MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release issued by The Government News Network on 14 September 2007
Though HMP Sudbury
was basically a safe and purposeful prison, there were concerns
about healthcare and some resettlement work was disappointing,
said Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report
of an unannounced inspection into the open prison.
Ms. Owers said some weaknesses in healthcare provision required
immediate action by the primary care trust. They included unsafe
clinical recording practices and insufficient mental health support.
Resettlement work had not kept pace with recent developments and
best practice, particularly for short-sentenced prisoners.
Substance use work also needed further development.
However, inspectors also found:
* Support for prisoners on and after arrival had been strengthened
* Consultation with prisoners, including black and minority
ethnic prisoners, had improved, as had provision for disabled men
* All prisoners had access to purposeful activity, and there was
more vocational training - though there was still not enough, and
the prison was not full at the time of the inspection.
* There was good support for prisoners who were able to work
outside the prison, and for those subject to offender management.
Arrangements for lifers and for visits had also improved.
Anne Owers said:
"Overall, Sudbury is a good prison, in spite of the
pressures on it. Work is needed to improve healthcare, to maintain
sufficient activities and training for all prisoners, and to
ensure that resettlement is a core function of the prison: meeting
the needs of all prisoners, however long or short their sentence."
Phil Wheatley, Director General of the Prison Service, said:
"I am pleased that Sudbury prison is performing well despite
pressures the prison estate is currently facing.
"The
governor of Sudbury plans to implement temporary employment
activities to increase the level of purposeful activity in the
prison prior to longer term arrangements being put in place."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. A full copy of the HMCIP report into HMP Sudbury is available
from http://www.inspectorates.justice.gov.uk/hmiprisons/
2. The unannounced inspection took place on 2-3 May 2007
3. HMP Sudbury has an operational capacity of 571 and was last
inspected in January 2005