HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has questioned whether HMP Lindholme
in South Yorkshire is a suitable place to hold high numbers of
prisoners with organised crime connections who are determined to
“ply their trade” in jail. The prison has a lengthy perimeter and a
severe and intractable drugs problem, with high levels of violence.
Peter Clarke welcomed improvements in the safety of vulnerable
prisoners and those who are ‘self-isolating’ because of the
violence and intimidation.
However, in a report on an announced inspection in October 2017,
Mr Clarke said: “It is certainly not a reflection of any
diminution in the amount of violence or the threat posed to the
prison by illicit drugs, which remained severe.
“More than two-thirds of prisoners still told us that it was easy
or very easy to get hold of drugs, and a shockingly high 27% said
they had developed a problem with drugs since being in the
prison.
“Clearly, more must be done to keep drugs out of Lindholme. The
lengthy perimeter of the prison is difficult to defend. When this
is combined with the linkages of so many prisoners to organised
crime and their obvious resourcefulness in getting large
quantities of drugs into the jail, it means that further progress
will be difficult to achieve.”
The first major recommendation by the inspectorate is that
Lindholme should develop a comprehensive and effective drug
supply reduction strategy. However, Mr Clarke added: “There is a
question to be asked as to whether Lindholme is actually a
suitable establishment in which to hold its current population
given the apparent intractability of the problem.” A fifth of
around 1,000 adult male prisoners in Lindhome at the time of the
inspection had organised crime connections.
Inspectors noted that HMP Lindholme, a category C prison on an
old, 100-acre RAF base near Doncaster, had a “long-term and
high-risk population.” Nearly all prisoners are serving sentences
of more than four years, and around a quarter are serving more
than 10 years. The previous inspection in March 2016 found that
safety was significantly compromised by the ready availability of
drugs and the consequent debt, bullying and violence. Safety and
Lindholme’s work on prisoner resettlement were both assessed as
poor, the lowest HMIP assessment. In 2017, both these assessments
had been raised one level, to ‘not sufficiently good.’
Inspectors in 2017 found that health care provision at Lindholme
was suffering from a chronic lack of GP availability, leading to
lengthy delays in getting appointments, and concluded that these
health care problems may have played a part in influencing the
very large decline in the number of prisoners saying they were
treated with respect by staff. Inspectors were surprised that 25%
of prisoners were locked in cells during the day, given that
Lindholme is classed as a working prison.
More positively, inspectors found some good progress in the
prison’s approach to issues of equality and diversity, with
strong involvement from the senior leadership, with a scrutiny
panel established to review responses to allegations of
discrimination. They also noted an “excellent initiative” to buy
in staff from a community rehabilitation company (CRC) to support
resettlement work.
Overall, Mr Clarke said:
“It is clear that Lindholme still has a long way to go, but it
would be churlish and wrong not to acknowledge the progress that
has been made in the short time since the last
inspection…Lindholme has faced some very serious challenges, and
still does. There is always a high risk from drugs and the
violence they generate. The leadership at HMP Lindholme have a
number of credible plans, and they will need them to be
successful if they are to defeat the organised criminals who are
determined to continue to ply their trade while serving their
sentences.”
Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Prison &
Probation Service, said:
“I’m pleased the
Inspector has acknowledged the progress Lindholme has made in the
short time since its last inspection, but appreciate there is
more to be done. We are working closely with the Police and
National Crime Agency to manage and disrupt organised crime gangs
and the prison has a coherent strategy to tackle violence and to
improve safety. The Governor will use the recommendations in the
report to drive continued improvement over the coming months.”
Notes to editors
1. A copy of the
full report, published on 6 February 2018, can be found on the HM
Inspectorate of Prisons website at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons
2. HM
Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate,
inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and
treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and
the public.
3. HMP Lindholme
is located on the site of a former Royal Air Force base,
approximately 10 miles north of Doncaster. It was opened as a
prison in 1985, and covers approximately 100 acres of land within
the perimeter fence.
4. This announced
inspection took place between 2-6 October 2017.
