MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (HMPS 29/07) issued by The Government News Network on
29 June 2007
Portland is a
clear example of the damage caused by the prison population
crisis, said Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing
the report of an unannounced full follow up inspection into the
young offender institution in Dorset.
The inspection showed that, in spite of some improvement,
Portland continued to suffer from unfit buildings, insufficient
activity, negative staff culture and inadequate arrangements for
young people's safety. Moreover, young people, mainly from
London, were held too far away from their homes.
Inspectors found that good and innovative work was being done by
supportive staff in some areas of the prison: extremely good work
was being carried out on resettlement, and on the induction wing
and the wing for young prisoners who found it difficult to cope.
Managers were also trying to tackle the prison's underlying problems.
But they also found that:
* Though some wings had been refurbished, two remained wholly
unfit for purpose. They lacked integral sanitation, and young
prisoners were not always able to get out to the toilets. As a
result, some used buckets and some threw excrement and urine out
of the windows. The toilet recesses themselves were squalid, with
waste leaking into staff offices and other accommodation below.
* Despite excellent work in identifying prisoners'
employment needs, there were still only 70 vocational training
places for more than 500 young prisoners. One in five were locked
in their cells and those without employment could spend 23 hours a
day there. There was no regular outdoor exercise and extremely
limited access to inadequate PE facilities.
* Bullying was a major issue, but arrangements for identifying
and dealing with it were weak, as were aspects of suicide and
self-harm prevention. Some procedures, such as locking young
people on spurs for association without direct staff supervision,
were unsafe. However, the use of force and adjudications had dropped.
* Staff on the residential wings did not engage fully and
positively with young people, and were not integrated into some of
the good and innovative work that was taking place in resettlement
and the dedicated support units.
Anne Owers said:
"In spite of its continuing difficulties, Portland had
improved and managers were well aware of the scale of the task
ahead. But that task was greatly compromised by the effects of
population pressure. As we inspected, the prison was preparing to
increase its population with a new quick build unit. As a result,
even more young men will be held far away from their homes.
Instead of replacing the unfit wings, the new buildings will
operate alongside them. And the expansion of the prison will
compound the existing difficulty of finding enough appropriate
work, training and activity to try to break the cycle of
reoffending. There could not be a clearer example of the damage
caused by the prison population crisis."
Phil Wheatley, Director General of the Prison Service, said:
"Portland's management team have been working hard to
provide an appropriate environment for the young people in their
care and I am pleased the Chief Inspector recognises the continued improvement.
"I recognise the challenge of working successfully in
outdated and inadequate buildings and the challenge of opening
more accommodation. The range of activities is being expanded with
a new training initiative with Rail Track and other new courses
including horticulture.
"The prison has robustly addressed the bullying issues
raised by HMCIP with additional staff resources and a new violence
reduction policy."
NOTES TO EDITORS
HMYOI PORTLAND has an operational capacity of 556 and was last
inspected in June 2004.