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HM INSPECTORATE OF PRISONS Report on HM Prison Barlinnie
1. INTRODUCTION
Preamble
1.1 Barlinnie is changing, but Barlinnie has not yet changed enough. The changes in the last twenty years are considerable; and the changes since the last report in 1997 reflect many of the concerns raised in that report. Since 1996 some 20m has been spent on capital items, including Hall refurbishment. But the prison has not changed enough.
1.2 Some prisoners live in conditions of which any civilised country should be ashamed. "Slopping out" is repeatedly condemned in Inspectorate reports; yet it still exists in several Scottish prisons. The practice has been stopped completely in England. In Barlinnie it is only to be found in two Halls currently in use: but that could still mean up to a maximum of 425 prisoners.
1.3 Most of those prisoners who have no integral sanitation are also victims of the chronic overcrowding in Barlinnie: so nearly all of these prisoners are sharing a cell. They are locked up for very long periods, especially at weekends. Those prisoners in 'A' Hall have no electricity in their cells. Worst of all, many of the prisoners in these very bad conditions have not been convicted of a crime, being held in Barlinnie on remand.
1.4 On the other hand, other prisoners on remand are among those who have benefited most from recent changes in Barlinnie. The refurbishment of 'C' Hall has provided conditions which are clean and decent for prisoners to live in. Were the number of remand prisoners in Barlinnie what it was even a few years ago then every one would be living in good conditions, although sharing a cell. The number of remand prisoners in Barlinnie fluctuates, but there has been a steady rise. At the time of inspection there were 507 people detained in Barlinnie who had not been convicted or who are awaiting sentence. That means that 45% of the prison population were not serving a prison sentence.
1.5 There are at least three implications of this rise in the number of remand prisoners. One is the overcrowding which it produces. The effects of that overcrowding on many aspects of the life of the prison from visit arrangements to staff morale will emerge in this report: but let it be said that the people who suffer most from overcrowding are prisoners. The second implication is the difficulty involved in attempting to manage a Hall in which tried and untried prisoners are held together, in numbers which far exceed the possibility of prisoners being held one to a cell. The third is the wider question of the factors which have produced such a large increase in the number of prisoners on remand; but that wider question lies beyond the scope of this report.
1.6 These remand prisoners often spend very long hours locked in their cells. It is possible that some may be locked up for as much as twenty-three hours on some days. While some prisoners may have decided to opt out of the even limited regime opportunities on offer and therefore choose to spend this time in cell, others have no choice in the matter. Every prisoner must be given one hour's exercise in the open air every day: even this minimum standard is not always met. This confinement can be very disturbing for them all, each one sharing a cell with a person not of his own choosing, and especially for those with no integral sanitation. Unfortunately, spending long periods in cell is not a problem only for untried prisoners. There have been real efforts to make useful work accessible to more convicted prisoners in Barlinnie; and to make other aspects of the regime - programmes, education and so on - more accessible as well. This report welcomes the work which is available, and welcomes some of it very much indeed: but it also recognises that too few prisoners have enough work to keep them occupied throughout the day. When they are not usefully occupied the alternative, too often observed, is that they are contained in their cells.
1.7 "Overcrowding" dominates nearly every conversation about Barlinnie. So does "drugs". The report makes a very positive assessment of much good work being done with prisoners with drug involvement. The numbers are very high: and many of the health and security problems which confront Barlinnie arise directly from drug-related issues. The efforts made at Barlinnie to begin to deal with the enormous damage which addiction causes to so many prisoners are to be commended.
1.8 Personal safety is always a primary concern of the Inspectorate. Key Performance Indicators for assaults have not been met. Any violence is a serious matter: and a level of violence beyond that set as a reasonable expectation is particularly serious. It is reassuring to find that the Governor does view violence in this way and has put various measures in place to combat it. Future inspections will continue to report on this.
1.9 Despite the bad conditions in some parts of the prison ('A' Hall and the Reception holding cubicles in particular), and despite the pressures of overcrowding, Barlinnie has made progress since the time of the last inspection. The refurbishment of Halls to provide integral sanitation and electricity in cells has been very important. The determination of the prison staff to cope with the very high numbers is commendable; and the report recognises that the prison staff do not merely cope, but generally seek to develop relationships with prisoners which are relaxed and humane.
1.10 Yet two questions remain to be asked about Barlinnie. One is about the time prisoners spend in their cells. Is it possible that the severe overcrowding can become not only the reason why prisoners spend long times locked in cells but also a justification for allowing such a regime to continue unchallenged? The prison is rightly proud of its ability to cope with overcrowding: but is it, in the end, good that it is able to cope so well - good for the prison, good for the prisoners? The second is about a sense of purpose for Barlinnie. Is it possible that the amount of immediate and urgent business of movements, transfers and escorts sometimes makes it difficult to nurture any broader vision of what Barlinnie is trying to do with those who are detained within it?
Assessment
Safety
1.11 In the twelve months prior to inspection there had been 28 prisoner on prisoner assaults (against a target of 11). There had been 61 minor assaults. During the same period there had been four prisoner on staff assaults (against a target of one). There had been 28 minor assaults. The number of assaults is high and consequently an anti-violence strategy had been re-launched. The levels of violence need to be closely monitored. There had been no escapes.
1.12 The issue of self-harm and suicide remains a challenge for the prison. ACT procedures were initiated on 691 occasions during the 12 months prior to the inspection. There had been four deaths in custody (subject to FAI) during this period.
1.13 Although the prison has widespread coverage by a fire detection system, there had been five fire incidents since January 2003.
Decency
1.14 While the prison was generally very clean and tidy, the conditions were dominated by overcrowding. Much refurbishment has taken place, particularly in 'B', 'C' and 'D' Halls. However, 'slopping out' still exists in 'A' Hall and Letham Hall and this must be ended. The rise in the number of remand prisoners has also led to some prisoners being locked up for periods of 23 hours a day on occasions. This is not acceptable. Neither is the continued use of the 'holding' cubicles in Reception or the Reception area generally.
1.15 The quality of the food was poor at point of delivery and the size of portions was also poor.
1.16 Ethnic minority prisoners criticised menu choice and perceived quality of food for that group of prisoners. A consistent system of providing interpreters for prisoners who did not speak English was not in place, and a new structure for the management for ethnic minority prisoners is needed.
1.17 Many prisoners were highly critical of the visits, particularly staff attitudes, the treatment of visitors and the general atmosphere within the visits area itself. Observation of the visits on a number of occasions and discussions with visitors did not support this view. Visits were relaxed and staff helpful. However, the process of getting visitors from check in to the visiting room, and the waiting times associated with this needs to be reviewed.
1.18 There was a readiness to keep prisoners in cells when there might be opportunities for associated activity, and there does not appear to be sufficient challenge to accepted practices. For example, there is a lack of weekend recreation for untried prisoners; only some young remands are allowed out for recreation; and there is reduced opportunity for PE due to limited access to showers in some Halls. There is an issue here of consistency of allowing access by different staff. Of particular concern is a readiness to reduce regime whenever there are staffing shortages, particularly cancelling outside exercise if the weather is bad.
Preventing Re Offending
1.19 As well as overcrowding, the issue of drugs and particularly the provision of medication pervaded much of the prison's work. The number of prisoners receiving methadone or detoxification medication was extremely high (reflecting external prescribing practices): to the extent that administration of medication dominated the day-to-day running of some Halls. Given these circumstances, the addictions team and uniformed staff were doing an excellent job in dealing with the drugs problem. The high number of prisoners, scale of movements within and outwith the establishment and long periods of lock up made the day-to-day running of the prison even more difficult.
1.20 The prison had in place a number of programmes to address offending behaviour. The STOP programme (for sex offenders) was operating in Letham Hall, although trawls of other prisons were required to ensure that this could run.
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