HMP Brixton was not safe, and the work, training and education it
provided for prisoners needed to improve, said Peter Clarke,
Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an
unannounced inspection of the local London jail.
HMP Brixton is one of the country’s oldest prisons. Although
historically a local prison, it has in recent years been
operating as a training establishment for category C and D
prisoners. The limitations of the environment mean it is always a
challenge to run Brixton well, but clarification of its changed
function had been a step forward and the basis for recent
improvement. Progress, however, had not been maintained. Staff
shortages, as well as, until recently, managerial drift, had led
to a significant decline in outcomes, notably in safety but also
in the quality of learning and skills activity.
- arrangements to receive new prisoners had worsened since the
last inspection in 2014;
- almost a third of prisoners, when surveyed, said they felt
unsafe at the time of the inspection;
- levels of violence had increased and were high, and the
prison’s response was wholly inadequate;
- the number of self-harm incidents had quadrupled since the
last inspection, and care for those at risk of self-harm was
generally poor;
- although some good work was being done to increase security,
the prison was awash with drugs, undermining everything that was
being done to promote prisoner wellbeing;
- the prison remained a poor, cramped, overcrowded environment;
- relationships between staff and prisoners needed to improve,
the situation not helped by severe staff shortages;
- time out of cell had deteriorated, although a temporary
regime had brought greater predictability of when prisoners would
be out of their cells;
- nearly a quarter of prisoners were locked up during the
working day, which undermined attempts at rehabilitation; and
- there were enough work, training and education places, but
the restricted regime meant prisoners couldn’t always attend or
get there on time.
However, inspectors were pleased to find that:
- health care provision was reasonable overall;
- some vocational training was exceptional;
- key processes such as parole and home detention curfew
assessments were completed on time and public protection work was
sound; and
- plans to reintegrate prisoners back into the community showed
some good features.
Peter Clarke said:
“We inspected Brixton at a difficult time. A new governor had
been recently appointed and there were signs of new initiatives
and developing plans that were beginning to arrest and address
the deterioration. There was a candour and openness on the part
of managers concerning the problems they faced and optimism about
their capacity to improve the prison. We did not consider that
the prison had already turned a corner, but there were signs of
progress that must be sustained.”
Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of HM Prison & Probation
Service, said:
“At the time of the inspection Brixton was managing a range of
operational pressures exacerbated by staffing shortfalls.
“As the Inspectorate notes, a new and experienced Governor was
appointed in October and he has put plans in place to urgently
address the areas of concern, prioritising safety and regime
delivery.
“We are recruiting more Prison Officers for Brixton and across
the prison estate. I am confident that with additional resources
in place the Governor and his team will achieve the improvements
required.”
