Inspectors highlight 14 areas of concern at Isle of Man Prison

Issues with safeguarding, governance and rehab of prisoners

Fourteen areas of concern have been identified following an inspection at the Isle of Man Prison.

The Department of Home Affairs has been told six of these should be treated as priorities which require immediate attention.

The Jurby facility was inspected by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, for the first time since 2011, between 27 February and 10 March this year.

Its report has now been published – you can read it in full here: Isle of Man Prison by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

The report also highlights the need for a 'full, independent investigation' into three 'self-inflicted deaths' at the prison in recent times.

It says following consultation with the inspectorate the Department of Home Affairs has now contacted the Prison and Probation Ombudsman 'with a view to rectifying this issue'.

Inspection:

At the time of the inspection there were 90 inmates being detained – four of these were women.

Inspectors looked at four areas – safety, purposeful activity, rehabilitation and release planning and respect.

Only in the latter category did the prison score ‘reasonably good’; in the other three the prison was deemed to be ‘not sufficiently good’.

Issues with governance and oversight of ‘critically important areas of accountability’ – including the use of force, segregation and safeguarding – were said to be weak.

Many security procedures were deemed disproportionate to the risk posed and were needlessly restrictive – frequent strip-searching of some prisoners was assessed as unjustified and excessive.

Certain items were banned for reasons not based on any sensible analysis of risk.

Safeguarding:

Safeguards to protect the wellbeing of prisoners placed in segregation were deemed insufficient.

In addition male prisoners arriving at the facility were found to be held in conditions that were unnecessarily intrusive and restrictive.

Regardless of risk they were subject to 30-minute observations in cells with constant video monitoring for the first 24 hours. 

They were also kept locked up excessively in their early days at the prison.

Release:

Inspectors found the prison’s regime – and in particular the education, work and training on offer - did not sufficiently prepare prisoners for employment after release.

There were not enough practical courses on offer and none of the jobs available to prisoners offered training, realistic work conditions or accreditation of skills.

Many prisoners spent very little time in education, work or activity placements; despite being considered in full-time employment those working were only doing 13.5 hours a week.

Public protection arrangements were not robust and there was also a lack of offence-focussed interventions.

This, inspectors said, meant that inmates were released without addressing their offending behaviour or their risk of harm to others.

Governance:

Inspectors determined the approach by leaders in the prison needed to be more effective.

Structures to support good behaviour were found to be ‘unsophisticated and informal’ and whilst violence and anti-social behaviour were rare the use of force by staff was higher than expected.

Data collection and oversight, and arrangements to support accountability, were said to be poor with some record keeping systems barely existing.

Response:

The Department of Home Affairs says it has created an ‘action plan’ to address the concerns highlighted in the report.

It says this is a ‘living document’ designed to be updated and amended as required throughout the improvement process.

You can read it in full here: Department of Home Affairs Response to the Inspection of the Prison by HMIP

Justice and Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson added: "The prison and the department are working swiftly to address the concerns and ensure that good practice is embedded across all areas.

"The department has requested that HMIP return in 2024 to assess progress and has also sought a review by the prisons ombudsman in England and Wales into the recent deaths in custody which remain subject to the coronal process, in order to identify any further areas for improvement.

"The report’s findings demonstrate there are evidential issues that are process related but that the experience of prisoners – as demonstrated by the survey results, are mostly positive.

"This report provides us with a clear direction of travel for improvements as well as confirming the benefit of changes underway and planned, to ensure we’re providing a safe and effective service.”

Leroy Bonnick is the Prison Governor and Head of Probation.

He spoke to Tessa Hawley: