Substantial numbers of alleged or convicted sex offenders have
been put in a violent prison to “stabilise” it without adequate
programmes to reduce the risks they pose, according to a report
by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
Publishing a report on an unannounced inspection in July 2017 of
HMP & YOI Doncaster, Peter Clarke, HM Chief Inspector of
Prisons, said one issue overshadowed many of the other challenges
facing the jail, “and it has come about as a result of a change
in the profile of the population at the prison.
“Over the course of the previous year, the number of men on
remand for, or convicted of, sex offences had trebled, and many
of them were longer-term, high-risk offenders. I was told that
this was a deliberate policy in order to help to stabilise the
prison in light of the serious problems with violence that had
been identified at the last inspection (in October 2015).”
However, Mr Clarke said, “support, offender management and
programmes intended to reduce the risk both in custody and on
release presented by this population were not present. In effect,
this large cohort of men was being denied the opportunity to make
progress.
“While it is perhaps understandable that, as a matter of policy,
it might be decided that a prison should have a particular
population profile, this should not be done in such a way that
offender management of those prisoners is neglected.”
A major recommendation of the Doncaster report is that HM Prison
and Probation Service (HMPPS) “should support and resource the
prison in developing a comprehensive strategy which clearly
identifies how men convicted of a sexual offence will be offender
managed; how their risk of harm will be reduced; how they will
progress through their sentence; and how the public will be
protected during custody and on release.”
HMP & YOI Doncaster is a category B local and resettlement
prison near to the centre of Doncaster, and is operated by
Serco. At the time of the inspection the prison held just over
1,100 adult and young adult males. The 2017 inspection found
significant progress on 2015 in some areas, leading Mr Clarke to
commend the leadership and staff for hard work and some
“impressive results.” Positive results included:
- A major concern of the 2015 inspection was that some staff
struggled to maintain control on the jail’s residential units. In
2017, inspectors found a more stable prison overall.
- Living conditions had improved substantially. Outside and
communal areas were generally clean and most cells were in a
decent condition. Many prisoners took pride in their cells.
- Nearly 90% of prisoners got clean sheets every week and,
“unusually, prisoners were issued with a tea towel – a simple
innovation which contributed to overall decency.”
However, inspectors also found:
- Too many prisoners felt unsafe and although levels of
violence had reduced significantly, they were still too
high.
- Only 3% of referrals of incidents in the jail in 2017 to the
local police had resulted in a criminal charge. This undermined
the prison’s attempts to tackle antisocial behaviour “as
prisoners knew that violent behaviour might well have no
significant consequences for them.”
- There were a large number of prisoners who were assessed as
being at risk of suicide and self-harm.
Peter Clarke said:
“A great deal has been achieved at Doncaster, and the
challenge for the leadership of the prison now is to ensure that
those achievements do not prove to be either fragile or
transitory. The improvements need to be consolidated and built
upon.”
- ENDS -
Notes to editors:
- A copy of the full report, published on 12 October 2017, can
be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website
at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons
- 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.
- HMP & YOI Doncaster is a category B local and
resettlement prison situated near to the centre
of Doncaster, and is operated by Serco. At the time of the
inspection the prison held just over 1,100 adult and young adult
males.
- This unannounced inspection took place between 10-21 July
2017.
