« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
5. PRISONER MANAGEMENT
Reception
5.1 Glenochil only receives prisoners from other prisons, not directly from the courts. In the past year the Reception has dealt with 348 admissions, 89 liberations and 261 transfers out of the establishment. The Reception is staffed by two officers during periods of unlock. There are still reception cubicles although staff reported that the general rule is that all prisoners are held within the communal holding area and the use of the cubicles is kept to an absolute minimum. Inspectors did not see any cubicles being used during the inspection.
5.2 Appropriate information for ethnic minority prisoners was posted, and staff within the Reception have language dictionaries for use, if required. Reception staff also complete an information form relevant to ethnic minority prisoners. This form is passed to the Race Relations Manager the next day. The form covers religious and dietary information.
5.3 Storage within Reception is limited and barely adequate. Prisoners have a large number of items stored within the area: reasons being that some items are not allowed within Glenochil, or prisoners exchange certain items and haven't yet handed them out to visitors. The problem with storage should be addressed.
Induction
5.4 New admissions to Glenochil are allocated to a residential unit following the reception procedures. On arrival in the hall there is an in-hall induction programme covering immediate needs.
5.5 The main induction programme starts on the Monday after admission in the Links Centre and lasts for two weeks. Prisoners who have recently returned to Glenochil as a downgrade or re-admission are not required to undergo the full induction programme but receive a shortened version based on need. The facility is well laid out with adequate group and interview rooms. There are also offices, a spacious seating area and a library. The rooms however are not suitable for confidential interviews as the soundproofing is very poor. The soundproofing should be improved.
5.6 The first week of the programme is delivered by residential staff as an out of hall activity. This means that the programme is dependent on those staff being available. Sessions are also provided by staff from social work, chaplaincy, addiction, education, healthcare and employability. If specialist staff are not available to provide their session as timetabled then prisoners are referred if there is an identified need.
5.7 There are a number of handouts available to prisoners during their induction week. Some of these handouts require updating. There is no evidence that the handouts are in languages other than English. This should be addressed.
5.8 The second week of the programme is delivered by Lauder College and covers Health and Safety, Food Hygiene, Manual Handling and First Aid. This programme aims to equip prisoners with the necessary basic skills and information to live and work safely within the prison. Week two modules have certificates for successful completion.
5.9 Protection prisoners do not receive the same induction programme as mainstream prisoners. They are given their induction on a one-to-one basis in the hall. This programme is not to the same level as the mainstream prisoners. This should be addressed.
Integrated Case Management
5.10 Integrated Case Management ( ICM) was introduced in June 2006 and has now replaced Sentence Management. Core Screening is usually completed at the local establishment, but if not, it is completed at Glenochil. A risk assessment is completed by a prison based social worker. One hundred and eighteen Case Conferences were held between June and October, with 82% of community based social workers attending. Three Case Conferences have had family members in attendance. It is anticipated that the number of Case Conferences will increase when the new hall opens and the prison numbers rise to 670. There was anxiety about the increased work load.
5.11 There is widespread concern about the number of prisoners who are assessed as requiring to participate in the Violence Prevention Programme ( VPP), and the subsequent waiting time to take part. This can hamper the prisoner's progress to a top end or the Open Estate. A decision has therefore to be made by the local risk management group as to whether or not the VPP is essential before moving on.
5.12 Integrated Case Management allows for a multi-disciplinary approach and there is a formal link between the ICM manager and the establishment multi-disciplinary mental health team.
5.13 Early indications suggest that ICM is a more effective way to manage a prisoner through his sentence than Sentence Management was. The process allows for the formal involvement of the community based social worker and for the community risk to be brought into the prison and effectively addressed. The community based social worker is allocated at the beginning rather than the end of sentence.
5.14 The ICM process, once fully settled in, has the potential to drive regime development by matching interventions to need, and highlighting gaps in provision.
Progression
5.15 An internal progression system exists which provides an enhanced regime on the top floor of Harviestoun (H4). However, the benefits for prisoners moving there are not immediately obvious: one extra visit; lock up 15 minutes later that the rest of the prison; and free access between two sections are all that are on offer. A major disincentive for many prisoners is that they are likely to have been in a single cell for some considerable time and on progressing to the enhanced regime will be required to share.
5.16 Determinate sentence prisoners on protection are expected to move to Harvieston 4 before being considered for a move to open conditions. Many do not feel sufficiently safe to make that move. From the beginning of January 2006 to the time of the inspection 111 prisoners had moved from Glenochil to the Open Estate. In the same period 24 prisoners had moved to a national top end regime.
5.17 As mentioned elsewhere in this report, prisoners expressed frustration at the requirement to take part in the Violence Prevention Programme before moving on. Due to the long waiting list for this programme progress can be significantly delayed. This needs to be addressed.
Pre-Release
5.18 As an establishment holding long-term prisoners Glenochil does not have the high volume of liberations experienced at local establishments: between 5 and 13 per month. Many, though not all, liberations will be subject to licence conditions. For those prisoners who are liberated on licence their Community Integration Plan ( CIP) will be co-ordinated by the prison based social work department.
5.19 For those prisoners who will be liberated from Glenochil there are a number of agencies who will be involved in the support process. A Job Seeker interview is available approximately two months before liberation. Housing and Throughcare Addiction Services are also available. If as many as 5-13 prisoners a month are not being prepared for release in the Open Estate, then it is important that good arrangements are put in place in Glenochil.
Life Sentence Prisoners
5.20 There were sixty seven life sentence prisoners living in Glenochil at the time of inspection. Thirteen prisoners had been recalled from licence and six were serving an extended sentence: these prisoners are subject to the same procedures as life sentence prisoners. The life sentence prisoners are dispersed throughout the prison. Previously they were held together on one floor in 'A' Hall. Some life sentence prisoners share cells.
5.21 There is one full-time Lifer Liaison Officer ( LLO) in post. These duties are carried out from an office which also manages Integrated Case Management and Early Release. This allows a much more joined up approach to be adopted. A database holding information on lifers is in place. This covers action plans and decisions. The quality of record keeping and the information provided to support the process is excellent. Information is recorded in a way that supports both the individual prisoner management system and the general timetable of case conferences, reviews and tribunals. A sample of records was reviewed by Inspectors. The quality of the information system was found to be excellent.
5.22 All lifers receive an admission interview within 72 hours. A 'Lifer Group' also meets regularly and includes social work, psychology, the relevant Unit Manager and the LLO. This group monitors progress: prisoners do not attend.
5.23 The main priority for life sentence prisoners is to move them on to a 'top-end' or to the Open Estate. There is still some uncertainty amongst prisoners about what the Open Estate entails and what to expect there. It is recommended that information explaining what a move to the Open Estate entails should be readily accessible.
« Previous | Contents | Next »