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HM INSPECTORATE OF PRISONS Report on HM Prison Barlinnie

2. ACCOMMODATION, ROUTINES AND POPULATION

Accommodation and Routines

'A' Hall

2.1 'A' Hall is the admission Hall for Barlinnie. It houses convicted adult short-term prisoners and adult remand prisoners. Remand prisoners are subsequently allocated to 'C' Hall and convicted prisoners to 'B' Hall, or to Low Moss or to open conditions, if they meet the criteria. Remand prisoners can expect to spend two to three weeks in 'A' Hall and convicted prisoners five to six weeks.

2.2 The Hall is a four storey building which has a mixture of cellular accommodation. Doubling up exists on all four storeys.

2.3 Staffing in 'A' Hall comprises a First Line Manager and 13 Officers. A new attendance pattern for staff had been introduced two weeks prior to inspection and information from staff and managers was that it was significantly better than the previous one and would improve the regime and staff morale.

2.4 There is no integral sanitation and all prisoners "slop-out" three times a day. This process takes place in communal ablution areas at the end of each storey. The ablutions areas consist of four toilet cubicles, 12 wash-hand basins, two sluice sinks and three shower cubicles. The sluice sinks are used for the emptying of chamber pots. Prisoners have to wash their dishes and cutlery in this area. This whole situation is completely unacceptable. It is recommended that suitable arrangements for sanitation are made. It is also recommended that steps should be taken immediately to stop the washing of cutlery and dishes in the slopping out area.

2.5 The communal showers were also in a very poor state of decoration and cleanliness, with prisoners reporting that they regularly saw insect infestations in that area. Because of sheer numbers, time constraints and inconsistency of approach, it was clear that prisoners required to attend court were not able to "slop out", have a shower or a wash and shave. This is not good preparation for a court appearance. It is recommended that prisoners who are due to appear in court are provided with the opportunity and facility to shower or wash and shave before the court appearance.

2.6 Prisoners do not have access to electric power in cells (EPIC) either, and consequently do not have kettles or televisions. It is recommended that electric power in cells is installed in 'A' Hall.

2.7 Time out of cell varies depending on prisoner classification. Convicted prisoners have the opportunity to work based on the prison's timetabling process. They also have access to recreation in an area a short walk from the Hall. Although Short Term prisoners have access to recreation every evening, it is sometimes cancelled if there are staff shortages. Recreation consists of pool, table tennis, video games, newspapers and a video. Untried prisoners do not have access to work or recreation and a particular concern was the amount of time they spent in their cells. It is recommended that untried prisoners in 'A' Hall should have access to work or recreation, and should not spend as much time in cells. The number of telephones available on each storey varied but it appeared that they did not meet demand. Prisoners also indicated that this was the case. The SPS Prisoner Survey reported that 61% of prisoners rated access to telephones as OK or better.

2.8 Exercise in the open air took place mornings and afternoons. Untried prisoners were given this opportunity when the convicted population was at work. If numbers dictated, and time permitted, staff would sometimes limit the number of prisoners on outside exercise and have extra sessions. Information from staff and prisoners indicated that outside exercise was occasionally cancelled due to inclement weather. This was very concerning as untried prisoners could be locked in their cells for 24 hours a day other than their "slop out" periods. In the past, inside exercise had been offered but this had now been stopped because a safe system of work had not been agreed between managers and the trade union side.

2.9 The daily routine in 'A' Hall was dominated by the very high numbers of prisoners receiving detoxification medication and being taken to the Drug Support Unit for the methadone programme. This is discussed in detail in Chapter 4.

2.10 Overall, conditions in 'A' Hall are very poor. The cells and landings are in urgent need of decoration and cleaning. The identity of the hall was based on the high numbers, high levels of daily movements and the amount of detoxification and methadone prescribing carried out on a daily basis. This seemed to make it difficult for staff to identify opportunities to promote or undertake any work which could be described as part of the correctional agenda.

'B' Hall

2.11 'B' Hall is a four storey building which has been refurbished and includes in-cell sanitation and EPIC. It now meets the basic needs of prisoners as far as conditions are concerned.

2.12 The Hall contains mainly short term convicted prisoners. It also houses prisoners on protection. At the time of inspection the design capacity was 300 with an option to go to 335 in an emergency. The lock-up numbers averaged 250 convicted and 50 protection prisoners.

2.13 The 143 double cells and 47 single cells were bright, reasonably clean and well decorated. Cell furniture was adequate and each cell was equipped with a kettle and television capable of receiving satellite and DVD.

2.14 The Hall had a total of nine telephones with another four in the recreation area. There were 30 showers. Prisoners were allowed showers on a regular basis and small kit laundry was available on a daily basis, shirts twice weekly and bedding at weekends. Food was often cold at the point of service.

2.15 Recreational facilities are located a short distance from the main building and require prisoners to be escorted to and from the facility in all weather conditions. Facilities include snooker and pool tables, darts, computer games, board games and television. The recreation hall is big and noisy and it was noticeable that staff were positioned on raised platforms. This impedes interaction with prisoners.

2.16 Access to recreation was restricted. Of four sections on each convicted storey, three attend recreation on a rolling basis and on average only 80 prisoners attended nightly. Protection prisoners would normally be offered recreation at some time during the day but were not allowed recreation in the evenings or at weekends. Access to recreation should be improved.

2.17 There is only one entrance/exit to the exercise yard, and staff positioned themselves beside this gate during periods of exercise. A review of the exercise facility is required.

2.18 Access to work was on a timetabled basis where on an alternate basis the protections went to work am and convicted to work pm. During inspection, in the morning an average of 220 prisoners remained in the Hall and in the afternoon it was 120. Some PE and exercise took place to reduce in-cell time for non-workers but the regime meant that most prisoners were kept in cell for long periods of time, albeit some by choice.

2.19 Complaint Procedure forms were readily available in the Hall.

'C' Hall

2.20 'C' Hall is the adult remand Hall. It has been refurbished to include integral sanitation and EPIC. Prisoners and staff expressed a high level of satisfaction with their new environment and it was clear that efforts had been made to maintain standards of cleanliness.

2.21 The Hall has a population ceiling of 310 divided between four storeys. There is both single cell accommodation and doubling up on each storey. As prisoners leave 'C' Hall after conviction or liberation the spaces are filled up from 'A' Hall.

2.22 Out of cell time for prisoners in 'C' Hall consists of one daily period of exercise in the open air and recreation for one storey each evening, Monday to Friday. There is no recreation at weekends. No other structured out of cell time existed for the remand population. Indeed it appeared that bad weather could often result in the cancellation of outside exercise and staff shortages could lead to cancellation of recreation. It is recommended that arrangements for recreation, exercise and meaningful activities for untried prisoners in 'C' Hall are reviewed. Every TV in 'C' Hall had access to a satellite and a DVD channel controlled from a central point in the Hall. This was very popular during the night and, according to some staff and prisoners, led to people watching TV all night and being too tired to do anything constructive during the day. It also meant that staff found it difficult to interact with prisoners and ways were being examined to address this.

2.23 Prisoners moving back and forth to be issued their detoxification medication or going to the Drug Support Unit for the methadone programme dominated activity in the Hall.

2.24 One of the benefits derived from the move to in-cell sanitation is that two new communal rooms have been created at the end of the storeys where the old ablutions area was situated. The rooms had a TV, video and DVD player, as well as seating for around 10 people. At the time of inspection these rooms were not used for any activities. With the appropriate safe system of work they could be utilised.

2.25 Prisoners are given clean underwear and socks every day and on the whole the system worked well. Full kits, including a towel, shirt and other larger items were changed twice a week. Some prisoners said this resulted in towels becoming dirty and damp if someone showered every day. Despite this, the issuing of kit was well managed and sufficient for the needs of prisoners. Prisoners said that access to showers was good.

2.26 The cells are clean and bright, as are the landings and the Hall in general. There are 14 telephones in 'C' Hall but prisoners said that it was very difficult to access these at popular times.

'D' Hall

2.27 'D' Hall has been upgraded to include EPIC and integral sanitation. All prisoners have a television with access to Sky and DVD channels. The Hall is divided into four separate areas which allows for a mixture of regimes.

2.28 At the time of inspection, young remands occupied the two lower sections of the Hall but the Inspectorate was informed that there were plans to move this group to Polmont.

2.29 Young remands have a fairly unstructured day and can be locked up for considerable periods of time. Recreation is usually offered at some point as well as the mandatory exercise period, although staff shortages could lead to cancellation of recreation on occasion. However, in addition to being locked up for periods during the day, only half the population in each remand section is allowed recreation at night - the reason given that there were not enough facilities and the "volatile nature" of the young remands. It is recommended that ways should be found to allow young remand prisoners in 'D' Hall more time out of their cells for recreation in the evenings.

2.30 Each section is extremely bright and in the main, very clean. There is daily access to showers and laundry. To cope with numbers, the young remands are offered two sessions in the gymnasium on a daily basis. They also have access to daily visits, although this can be restricted when numbers are high.

2.31 The Drug Support Unit (DSU) is located on half of the upper floor of 'D' Hall and holds up to 50 convicted prisoners. Prisoners located there must agree to go to work when required. The section, like others in 'D' Hall, is bright, modern and clean, each cell having EPIC and integral sanitation.

2.32 A variety of programmes are on offer; external agencies are involved in helping prisoners prepare for release; and good relationships exist between staff and prisoners. Prisoners attend recreation each evening and week-end without restrictions. The DSU is one area in Barlinnie that does provide a full and meaningful regime.

2.33 The Sentence Planning Unit (SPU) is located on the other half of the upper floor of 'D' Hall and holds 50 prisoners. All prisoners are assessed here for programmes. Whereas the DSU deals mainly with drug related programmes the SPU concentrates on Cognitive Skills, Anger Management and Problem Solving courses. Again, there is a good staff/prisoner relationship. The future of the SPU was however uncertain and staff and prisoners expressed concern at this.

2.34 Overall, prisoners in both upper sections have excellent living facilities and a structured regime.

Letham Hall

2.35 Letham Hall is a self-contained building located in the North East corner of the prison, some distance from the other accommodation. Of 77 cells, 76 are available for occupancy. Each cell has electric power but no access to sanitation during periods of lock-up. It must be said again that such arrangements are unacceptable. It is recommended that suitable arrangements for sanitation are made.

2.36 The Hall holds sex offenders, convicted high dependency prisoners, untried high dependency prisoners and convicted passmen/all day workers. One section holds prisoners involved in domestic duties in sensitive areas of the prison and two sections hold prisoners convicted of sex offences.

2.37 The Hall runs the STOP programme for sex offenders, and much use is also made of multi-disciplinary casework to help re-integrate high dependence prisoners into work and, where possible, to mainstream prison life. There is close working with healthcare staff.

2.38 There is a sense of purpose and care within Letham Hall and for those who find it difficult to cope with life in the mainstream of prison, this is clearly a valuable alternative providing both safety and care. It was therefore unfortunate that our inspection coincided with the death of a prisoner in that Hall (subject to Fatal Accident Inquiry).

Population

2.39 On the first day of inspection there were 1129 prisoners held in Barlinnie. A breakdown of this is outlined below.

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