Report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons on HM Prison, Penninghame 1997

3. Population and Accommodation

Population

3.1 Penninghame is currently designed to hold 85 prisoners in a variety of different types of accommodation and on the first full day of our inspection (Monday 9 December 1996), the population at lock-up was 69 accommodated as follows:-

3.2 All of the prisoners were security category 'D' and a breakdown of the sentences being served was:-

3.3 In the year prior to our inspection there had been no suicides, attempted suicides or deaths by any other cause. Over that same period there had been three absconds and one assault by a prisoner on another prisoner but no assaults on staff.

Accommodation

3.4 As part of our inspection we visited every dormitory and single room and the two lodges. We were pleased to note that since our last inspection our concerns about the lack of personal storage space for prisoners had been addressed by the installation of Captain's beds which represented a significant improvement on the previous arrangements. However, although those beds had led to much improvement in terms of storage space, the fact that they were more bulky by design meant that the dormitories had become rather cramped with an appearance of overcrowding, a situation which was not helped by the fact that there appeared to have been some slippage in standards with regard to the amount of clutter which was in evidence. We have, therefore, suggested to the Governor that staff should be adopting a more pro-active role in ensuring that prisoners maintain reasonable standards of tidiness.

3.5 In a recent initiative, every dormitory had been provided with a refrigerator so that items such as foodstuffs and soft drinks could be stored in proper conditions. In the absence of any communal television facility, each of the dormitories had also been provided with a television; most of the rooms also had a video recorder which were prisoners' personal possessions.

3.6 The single rooms were furnished to an acceptable standard though as with the dormitories, we noted that an element of untidiness had begun to creep in.

3.7 The two lodges in the grounds of the estate could provide accommodation for four and six prisoners respectively in a mixture of single and double rooms. In addition to the sleeping areas, each lodge had a sitting room, kitchen and toilet and prisoners in those areas were supplied with a weekly cash allowance to enable them to buy food which they then prepared themselves. In overall terms, the lodges were furnished to a very good standard.

3.8 At the time of our inspection, work was just being completed on the creation of 10 additional places in an area which had been the stable yard of the original estate. When completed, those units would comprise a mix of single and double rooms and as with the lodges, would have their own kitchen/dining facilities. It was hoped that the additional accommodation would become available early in 1997 on the completion of a new recreation area which was also being constructed immediately below the new accommodation units.

3.9 In the report of our last inspection, we had expressed concern about the condition of most of the communal ablution areas and had recommended that additional resources should be allocated to deal with the problem. We were pleased to note, therefore, that those additional funds had been provided and that the areas in question were now of a much higher standard.

Comment

3.10 We were pleased to see the improvements which had been made with regard to the prisoners' accommodation areas - eg the introduction of the Captain's beds and the refurbished ablutions areas. Also, the two lodges which had recently been converted for prisoners' use represented a significant step forward. The main problem facing the establishment, however, was that conditions were undoubtedly becoming rather cramped - particularly in the dormitories - and it is to be hoped, therefore, that the new accommodation will help to ease those difficulties.