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11.1 Financial and administration matters within the establishment were the responsibility of the AD Resource and Administration Services, though criminal administration came under the remit of the Sentence Planning Group. Clerical administration was designed around a multi-skilled flexible work group, which responded to the various clerical demands within the establishment. A Finance Officer and a Procurement Officer, who had responsibility for the central stores, assisted the AD. Most items were procured locally, with a small amount purchased from the same supplier as the rest of the SPS, in order to meet specifications in the standard of equipment.
11.2 With the exception of the catering, health services and the estates function, the ADs controlled their own budgets. The idea of devolving all budgets to a lower level was being considered but would be restricted initially to items such as cleaning materials. The computer system used for managing the accounts was not that used in other SPS establishments but was the same as in other PPS prisons. The audit function was undertaken by external auditors and overall, it appeared that competent personnel and robust systems were in place to meet the financial management of the establishment.
11.3 As noted above and unlike other establishments, warrant administration, parole and other areas of criminal administration were the responsibility of the sentence planning unit. Despite starting from a low knowledge base, we were impressed by the competence of staff and the systems that were in place for this particular function. Warrants were securely stored in lock-fast cabinets, separate from other prisoner records. Access was restricted to approved personnel and an effective filing system was in place. Staff training in this area was done in conjunction with other SPS staff at the SPS College and future training was planned to increase the number of competent personnel.
11.4 Parole folders were stored and managed from within the same unit. Again, staff were developing their competence in this area and through networking with other establishments, were able to ensure consistency of application. There was an issue regarding Kilmarnock's ability to obtain a list of prisoners' previous convictions for the purpose of the parole dossier, the information having to be obtained by telephone from SPS Custody Directorate. It was difficult to understand why such an inefficient system was being used and we suggest, therefore, that alternatives for more direct access to this information should be explored. It is important for staff working in this area to be interpreting and applying legislation in a manner that is consistent throughout the SPS. Whilst good working relationships with other establishments were beginning to develop, it is imperative that protocols for training and the application of guidelines on relevant legislation are in place in order to ensure consistency in interpretation and application.
11.5 The main stores area was used predominantly for the storage of cleaning materials, stationery and staff uniforms. The area was clean and well managed, with appropriate security arrangements in place for the holding of staff uniforms. No prisoners were permitted to work within this area. Items such as food, medical supplies, estates material and prisoner canteen purchases were controlled and stored within the respective areas of responsibility, whilst the Industries function had an external warehouse in Kilmarnock for items produced in the prison. Prisoners' clothing was the responsibility of Reception staff, who retained and managed their own stock.
11.6 The Stores Manager procured for other areas in the prison, in conjunction with their respective heads. Efficient stock control guaranteed a quick turnaround of all purchases, thus reducing the need to maintain excessively high levels of items.
11.7 The establishment's Information Technology (IT) system was managed by a full-time Systems Administrator, who reported directly to the AD Resource and Administration Services. There was a total of 88 computers within the establishment, 36 of which had access to PRS on the SPIN system; in addition, there were 46 printers.
11.8 Kilmarnock's access to the SPIN network was limited to the PRS application, though other applications - such as QUEST - were being used. Access to PRS was restricted mainly to staff in the reception, sentence planning unit, security, administration and the centrally located control units within the residential Wings. A number of IT applications specific to PPS and HMP Kilmarnock were also accessed from the same terminals but were not part of an external network facility. The number of staff trained in IT was restricted to those primary users and there was no e-mail system operating either in the establishment or networked with the rest of the SPS. The only exceptions were the Controller and his Deputy, who each had access to all standard SPS functionalities. Training in QUEST had been delivered by the SPS College to a small number of selected staff, mainly in Security, but due to staff turnover, further training was now required.
11.9 The standard of IT services available and the competence of its users appeared to be sufficient to meet the immediate needs of the establishment. There was, however, no evidence of IT being exploited to the same extent as elsewhere in the SPS, where paper systems - particularly for day to day communications - are gradually being replaced by e-mail and other functions within the system. We were, however, encouraged to note that the development of an internal e-mail system was being examined and this should open up an avenue for efficient and more effective communication to all staff.
11.10 The joint Race Relations and Equal Opportunities Committee, chaired by one of the Heads of Operations, consisted of representatives from various parts of the establishment; there were also proposals for a member of the local Commission for Racial Equality to be co-opted on to the Committee. The Committee was meeting on a monthly basis with minutes, which contained an action sheet, being produced.
11.11 As regards race relations, there was a local policy that had been produced in the form of a Director's Rule and had been drafted in such a way that it also covered issues such as religious discrimination. As part of their initial custodial training, all PCOs received eight hours training in race relations; non-custodial staff received four hours training as part of their induction programme. This training was delivered by the Committee Chairman, who was also the Race Relations Training Officer for PPS. In addition to those standard training packages, proposals were in hand for members of the Committee to attend a Race Relations Management Committee course. A PCO had been appointed to the formal post of Race Relations Liaison Officer (RRLO) and there were also proposals to establish a network of Liaison Officers, one for each Wing.
11.12 If any prisoners from ethnic minority backgrounds were admitted to the establishment, the Reception immediately notified the RRLO who then made arrangements for the individual concerned to be interviewed by a member of the team and the Chaplain. A weekly list was also produced giving the race and religious backgrounds of all such prisoners, so that arrangements could be made to ensure that their particular religious and dietary needs were being met. Satisfactory arrangements were in place for foreign language translators to assist prisoners who could not speak English and the prison had access to a stock of foreign language books, posters and tapes that was held at HMP Doncaster.
11.13 In addition to ensuring that the needs of ethnic minority prisoners were being looked after, the establishment was also targeting the local ethnic communities in an attempt to increase staff recruitment from those groups.
11.14 As regards equal opportunities, there was also a local policy that had again been produced in the form of a Director's Rule and awareness training in this subject formed part of every member of staff's induction programme. Issues concerning equal opportunities were dealt with at the monthly Committee meetings. A local policy on dealing with harassment had recently been introduced and proposals were in hand to give staff access to external counsellors for advice on how to deal with harassment or any other confidential issue.
11.15 We were very impressed with the way the establishment had adopted a pro-active approach to race relations and equal opportunity issues. It was clear that both matters were being treated very seriously and that a great deal of effort and commitment had gone into ensuring that any problems or difficulties that might arise would be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
11.16 A Community Relations Officer had been appointed and we were impressed with the start that had been made in establishing links with the local community. The local community relations policy included provision for practices such as inviting group and individual members of the public into the prison for events such as church services and exhibitions. The prison was also involved in a number of fund raising events and provided some services, such as upholstery cleaning for local senior citizens and charitable organisations. Other activities included various sporting events against local teams, inviting prisoners' families to attend certificate awarding ceremonies, allowing local disabled groups to have access to the PE facilities and giving talks to local young people on the realities of life in a prison.
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