problem. Prisoners need to know there are alternatives to spending a prison sentence high on drugs and caught up in more crime.”

To read the full report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, please visit https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/si...

To see RAPt’s briefing on new psychoactive substances visit www.rapt.org.uk/npsbriefing


The Cascade Foundations work in HM Prisons

Custodial Review (CR) What learning difficulties did you find manifested itself most frequently?

Jackie Hewitt-Main (JH-M) Dyslexia was the biggest then ADHD followed by head injuries.

CR Having worked your system in prisons, what evidence have you got that it works?

JH-M The first evidence is that very difficult prisoners become calmer. That’s when the officers see that they can work, talk and engage with these prisoners for the first time. The assault rates at Chelmsford Prison went down five fold. Vicky Blakeman, the Prison Governor, was telling everyone how the whole prison was calmer. They seemed to know that this was happening for the 2 ½ years I was there.

CR While you were there, what impact did it have on the reading ages and academic achievement? And how did you measure it?

JH-M We assessed them when they first came in and on average in one month they were catching up a year’s reading and writing. One case came in with a reading age of four. Within twelve weeks he was working on Level 1. He started on Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, and obtaining three qualifications. He’s now working on Level 1 which is about the age of a 12 year old.

CR What were you doing that’s different to the other educators?

JH-M The first thing I do is assess people. In normal prison education they were not assessing until the fourth or fifth week. By then the learner has often given up, frustrated and left the course. I carry out a 13 hour Cascade, Personal and Social Development assessment when they arrive on the course. It is about assessing their disability, and finding out how they learn, and if they do have characteristics of dyslexia or ADHD we explain and work with them. We then look how to make them feel better about themselves, which is where we use Neuro Linguistic Programming. We design and implement a complete programme for their particular issues, so it’s easier for them to understand and respond positively.

CR At the end of the 2 ½ years at Chelmsford, what results did you have to show people?

JH-M The assaults were down and ten had passed their PETLs and had gone on to work in the community. Two of those people eventually came up to Doncaster to work with us helping other inmates.

CR What has been achieved by the Cascade Foundation since you left Chelmsford?

JH-M Unfortunately I became ill for four years however during that time I mentored 30 men. Firstly with letter writing, through Facebook. Of those 30 men only one went back inside. Six years on, of the other 29 not one of them have gone back inside.

In the last two years I have worked in

Doncaster. I interviewed 2014 prisoners. I found again that 53% of the prison population had learning difficulties. The diagnoses were the same with dyslexia being the most common, followed by ADHD and head injuries.

At Doncaster men have achieved multiple qualifications, 168 went through and passed the whole programme. We had three men start at Entry 1 and who got up to Level 3 Essay Writing. We had 95 who came on my learning coach course in order to work with others. 42 subsequently worked with me delivering the course in the prison. We also had a 3% reoffending rate from the guys who completed the course after their time in prison.

CR If someone said to you that they liked your system and wanted you to bring it into their prison, what do you bring with you? And how much does it cost?

JH-M I can bring in people and resources to deliver the programme but not the finances.

I will teach the teachers and these teachers teach others. It costs around £100,000 for a year. However for that we’ll do the lot. We’ll train the mentors, work on the wings. Just let me start and show you what I can do.

CR What results can you bring the prison for the £100,000, what facilities do you need when you go into a prison and how long is it until you start getting results?

JH-M First of all is the drop in violence. The mentors will be working on the wings with the

Jackie Hewitt-Main founded the Cascade Foundation and has worked both in and out of prisons to tackle the disability that is dyslexia. Her system was extensively tried and tested in HMP Doncaster during the Payment by results programme. In the words of the Governor, Jon Biggin, is was very successful. L to Right.. Jon Biggin OBE, Dale Easter and Jackie Hewitt Main.

With a £450 cheque Dale raised with a sponsored bike ride.


new guys. We can show the staff how to help these people as a lot of them do not know how to work with someone with a learning difficulty. It took 2 ½ weeks in Doncaster to show results. Facilities depend on what is needed. If it’s to set up small classes I will need a room to do it in. We can also work with prisoners who are going out the gate. We can do training for the induction, wings, staff and management.

CR Could the system and process function without you?

JH-M Yes, this is because its results come from the training I do so that others can implement the course.

CR If you were doing a pitch today, what would you advise the prison?

JH-M I want to go in there, sort out the people with learning difficulties, help them with their violence, and help their staff.

CR Thanks for speaking to Custodial Review!

Independent Evaluation of The Cascade Foundation at HMP DoncasterThis 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.

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 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

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.

Jackie Lowthian, Director, Social Justice Solutions

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)


Jon Biggen OBE on the Cascade Foundation

Jon Biggin was the Director at HMP Doncaster during the Payment by Results trial. One of the programmes he brought into the prison was specifically to tackle dyslexia and the problems it brings with it. This programme was run by Jackie Hewitt- Main and it subsequently transformed into the Cascade Foundation which has subsequently had very solid results in tackling dyslexia and the recidivism associated with it. This also involved a ‘through the gate’ programme that provided support on release. Jon has now retired from the Prison Service and after a couple of months to catch his breath he is again becoming involved in offender management issues.

Custodial Review (CR) What part of the Cascade Programme was so attractive to you that you took them on at Doncaster?

Jon Biggin (JB) It came about when I was having a conversation with a young man on one of my house blocks who’d been locked in his cell for days. He was only coming out for association or exercise and he was absolutely desperate to get a job within the prison. He wasn’t able to do this because he hadn’t been to education and achieved his basic numeracy and literacy qualifications that are precursors to getting employment. The reason was because he was dyslexic and so was never going to engage with the traditional prison education system no matter how difficult things were for him. So he couldn’t earn any money, he was therefore having a real hard time of it and I just thought, “that can’t be right!”

So when Jackie came along, and I was able to commission my own services under Payment

by Results, I was able to spend some money with Cascade because I could see it would answer a need that lad had highlighted.

I was also attracted to Cascade because I know that a mentoring relationship is more effective if it can be sustained going through the gates. If the same person is then able to meet the inmate on day one of release and get them to where they need to be and help them through those first few weeks after custody they stand a better chance of not reoffending.

Another important issue about trying to tackle reoffending is that you have to have a wide variety of programmes because one solution is never going to fit everyone. If you can pick out groups with unique needs and match them to an organisation whose DNA is about meeting those needs then the intervention stands a far better chance of working. As soon as I heard what Jackie was doing it just clicked straight away that it would be a good fit for that lad who was having a really hard time of it.

CR Now you’ve worked with Cascade, how do you see other prisons working with similar organisations?

JB I think that Jackie’s organisation is an ideal example of a ‘tier three’ provider for community resettlement companies. The problem for organisations like hers is that historically the first question that CRC’s are asking is ‘Where’s the research to back it up?’

I am of the opinion that we can listen to what the Justice Secretary is talking about with the mixed economy of different interventions to meet different needs and giving governors the ability to commission those services. That makes it quite a compelling rationale for community resettlement companies, but you have to follow the logic of what’s on offer from organisations like Cascade and not necessarily insist on the extensive research to back it up.

CR Can you see that your ability to make the decision to ‘take a risk’ could be replicated elsewhere because of governors are now to be given that freedom?

JB Yes, it needs two things. It firstly needs the government to actually deliver the freedoms and that requires the adoption of massive degree of trust on their and the MOJ’s part. It also requires those governors who have the vision, diligence and confidence to spend money on something that may involve straying away from the mainstream. The MoJ need to give prison governors enough autonomy to try things that they feel will work but they also have to make sure they have the right people in the job because with this level of responsibility comes a lot of potential repercussions.

CR Spending £100,000 on an untried project is sticking your neck out isn’t it?

JB Yes it is and there isn’t usually any immediate evidence to back up the decision. The difficulty of new and innovative interventions is it takes so long to get real, tangible and solid information on reoffending rates. At Doncaster we had to wait 2 ½ years to find out if we had been successful, because each PBR cohort is a full year’s releases. Then all of those prisoners have to be out for a year and there has to be time built in for potential court appearances before you actually know the real results. In Doncaster I had 10% of my revenue at risk if I didn’t deliver the agreed results. So we were really taking a punt on our knowledge and experience in one respect, but actually if you talk to one of the prisoners you see the results in action.

To work out what was actually needed to reduce reoffending we sat down with a lot of the short term sentence prisoners who regularly reoffended and asked, ‘What could we have done that would have made the difference?’ Almost unanimously it was just providing some support through the gate and that was what just wasn’t available for under 12-month offenders. So we decided to target that group and if you look at reports into Doncaster that the MOJ had done independently, we disproportionately impacted on the short term prisoners reoffending rates and it was actually the longer term sentence prisoners that skewed the figures and brought them down.

I think my frustration was that I think it could have worked a lot faster and I would have really liked to have jumped in and asked people to be confident and follow the logic and not wait for the extensive research to be obtained. The logic behind the decision was that you take a group of prisoners who have never had support and you offer them that support and deliver it then it has to make a difference. That’s what we did and fortunately, we were successful.

CR If Jackie takes this system into another prison, what would be the most immediate effect within that prison from your experience?

JB I can see this working in two ways. In a longer term prison programme, this will allow people into work and proper training. I think the main power of what Jackie is doing is in the local prison with a high churn of prisoners. It doesn’t take long to change someone’s life but the beauty of this system is when you’re so much closer to the street, as in a local prison. In a longer term prison they may be in for six or seven years and it is very hard to see what made the difference but in a local prison environment you can see far more quickly. I can see that there would be a need for this in any prison though you see the results far more quickly in a local prison.


It isn’t just what Cascade does, there are other organisations such as the Shannon Trust. In the past intervention programmes like this have been done in great big chunks. For a great chunk of prisoners this is exactly what they need but for an increasingly obvious number of people it is never going to meet their needs. So when it comes to interventions have to have a mixed economy and you’ve got to commission services to meet the different needs of a smaller number of prisoners and be aware that these needs are constantly changing with the local economy. Local employment is a key factor, as is the police choosing to target young people. Are gangs suddenly a real local issue? You have to be able to react fairly quickly to these things and bring in appropriate interventions. You don’t do that by commissioning great big contracts with providers who are just doing the one programme.

CR In order to react fairly quickly organisations to be relatively small but be highly integrated is that part of the solution?

JB To make this work a key skill governors need is to be able to make everybody feel as if they are a part of the management of the prison.

Prisons are becoming very strange places now because they are made up of relationships that are very different from a few years ago. As a governor you’re managing relationships with people in education and healthcare, providers who are not directly contracted by the governor as they have been directly contracted by the MoJ. So the business relationship is with the MoJ however they have a massive impact on what the governor and staff can do. This can be a bit difficult to manage when people are more at the margins and you can also have contractor relationships like Catch 22 and Turning Point. The key for me has always been getting the people in those organisations on my Senior Management Team. All of those organisations contributed to my planning and were on the prison SMT. This meant we all knew what the impact of what we’re doing had on each other.

CR Can new organisations feel a bit ‘siloed’ in a prison and feel as if they have to defend their turf?

JB Governors have to make sure that doesn’t happen. When it’s done well and those people feel part of one team, you gain a fantastic amount. For instance; for a long time the Prison Service directly recruited

their own healthcare staff. However I don’t know anything about healthcare so when things went wrong and I couldn’t recruit healthcare professionals I didn’t know where to go for a solution. Prisons now work with an organisation that provide healthcare on a national basis, and gain not only their ability to staff the place but also gain their knowledge and bandwidth when things do go wrong. It’s a win-win situation.

It’s the same with offender charities such as Catch 22. What they do for a living out of prison is support people. I don’t know enough about it to do it as well as they can! You’re buying in the bandwidth knowledge these organisations have without having to reinvent their experience, knowledge and contacts. When we ran the Doncaster PBR pilot Catch 22 volunteers were part of that. I would never have been able to reach out and get those volunteers, and train them in the right way but Catch 22 did. If you get that relationship right and they’re working as part of your team, you can do it really well. If you allow the management to become fragmented, and blame each other for things that are going wrong, then the thing fall apart fairly rapidly.

CR Thanks for speaking to Custodial Review.



A prisoner is dying every day as deaths, assaults and self-injury in prisons continue to risePrisons in England and Wales are becoming increasingly violent and dangerous, with deaths, assaults and incidents of self-injury continuing to rise, figures seen by the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed on the 28th April.

Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice show that 290 people died in prison custody in the 12 months to March 2016 – an increase of 51 compared to the previous 12-month period.

They included 100 men and women who took their own lives. The number of people dying by suicide in prisons has almost doubled in the last three years.

Ninety-one men and women died in prisons during the first three months of 2016 – an average of one death per day. This is the highest number ever seen in a single quarter.

In 2015, the likelihood of prison mortality was 45 per cent greater than in the general population.

More than 32,000 incidents of self-injury were reported in prisons during 2015 – a 25 per cent increase on 2014. Reports of self-injury by men were 74 per cent higher than in 2010.

Women accounted for almost a quarter of self-injury incidents during 2015, but they only make up five per cent of the prison population.

More than 20,000 assaults were recorded in prisons during 2015 – a 27 per cent increase in 2014.

The number of assaults recorded as “serious” increased by 31 per cent. Sexual assaults rose from 228 in 2014 to 300 in 2015.

Prison staff were assaulted almost 5,000 times during 2015 – a 36 per cent rise on 2014.

The figures show that there were almost 1,900 assaults in prisons holding children during 2015 – a five-year high.

Reports of self-injury in children’s prisons were also up – from 315 in 2014 to 375 in 2015.

The Howard League and Centre for Mental Health are working together on a joint programme on preventing people from dying by suicide in prison.

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “These shocking statistics spell out the scale of the problems in a prison system that is failing after years of rising numbers,

chronic overcrowding and deep staff cuts.

“We are hearing a lot of fine talk from the government about how things will be put right, but at the moment there appears to be no action.

“Meanwhile, people are dying. How many more people will die before something is done?”

Britons positive towards prison education but believe it’s ineffective in preventing reoffendingNearly three quarters of Britons (72 percent) agree increased investment in prison education and training is worthwhile if crime rates fall in the long term, but more than half (55 percent) believe rehabilitation is ineffective in preventing repeat offences, according to a new ComRes poll commission by policy specialists The Whitehouse Consultancy.

The poll also found that nearly two-thirds of Britons (62 percent) agreed that prisoners should be able to access training and education. However, just half of respondents (48 percent) agreed prisoners should be able to study for advance (university level) qualifications, suggesting a willingness to cap opportunities for training and education in prisons.

Half of Britons (51 percent) agreed that prison should be focused on punishment rather than rehabilitation;, although a similar proportion (49 percent) agreed offering prisoners training

and education reduces the deterrent from committing crimes.

The findings precede the publication of a review on prison education policy by Justice Secretary Michael Gove, which is expected to revitalise the British prison system, giving individual facilities greater autonomy and establishing league tables for measures of education including literacy and numeracy.

Jack Taylor, Specialist Public Services Consultant at The Whitehouse Consultancy, said:

“Britons clearly expect imprisonment to be a punishment first and foremost. But there is also an understanding of the importance of rehabilitation in the form of training and education. This suggests the public will have sympathy with any plans by the Justice Secretary that increase education opportunities in prisons, if this can be shown to cut reoffending, as there are questions as to how effective rehabilitation methods are at present.

“What is interesting is that while Britons accept the need for education within prisons, there is a clear sense this shouldn’t be unlimited. The fact that only half of respondents agree prisoners should have access to higher level qualification. The public may be less inclined to back the Justice Secretary if his proposals give prison population access to education opportunities out of reach for some sections of society.”

The Whitehouse ConsultancyThe Whitehouse Consultancy is a specialist in political policy and issues-led communications.

Poll informationQ. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

NET: AGREE STRONGLY AGREE TEND TO AGREE TEND TO DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE NET: DISAGREE

Increased investment in prison education and training programmes is worth it if crime rates fall in the long-term72% 24% 48% 9% 5% 14%

Rehabilitation is a vital part of the justice process 71% 24% 47% 12% 5% 17%

All prisoners should be able to access opportunities for training and education 62% 18% 44% 16% 8% 25%

Rehabilitation in prisons is generally ineffective at preventing reoffending 55% 19% 36% 19% 6% 25%

Prison should be about punishment not rehabilitation 51% 23% 28% 29% 9% 37%

By offering prisoners training and education, it significantly reduces the deterrent from committing crimes in the first place 49% 13% 36% 21% 11% 32%

Prisoners should have the opportunity to study for advanced (university level) degrees while serving a sentence in prison 48% 14% 34% 21% 16% 37%

Base: All GB adults (n=2,023).

Methodology Note: ComRes interviewed 2023 British adults online between the 16th and 17th March 2016. Data were weighted by age, gender, region and socio-economic grade to be representative of all GB adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.



David Lammy to visit court as part of racial bias reviewMP vows to “leave no stone unturned for this root-and-branch” independent review, which will be published in spring 2017.

The MP leading a review into possible bias against ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system visited a court to gather evidence on the 13th April 2016.

The Rt Hon David Lammy MP will observe proceedings at Wood Green Crown Court for the review, which was announced by the Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this year.

With significant over representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals in the criminal justice system, the review will consider their treatment and outcomes to identify and help tackle potential bias or prejudice.

The Rt Hon David Lammy MP said:

“I will leave no stone unturned for this root-and-branch review, which will scrutinise

every stage of the criminal justice system.

We know that guilty defendants from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to face prison sentences at the end of court cases – it’s my job to find out why.

Seeing justice work at first hand will be a key part of that, and I look forward to observing the court’s proceedings as part of this visit.”

People from BAME backgrounds make up 14% of the population in England and Wales, but represent a disproportionate amount of Crown Court defendants (24%).

Those who are found guilty are more likely to receive custodial sentences than white offenders (61% compared to 56%), and BAME people make up over a quarter of the prison population.

Courts Minister Shailesh Vara said:It is absolutely essential that the justice system treats people from all backgrounds equally.

A higher proportion of black people are sentenced to custody for a crime than white people.

That fact leaves questions that need to be answered, and I welcome this review and look forward to its conclusions.

Reporting back in spring 2017, David Lammy has been asked for recommendations to ultimately reduce the proportion of BAME individuals in the criminal justice system and make sure that all suspects and offenders are treated equally, whatever their ethnicity.

The review will address issues arising from the point of arrest onwards, including through the court system, in prisons and during

rehabilitation in the wider community, in order to identify areas for reform and examples of good practice from the UK and beyond.

Businesses gather at Ford Prison to find out about employing ex-offendersLocal businesses discover how employing ex-offenders can help meet their need for specialist skills.

Local businesses gathered at HM Prison Ford on 12 May 2016 to find out how employing ex-offenders can help meet their need for specialist skills in areas including engineering and plumbing as well as the demand for labour in growth sectors such as warehousing, construction and catering.

The session at the prison encouraged businesses to see offenders as potential assets who genuinely want to move forward with their lives, put criminal activity behind them and contribute to society. The prison has excellent links with many local employers and several businesses who are already working with the prison would encourage others to work with offenders on temporary licence too.

Karl Kerry, General Manager at local ship repairer business Burgess Marine, said:

“The experience of working with HM Prison Ford has been a really positive experience for my business and it’s something I’d recommend to other employers.

I know that any offender who comes to work with me on temporary licence as they come to the end of their sentence has been thoroughly risk assessed and vetted and there will be ongoing support in place from the prison. Chris is one of the offenders who has joined us on a temporary work placement from prison and I’ve been hugely impressed by his commitment and professional expertise.

During his sentence, Chris learnt various skills, including steelwork manufacturing, welding and engineering. He has since obtained his forklift and telescopic handler ticket and is PASMA (scaffold tower erection) trained. Chris is now putting all these skills into practice in a working environment where he’s part of the shiplift docking crew, dry docking ships up to 1000 tonnes.

Chris has also trained in health and safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), correct use of tools, first aid and is part of the rescue team for confined space works.”

The Prisons Minister Andrew Selous has been urging employers across the country to join the Employers’ Forum for Reducing Reoffending (EFFRR), a business to business network which provides advice and support to businesses who may be considering employing offenders.

Andrew Selous, Prisons Minister, said:

“Great businesses don’t necessarily follow well-trodden paths for

recruitment and I am pleased to see so many open-minded businesses here at HM Prison Ford. I hope that they will see dedicated, motivated and skilled potential employees in the offenders they meet today.

We need a new focus which gives prisoners a chance to turn their lives around for good through sustained job opportunities when they leave prison.

Ultimately schemes like this are about protecting the public. By giving prisoners the skills and work opportunities they need to find work, we can help reduce reoffending, cut crime and make our streets safer.”

Stephen Fradley, Governor at HM Prison Ford, said: “I am pleased to welcome so many businesses to HM Prison Ford and look forward to showcasing the excellent work taking place here.

One of the most important ways we can reduce reoffending and prevent victims is to make sure ex-offenders have the right skills and employment opportunities available to them on release so that they can contribute to society and the economy.

We’re keen to continue the momentum from this event and foster links with businesses who can help us provide meaningful work-based activity and education to offenders in custody and on release.”

Employers’ Forum for Reducing Reoffending (EFFRR) is a group of local and national employers that provide job opportunities for offenders.

Minister marks £2.5 billion employment and skills funding boost with visit to prison restaurantEmployment Minister Priti Patel launches the £2.5 billion European Social Fund (ESF) programme for England at Styal prison in Cheshire.

Organisations across England could benefit from the European Social Fund (ESF). HMP Styal is receiving ESF funding to help female prisoners get ready for the world of work.

Minister for Employment Priti Patel said:

“There is no better place to launch this funding than HMP Styal, where the

money is already having such a positive effect.

continues on p28 u


The Ministry of Justice and Government Equalities Office have announced the 4 areas to be funded to pilot new approaches to helping women at risk of offending.

Greater Manchester, Brighton, Norfolk, Surrey have together been awarded almost £200,000 to help more women in their communities address the underlying issues which left unchecked may lead to them becoming involved in crime, or even ultimately end up in prison.

There are currently around 4000 women in prison. Women are much more likely to serve short sentences, have committed acquisitive rather than violent crimes, have dependent children and commit acts of self-harm in prison.

Many women at risk of offending have complex needs – they may have faced abuse in the past, have drug or alcohol issues, face serious mental or physical health problems, or be struggling to find a home or a job.

Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice, Caroline Dinenage, said: “I am determined to see fewer women falling into crime and even ending up in prison because they aren’t getting the right kind of support to address any underlying issues.

I am delighted that we will be working closely with the communities of Greater Manchester, Brighton, Norfolk and Surrey to develop new strategies to support women and get them off a pathway into crime at an earlier stage.

Not only will this funding change the lives of more women and their families and give them a second chance to realise their potential, it will also cut crime and make our streets safer.

The money will be used in these communities to put structures in place to assess and address the needs of these women at an early stage and provide the kind of wraparound support that can make all the difference in diverting them from crime.”

The 4 areas will develop their own unique strategies which are best targeted to address the needs of women in their areas, working across local public and third sector organisations.

The lessons learned from the approaches taken in these areas will be used to help other local areas around the country develop similar approaches to reduce the number of women offending and reoffending.

16 applications were judged and Greater

Manchester, Brighton, Norfolk and Surrey won a total of £191,752 funding from the Government Equalities Office. The following individual amounts were allocated:

Norfolk £85,976, Surrey £49,124 Brighton and Sussex £30,000 Greater Manchester £24,900

A further £10,000 was awarded to Wales to conduct research into the sentencing of female offenders in the area, to support further work to look at alternatives to custody where appropriate.

Women in prison: There are currently around 4000 women in prison – a small fraction when compared with the number of men. But there are some real differences between male and female offenders – we know women are twice as likely to:

• Twice as likely to report experiencing abuse in their childhood

• Two and a half times as likely to report needing help with mental health issues

They are also much more likely to serve short sentences, have committed acquisitive rather than violent crimes, have dependent children and commit acts of self-harm in prison.

Numbers of women involved in the Criminal Justice System in these areas in 2014 Area Cautions a PNDs Prosecutions at Sentences given (at Community Suspended Custodial magistrates courts b magistrates and crown courts) Sentences sentences sentences

England and Wales total 30270 14946 354885 302157 15488 8221 7419G/Manchester 1162 412 23621 19882 1006 530 446Norfolk 617 203 4601 3917 171 121 86Surrey 402 238 4173 3383 168 115 90Sussex 824 352 6407 5285 320 200 131

Four local areas win funding to help more women turn away from crime



The funding announced today will support countless projects which are reaching out to people just like this one. It is an inspirational example of how the funding can change lives and move people closer to employment.

The positive impact of the ESF programme will be felt across the entire country and is good news for communities, helping to maximise support for jobs and growth.”

Under the programme trained work mentors will go into the prison to help inmates get support and address difficulties that might stop them entering employment when they leave prison, such as addiction, mental health issues or a lack of literacy. The project is part of an £18 million ESF investment in the north-west by the National Offender Management Service.

The minister also visited the Clink Restaurant, an innovative project that trains prisoners to work in an eatery open to the public. Prisoners are able to gain experience and qualifications in a real workplace, preparing them for a career once they have served their sentences.

As well as visiting inside the prison and meeting some of the inmates benefiting from ESF funding, the minister spoke to case managers, ESF stakeholders and partners at a ceremony at the restaurant.

Also, on the agenda for the minister’s visit to the north-west was the first ever north-west conference aimed at getting more people from disadvantaged groups into work. Employers such as the AA, Greater Manchester Police and the Co-op Bank attended the event at Fujitsu’s Manchester offices to discuss what more employers can do to draw on the skills and experiences of ex-offenders, care leavers and the long-term unemployed.

The event was part of the government’s See Potential campaign which is backed by Simon Cowell, Sir Richard Branson, Deborah Meaden and over 80 employer organisations.

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said:

“As we reform our prison estate, we are committed to providing prisoners with education, work and an opportunity to redeem themselves. That way we can reduce reoffending, cut crime and keep our streets safer.

Providing meaningful training which offers prisoners a real opportunity to turn their lives around, develop skills and a real work ethic are key elements of helping prisoners find a job on release.”

Minister for Employment Priti Patel added:

“Groups like ex-offenders and people leaving care have more than most to prove and can make fantastic employees. Evidence shows they go the extra mile to secure results, stay in a job for longer, have a strong commitment to their employer and take less time off work. It’s not just about transforming lives – it’s also good business practice.”

Prisoner who threw boiling water at nurse sentenced to 11 years jailA violent prisoner in HMP Preston who threw boiling water in the face of a nurse today had his sentence increased to 11 years in jail.

The sentence was increased by the Court of Appeal after the personal intervention of Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP.

Paul Byrne, 27, was a serving prisoner at HMP Preston. He has 16 previous convictions for 42 offences and at the time of his attack he was serving a sentence of 10 years and 3 months’ imprisonment for offences including robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

In October 2014, he was transferred to the health care wing. His victim was a nurse who had only recently returned to work in that wing.

Byrne filled a bowl with boiling water, pressed the alarm button in his cell, and when the nurse came to check on his well-being the offender threw the boiling water over her face, neck, arms and body.

The water caused scalding and second degree burns, which have left permanent discolouration to her face, neck, chest, breast and arms. The attack caused his victim profound distress, and led to her having to leave her job at HMP Preston, where she had worked since 2009.

After the attack Byrne was charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, though he claimed to have no recollection of his actions.

In February this year, the Crown Court at Burnley sentenced Byrne to 7 years and 8 months’ imprisonment, with an extended licence period of 4 years.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP referred that sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme and today personally presented the case. The Court agreed the original sentence should be replaced with a longer term of 11 years with a 4 year extension, an increase of 3 years 4 months.

Speaking after the hearing, he said:

“Given my previous role as Prisons Minister, attacks against prison staff are something I take extremely seriously which is why I wanted to present the case personally in this matter. Premeditated attacks like that carried out by Byrne against a person serving the public in a difficult job deserve a strong punishment, not least because of the need to set a tough deterrent.

“I am glad that the Court of Appeal has agreed that Byrne should spend longer in prison and I sincerely hope this longer sentence provides some comfort to his victim.”

Joint targeted area inspections to be launched this yearNew inspections to assess how agencies work together in an area to identify, support and protect vulnerable children and young people.

New Joint Targeted Area Inspections of services for vulnerable children and young people (JTAI) are to be launched this year, inspectorates Ofsted, Care Quality Commission (CQC), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) have announced.

From February, all four inspectorates will jointly assess how local authorities, the police, health, probation and youth offending services are working together in an area to identify, support and protect vulnerable children and young people.

The new short inspections will allow inspectorates to be more responsive, targeting specific areas of interest and concern. They will also identify areas for improvement and highlight good practice from which others can learn.

Each inspection will include a ‘deep dive’ element, with the first set, to be completed by summer 2016, focusing on children at risk of sexual exploitation and those missing from home, school or care. Future areas of focus will be decided upon with input from key stakeholders.

The new approach was consulted on in July 2015 and over 200 responses were received from those working in the children’s social care, health, police, probation and youth offending services. The inspections were successfully piloted in December last year.

Ofsted’s National Director for Social Care, Eleanor Schooling said:

“The responsibility of safeguarding cannot rest with one agency alone. These new inspections will provide a comprehensive picture of how several agencies work together in an area to ensure children are safe. This is an important step forward for inspection.

The joint approach will allow us to act swiftly where we are concerned about specific issues in an area so we can ensure that every agency is doing its part. Equally, it will give us an important opportunity to look at good practice and really understand how local areas are tackling the challenges they face. We are confident these inspections will support improvement and have a positive impact on the experiences of children and young people.

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed their views and the positive feedback we have received in the development of this important work.

The inspection report will include narrative findings that clearly set out what the local

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partnership and agencies are doing well, and what they need to do to improve.

When each set of inspections by theme are completed, a thematic overview report will be published to highlight the learning more widely. The inspections will replace Ofsted’s current thematic inspection programme.

From February, Ofsted will also be able to carry out its own targeted inspections of local authorities and Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) following positive responses to the consultation.”

Used alongside current inspections of local authorities, Ofsted Targeted Local Authority Inspections will allow the inspectorate, if necessary, to act proportionately and responsively in areas where risks are identified.

The consultation outcomes are available on the Ofsted website, alongside the:

• joint targeted area inspection framework and guidance, together with inspection criteria for the first ‘deep dive’ in tackling child sexual exploitation

• Ofsted targeted local authority inspection framework and guidance and inspection criteria for the first ‘deep dive’ in tackling child sexual exploitation

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“We welcome working in partnership on these inspections which will ensure that collectively we can look at how all the various services work together to protect some of our most vulnerable children.

Additionally, these inspections will complement the work HMIC is already doing to examine how each police force protects children at risk of harm.”

The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education

and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), academies, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It makes sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive care, and encourages care services to improve. It monitors, inspects and regulates services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and publishes what it finds to help people choose care.

HMIC is an independent inspectorate, inspecting policing in the public interest, and rigorously examines the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces to tackle crime and terrorism, improve criminal justice and raise confidence. HMIC inspects all 43 police forces in England and Wales, together with other major policing bodies.

HMI Probation is an independent inspectorate, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, and reporting directly to the Secretary of State on the effectiveness of work with adults, children and young people who have offended, aimed at reducing reoffending and protecting the public. Further information about the work of HMI Probation is at www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation.

HMP Berwyn service competitions launchedTwo competitions to provide services in HMP Berwyn have been launched.

The first competition is to provide learning

and skills for around 600 prisoners per day in the prison in North Wales. This will cover the initial assessment of prisoners and ongoing provision of skills, vocational, non-vocational and employability accredited courses appropriate to the prison population. The learning and skills provision will need to begin from when the prison opens in February 2017.

The successful provider will need to design a learning and skills service that meets the learning needs of the prison population and reflects the employment opportunities in the communities the men return to following release.

Learning and skills will be run through classroom-based activity but also embedded within activities and facilities in the prison.

The second competition is for providing 520 employment positions for prisoners across four workshops in the prison.

The successful provider will provide commercially operated workshops similar to working conditions outside of the custodial environment in which prisoners will obtain employability skills.

Berwyn will be a rehabilitative prison which aims to give the men there the best opportunity to address their offending behaviour and focus on their future. Successful providers will need to demonstrate that they share the rehabilitative vision for HMP Berwyn and understand the complexities of working in a custodial environment with a challenging group of people.

New risk prevention tools get thumbs upA new thermometer with built-in timer is helping to transform risk prevention measures for Legionnaires’ disease in prisons, hospitals and care homes. TME’s MM2008 is manufactured with a built-in timer which simplifies the timed temperature tests required for monitoring hot and cold water outlets. Jackie Winn, Director of J W Safety Solutions Ltd, advises local authorities: “A built-in timer is fantastic – much better than trying to hold a thermometer, a timer, a clipboard and a pen all at the same time!” TME also offers the CLEGK2 kit which combines the MM2008 with its KS01-S waterproof surface/immersion probe designed for pipes AND water. Chas Thompson, Operations Manager at Freestone Water helps organisations undertake their own testing: “It’s a great piece of kit – the timer buttons make the task much easier and the dual purpose probe gets everything done faster.” TME – When temperature mattersFor more information contact TME Thermometers Tel : +44 (0)1903 700651 or visit www.tmethermometers.com



Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre, Harmondsworth - substantial concerns in a number of areasThe state of drift previously identified at Harmondsworth had halted and it was heading in the right direction, but substantial concerns needed addressing, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. He published the report of an unannounced inspection of the immigration removal centre (IRC) near Heathrow airport.

Harmondsworth IRC, Europe’s largest immigration detention facility, holds up to 661 male detainees and is run for the Home Office by the Mitie Group. Since the start of a new contract in September 2014, both Harmondsworth and the adjacent Colnbrook IRC have been under the same management. The centres are now known collectively as Heathrow IRC. Its last inspection was in August 2013 when it was run by the GEO Group. Inspectors then were concerned to find that uncertainty about the future of the contract had undermined progress and created an atmosphere of drift which was having a negative impact on the treatment of and conditions for detainees. This more recent inspection found that many concerns identified in 2013 have not been rectified and in some respects, matters have deteriorated. The lack of investment in the last stages of the previous contract was evidenced by the appalling state of some of the residential units. The decline had been arrested by the time of this inspection, but the centre had not yet recovered and there were substantial concerns in a number of areas.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

• Nearly half of the men held said they had felt depressed or suicidal on arrival but despite an improved reception environment, early days risk assessment processes were not good enough;

• Some detainees were segregated for too long, and inspectors were not assured that this serious measure was always justified;

• 18 detainees had been held for over a year and one man had been detained on separate occasions adding up to a total of five years;

• The quality of Rule 35 reports was variable but nearly a fifth of these reports had identified illnesses, suicidal intentions and/or experiences of torture that contributed to the Home Office concluding that detention could not be justified;

• Some of the newer accommodation was dirty and rundown, and in parts of the older units, many toilets and showers were in a seriously insanitary condition and many rooms were overcrowded and poorly ventilated: although an extensive programme of refurbishment was underway, the centre should never have been allowed to reach this state;

• There was little positive engagement between staff and detainees; and

• Despite some improvements in access to work, training and education, movements were still too restricted, which affected detainees’ ability to reach the available resources.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

• Use of force was not high, and it was subject to good governance;

• The chaplaincy provided valued support for detainees;

• The centre had substantially improved preparation for release and removal and engaged particularly well with some third-sector agencies; and

• Visits provision was generally good and many detainees received support from the local visitors group, Detention Action.

Peter Clarke said:

“While this report describes some good work, it highlights substantial concerns in most of our tests of a healthy custodial establishment. While the state of drift that we described in our last report has been arrested and the direction of travel is now positive, it is unacceptable that conditions were allowed to decline so much towards the end of the last contract. The Home Office and its contractors have a responsibility to ensure this does not happen again.

“Following the inspection, we were informed by the Home Office that lessons had been learned and that a new set of principles were established to prevent a recurrence of this situation. We will assess the success of these measurements in due course.”

HMP Full Sutton - a high-performing high-security prisonHMP Full Sutton was well led and met its challenges calmly and competently, said Martin Lomas, Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons. He published the report of an unannounced inspection of the high security prison near York.

HMP Full Sutton is one of five high security dispersal prisons in England, holding just under 600 men. Nearly all its prisoners present significant risks to security and to the public. Almost half are serving life sentences. A small number of prisoners had committed offences connected to terrorist goals. At its last inspection in 2012, inspectors described an impressive establishment that was ensuring reasonably good or better outcomes against all four healthy prison tests: safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement. This remained the case after this more recent inspection.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• Full Sutton, notwithstanding the potential risks, is a safe prison;

• Reception arrangements were swift and induction was thorough;

• Violence remained rare and incidents were generally low level;

• Incidents of self-harm were relatively few, case management of those in crisis had improved and prisoners at risk felt well cared for;

• Security was well managed with arrangements to deal with gangs and potential radicalisation;

• Use of illicit drugs was very low level, although there was some evidence that new psychoactive substances (NPS) were becoming available;

• The environment and quality of accommodation was generally very good and relationships between staff and prisoners were formal but respectful;

• Prisoners had good access to time out of cell and there was enough work, training and education for all to be employed at least part-time; and

The leadership and management of learning and skills was good and the range of work and training was reasonable.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

• Two prisoners had taken their own lives since the last inspection;

• Significant numbers of prisoners had been segregated and some for extended periods of time, but management supervision of the segregation unit was insufficient and accountability was lacking;

• Despite some reasonably good work to support groups with protected characteristics, more needed to be done to understand and tackle negative perceptions, in particular, from prisoners of a black and minority ethnic background and Muslim prisoners; and

• The offender management unit needed a higher profile within the prison, almost one-third of prisoners did not have an up to date risk (OASys) assessment, sentence planning was weak and offender supervision too variable.

Martin Lomas said:

“HMP Full Sutton remains a high performing prison. We have raised some concerns, notably concerning the segregation unit, the promotion of equality and the need for better offender risk management. That said, the establishment is well led, confident and capable. It has a clearly defined role holding long-term in and in many cases, dangerous prisoners who have committed very serious offences. The prison discharges this responsibility with proportionality and ensures some good outcomes for those held.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service, said:

“This is a very good report on a complex prison managing some of the most dangerous offenders in the country.

“It is a tribute to the professionalism, commitment and quality of work undertaken by staff and managers at Full Sutton.

“A number of areas are identified where further improvement is required and these are being actively addressed by the Governor.”

custodial review no 78

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