13. GENERAL ASSESSMENT

13.1 Before and during the course of this inspection we saw and heard a great deal of which the staff could be justifiably proud. It was patently clear to us that this establishment was achieving the purpose intended for it by the original Working Party. It has national significance and we regard it as an excellent example of best practice; it is also comparatively cheap, at an annual cost of £23,000 per prisoner place compared with £28,000 across the SPS.

13.2 The key to the NIC’s success is the presence of highly trained and motivated staff, though we add a note of caution for the future. Training provided for NIC staff ought not to be diluted - indeed, we strongly support the very sensible suggestions made by staff themselves that it must constantly be revised and improved.

13.3 All receiving long term establishments would do better to ensure that transfers between them and the NIC are implemented more smoothly and that regimes and privileges better dovetail with each other. Unreasonable expectations or let downs for prisoners should also be eliminated wherever possible.

13.4 It is also reasonable for receiving establishments to expect that prisoners are delivered to them with the minimum of drug problems. However, this is not the case at present and concentrated but careful action will need to be taken by both the Area Director and the Governor in order to remedy the one major shortcoming which we encountered during our visit.

13.5 We would support the observations made by the Visiting Committee (see paragraph 12.3) that "the emphasis on induction and on a purposeful regime is a model of what should in fact be happening throughout the SPS - for other long term prisoners, young offenders, women and even short term prisoners."

13.6 Finally, we offer our congratulations to the SPS and to past and present staff of the NIC for the creation of a unique and highly innovative concept, albeit that it is still at a relatively early stage in its development. It was a pleasure to conduct this inspection.