ANNUAL REPORT 1995-96

7. ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER SERVICES

Catering

7.1 It is not only important that meals in prison should be well presented and nutritious, but also that the food should be well cooked and of reasonable quality as poor quality food can become a major source of confrontation between prisoners and staff. Food, which is nearly always a dominant issue with prisoners, assumes a far greater importance than normal when prisoners perceive meals to be of low quality. Each meal is evaluated critically and can be the catalyst for confrontation to occur. It is therefore both sensible and appropriate to concentrate on providing good catering services.

7.2 We visited all prison kitchens and sampled a wide range of meals throughout the year. As in previous years, however, the majority of prisons were still unable to provide lunch and tea meals in accordance with the new operating standard introduced in late 1995, which lays down that mealtimes should normally reflect those in the community and that there should be a minimum of 4½ hours between the beginning of one meal and the beginning of the next ie that meals should normally be served between 0700 and 0900 hours for breakfast, 1200 and 1400 hours for lunch and 1700 and 1900 hours for tea. In fact, we found lunch served as early as 1130 and tea meals at 1600 hours during the week and as early as 1545 hours at weekends. The principal reason for prisoners' meal timings being as they are, is to fit in with staff shift times rather than for any reason to do with catering needs per se. Clearly there needs to be considerable work undertaken to adjust mealtimes so that food is not provided at unsuitable times - especially when the result is that prisoners can routinely go for some 15 hours between tea and breakfast without a hot meal. A light snack before lock up is not a solution to this problem.

7.3 We also found that some catering departments were having difficulty in remaining within their food budget of £10.50 per prisoner per week - which has been at the same level for the past three years. We have some sympathy with their predicament - especially for those who operate a plated meal system which does not allow for savings to be made by recycling leftover food.

7.4 For a variety of reasons, eg the category and number of prisoners held, the geographical layout of the prison and the size and location of kitchens, a number of food delivery methods and dining arrangements were to be found in establishments. Thus some prisons served individual plated meals which prisoners ate in their cells, others used bulk feeding from hot plates on the galleries and yet another group had serveries adjacent to areas in which prisoners dined in association.

7.5 We found that standards of catering were generally adequate, with reasonable choices being made available at most meals although this could vary even within establishments - for example at HMP Greenock where the food was unappetising in 'A' (Remand) Hall, whilst LTPs in Darroch Hall enjoyed much better fare. Equally, the food was excellent and hot in the YOI at Glenochil where it was provided from serveries adjacent to the kitchen, but unappetising and of low temperature for LTPs who has plated meals from a different kitchen in the same prison. In some establishments, however, the food delivery method from a central kitchen to outlying accommodation blocks resulted in prisoners regularly receiving cold and unpalatable meals. Dumfries on the other hand maintained its consistently good reputation for the provision of well presented meals, and we would encourage other establishments to emulate its standards.

7.6 We found that the dietary requirements of those with special needs were usually well catered for with a number of varied diets being provided. These ranged from ethnic dishes, through to vegetarian, vegan, diabetic and medical needs. We did, however, have concern about the provision of suitable ethnic dishes for the PADs at Greenock. In our experience, such dishes are often best cooked by a member of the ethnic minority prisoner group and some kitchens eg Barlinnie, have made such an arrangement work very well indeed.

7.7 We still have concerns about the lack of systematic medical screening and food handling training for non catering staff - ie prisoners who work in the kitchens as well as staff and prisoners who serve food at serveries. We would expect those who work in kitchens to meet stringent medical criteria before being allowed to work as food handlers. Additionally, not all establishments had the appropriate provision of toilets and showers in their kitchen area.

7.8 Finally, we would like to see the expansion of opportunities for SVQ certification in prison kitchens which would not only encourage continuous improvement but would also provide qualifications from which prisoners could benefit on release in their search for employment.

Visiting Committees (VC)

7.9 The Inspectorate has continued to meet with VC members during most of its inspections as VCs continue to be keen and careful observers - particularly in relation to conditions for prisoners. New committees have now been appointed in most establishments as a consequence of the formation of new Unitary Local Authorities which has meant yet another reorganisation and a further expensive training bill. Given that all the recent changes in relation to VCs has led to changes of membership and in some cases the absence of VCs at a number of establishments, we hope that both VCs and establishments can now look forward to a period of continuity and consolidation.

7.10 Provision has now been made to appoint VCs for each of the eleven Police Stations which contain Legalised Police Cells.

Prison Visitors Scheme

7.11 This initiative allows for those prisoners who would otherwise not receive visits, to meet with volunteer prison visitors from the outside community. The latter make regular and sustained contact with prisoners in their own time and we commend them for their humanitarian work throughout the year and for the calming effect which this often encourages (see also Annex 5).

7.12 We have found that in some establishments the prison visitors scheme has rather lost its impact and we suggest that it should be revitalised and supported, for its advantages are considerable.

Local Review Committees (LRC)

7.13 LRCs ceased to exist in the Autumn of 1995, after finally being wound up as a result of major changes to the parole system which were brought about by the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1993.

Fire

7.14 There were 68 reports of fire incidents over the year, the majority of which were deliberate fire raising or nuisance fires and which involved the call-out of local fire services. The majority of these occurred at HMP Perth (26) and at HMPs Barlinnie (9), Glenochil(7) and Edinburgh (7).

7.15 Our inspections revealed that fire procedures and precautions were often worryingly inadequate usually because of a combination of lack of investment in safety measures and lack of comprehensive training for Fire Prevention Officers, who usually had insufficient time away from their routine duties to concentrate on fire prevention. It was not unusual for us to find that recommendations contained in annual audits undertaken by the Estates Branch of SPS HQ had not been acted upon for several years. Some of the recommendations called for substantial rebuilding which clearly could not take place overnight, but many other matters frequently went unattended.

7.16 We are therefore somewhat relieved to note that inspections of fire precautions in prisons will now be undertaken by HM Inspectorate of Fire Services who should be able to encourage a more rigorous approach to fire safety. All establishments had a Health and Safety Committee which usually included the establishment's Fire Prevention Officer.

7.17 In 1995-96, the vast majority (over 80%) of prison staff were either trained or received refresher courses in the use of breathing apparatus so that they could more effectively contribute to the evacuation of prisoners in an emergency.

Health and Safety

7.18 This is an area which is growing in importance and legal complexity, yet we did not always find that establishments were reflecting this in the appointment of appropriately skilled committees and advisers. Too often we found that only one individual had day to day responsibility for overseeing Health and Safety matters but had many other responsibilities as well. In our view, the time has now come to consider the provision of professional full time Health and Safety Officers in the largest establishments and additional support staff based at SPS HQ with the clear role of ensuring that Governors and staff are fully appraised of their responsibilities in this complex and technical area. General Health and Safety training also requires a more systematic approach.

7.19 Shortly before this report was written, there were anxieties expressed about asbestos in the fabric of HMP Barlinnie. This now appears to be being resolved, as is a similar problem at HMP Castle Huntly.

SPIN

7.20 One of the most significant developments of last year was the introduction of the Scottish Prisons Information Network (SPIN). It is one of the most important developments to arrive in the SPS and is already revolutionising communications within prisons.

7.21 The system has now been extended to all prisons, with over 675 workstations installed and we congratulate the SPS on the way in which this programme has been introduced. As well as improving the speed and transmission of information, the aim is also to release staff for more demanding work.

7.22 The Prisoner Record System (PRS) involves the recovery and retrieval of prisoner information, including the individual's prisoner number, nature of offence, length of sentence and calculation of release dates, as well as much other data. The system is subject to the Data Protection Act and prison staff are also only able to access the minimum information required for them to be able to undertake their daily work.

7.23 A second package, the Finance and Accounts Management (FAM) system has also been introduced, but is still subject to a number of early teething problems. Work has also been advanced to introduce a Human Resource Management module and a system for Health Medical records.

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