Report on HM Prison Shotts

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland 1998

ANNEX 7 The Third Prison Survey - Shotts Prison Staff Survey

A MESSAGE FROM THE SURVEY TEAM

This newsletter is intended to provide you and your staff colleagues with feedback on the results from the prison survey which was conducted in Shotts earlier this year. However, before discussing some of the results, we would like to thank all those people in Shotts who took the time and trouble to complete the survey form when it was issued. The form was completed by more than eight out of ten members of staff. Without your assistance we would not have been able to present as accurate a picture of staff views.

Briefly, to remind those of you who might not have been working in the prison when the survey was conducted, the prison survey was completed in all Scottish prisons and Young Offender Institutions between February and May this year. The survey is conducted every three years to find out how staff feel about the services and facilities in prison and to understand better the way staff think the system could be changed or improved. Also, by comparing the results of each of the surveys it allows us to discover whether people feel things are getting better or worse.

Some of the results in Shotts are positive. For example, high satisfaction levels were maintained regarding the standard of food, relationships with prisoners and specialists and relationships between staff. Areas that were identified as requiring improvement included the cleanliness of the toilets, showers and the muster room, the level of ventilation, the level of attention paid to health and safety matters and the quality of facilities in general. In particular, the majority of staff training aspects, especially those for interviewing skills and negotiation skills, were identified as being inadequate.

We feel that the feedback of information is an important part of the survey process and it is our intention to return to Shotts later in the year to give presentations on the main results for Shotts and the other prisons. All staff and prisoners will have the opportunity to attend these sessions and ask questions.

Your views are important. Each prison will be using the results of the survey later on this year when drawing up their strategic plans. These strategic plans set out the changes which management will propose for each prison. The onus is on local management to consider the results carefully and take them into account in planning.

We hope you find this summary of results from Shotts interesting and if you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us at the address below. Also, if you would like a copy of the full report simply send your name and address in an envelope (no stamp required) to the address below and a copy will be sent on when it is available.

THE KEY FINDINGS FROM THE THIRD PRISON SURVEY

Cleanliness

¨ Nearly all staff reported acceptable levels of cleanliness in the reception area and the visits area. More than eight out of ten also found the cleanliness of the halls, dining areas and the prisoners’ clothes to be adequate. However, around one quarter of staff criticised the cleanliness of the toilets, showers and the muster rooms. Figure 1 shows that staff perceptions of the overall cleanliness of the prison are slightly worse than they were in 1994 and 1991.

Figure 1 Standard of cleanliness in Shotts

Prisoners’ Food

¨ Over nine out of ten staff at Shotts thought the choice of menu and the quality of food were good. Similarly, over eight out of ten members of staff thought that the way in which the food was served and the size of portions were satisfactory. Approximately one quarter, though, believed that the range of items available from the canteen was inadequate. Figure 2 shows that current staff thoughts about food are better than they were in 1991 and the results also show that the high standard of food in 1994 has been maintained.

Figure 2 Standard of food in Shotts

Condition of the prison

¨ Approximately nine out of ten staff viewed the level of noise and the overall state of repair of the prison positively. Additionally, over eight out of ten staff thought that the level of heating was acceptable. However, more than four out of ten staff regarded the level of ventilation and the level of attention paid to health and safety matters in the prison as poor. Consequently, Figure 3 shows that staff believe the overall condition of the prison to be worse than it was in 1994.

Figure 3 Condition of Shotts

Relationships with specialists

There were relatively positive views from staff who had experience of different specialists within the prison. Nearly all respondents who had been in contact with nursing staff and chaplains rated them positively. Around nine out of ten thought that they got on well with social work staff, psychologists and doctors. Figure 4 shows that staff perceptions of relationships with specialists have been maintained from those recorded in 1994.

Figure 4 Relationships with specialists in Shotts

Quality of facilities

Over nine out of ten staff considered the facilities for physical recreation to be adequate. By contrast, the quality of several other facilities were not rated very positively. For example, over four out of ten staff thought that the facilities for eating, showering, and report writing were poor, with one half of staff not being satisfied with the facilities for cooking food. In addition, around two thirds of staff were critical of the level of privacy and the facilities for relaxation. Nevertheless, Figure 5 indicates that staff perceptions of facilities have improved over those recorded in 1994 and 1991.

Figure 5 Staff facilities in Shotts

Relationships with staff and prisoners

It is reassuring that nearly all staff reported getting on positively with officers of both sexes. In addition, nine out of ten staff had positive views regarding relations with Unit Managers and the Governor. Figure 6 shows that relationships with other staff are comparable with the perceptions in 1994.

¨ Almost all staff responded positively in their description of relations with prisoners in their work parties, halls and in Shotts generally. Figure 6 shows that positive relations with prisoners in 1994 have been maintained.

Figure 6 Relationships with prisoners and other prison staff in Shotts

Atmosphere in Shotts

Over nine out of ten staff stated that there was a positive atmosphere in the PE classes, the reception area and the visits area. Eight out of ten staff also reported this within the prison generally. However, one third of staff rated the atmosphere in the halls and the workshops or work parties negatively. Figure 7 shows that staff perceptions of the atmosphere inside Shotts have fallen when compared with those stated in 1994, although they are still higher than the perceptions recorded in 1991.

Figure 7 Atmosphere in Shotts

Staff Training

Overall, the standard of staff training was not rated very positively. Of those staff who had experience of training for the Personal Officer Scheme and control and restraint, less than one half rated it positively. The most criticised areas of staff training were negotiation skills and interviewing skills, with around nine out of ten staff considering them as being inadequate. Figure 8 shows the current view of different aspects of staff training in 1998.

Figure 8 Aspects of training seen as adequate by staff

Quality of service delivery by the SPS

Quality of service delivery by the SPS was a score made up of the answers to six questions in the section of the questionnaire entitled "Views about the Scottish Prison Service". Questions included, "the SPS is committed to improving its performance" and "staff in the SPS take a strong pride in the quality of their work". Figure 9 shows that staff views on quality of service delivery by the SPS has fallen when compared with the 1994 and 1991 ratings.

Figure 9 Staff views on quality of service delivery by the SPS

Management rating

The management rating was a score made up of the answers to seven questions in the section of the questionnaire entitled "Views about the Scottish Prison Service". Questions included, "the style of management in the SPS is to reward good performance and punish bad performance" and "conflict between staff and management is high in the SPS". Figure 10 shows that the staff rating of service from management of the SPS has decreased when compared with the findings from 1994 and 1991. This may be a response to certain management changes, such as SSR, performance pay and market testing.

Figure 10 Management ratings

Staff fears

• Eight out of ten staff stated that they had worried about their physical safety at some point whilst doing their job.
• Over four out of ten alleged that they had been physically assaulted by a prisoner at some point whilst working in a Scottish prison.
• Over one quarter believed that they had been bullied by a Unit Manager or Governor whilst working in a Scottish prison.
• Three quarters of staff had worried about catching Hepatitis B/C and two thirds had worried about contracting HIV/AIDS. Additionally, almost six out of ten staff believed that the current arrangements for dealing with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B/C at Shotts were inadequate.

Stress

• The staff were asked to choose the three main causes of stress from an extensive list. The most common choice was ‘performance related pay’, with 62 staff ticking this box. The next most frequent choices were ‘everyday work load’ and ‘relationships with management’, with 60 and 54 staff respectively ticking these boxes.

The Third Prison Survey - Shotts Prison Prisoners’ Survey

A MESSAGE FROM THE SURVEY TEAM

This newsletter provides feedback on the results from the third prison survey which was conducted in Shotts earlier this year.

For the sake of those of you who might not have been in the prison when the survey was given out, we should explain firstly what the survey is. The prison survey gives every prisoner in each Scottish prison the chance to say what he or she thinks about the prison they are in. It lets every prisoner air his or her views on prison life by asking them to rate such things as facilities, conditions, atmosphere, relationships, etc. The survey is conducted every three years and the third survey was completed between February and May this year. Since many of the questions which are asked from one survey to another are identical we can compare the results to see whether people feel things are getting better or worse.

As you can see in the pages which follow, a good many of the results in Shotts are positive. For example, there were improvements in cleanliness, the condition of the prison, the standard of care, the relationships with staff, atmosphere and the overall access to family and friends. In addition, relationships between prisoners have been maintained at a high level. The standard of food and the quality of facilities have also improved, although they still remain at relatively low levels. The most criticised areas were the range of items available from the canteen, the facilities for recreation and the level of privacy at visits.

Providing feedback is an important part of the survey process and it is our intention to return to Shotts later in the year to discuss the main results for Shotts and the other prisons. All staff and prisoners will have the opportunity to attend these sessions and ask questions.

We should emphasise again that your views can make a difference. Each prison will be using the results of the survey later on this year when drawing up their plans for the next year. These plans set out the changes which management will propose for each prison.

We hope you find this summary of results from Shotts interesting and if you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us at the address below. Also, if you would like a copy of the full report simply send your name and address in an envelope (no stamp required) to the address below and a copy will be sent on when it is available.

Finally, we would like to thank all those people who took the time and trouble to complete the survey form. The form was completed by over nine out of ten prisoners in Shotts. Without your help we would not have been able to present as accurate a picture of prisoners’ views.

THE KEY FINDINGS FROM THE THIRD PRISON SURVEY

Cleanliness

• Over nine out of ten prisoners reported acceptable levels of cleanliness in the cells, the visits area, the reception area and of their clothes. In addition, over eight out of ten prisoners described the cleanliness of the halls and the dining area as acceptable. In comparison, approximately one quarter thought that the cleanliness of the toilets and the showers was poor. Figure 1 shows that prisoners believe the overall cleanliness has improved on the results of the 1994 and 1991 surveys.

Figure 11 Standard of cleanliness in Shotts

Food

• Overall, the standard of food was not rated positively. Four out of ten prisoners thought that the way in which food was served and the choice of menu was poor. Additionally, around one half of prisoners rated the quality of food and the size of portions negatively, with over two thirds having a similar opinion on the range of items available from the canteen. Figure 2 shows that current prisoner perceptions of food have, however, improved over the findings from 1994 and 1991.

Figure 12 Standard of food in Shotts

Condition of the prison

• Eight out of ten prisoners thought that the overall state of repair of the prison, the level of heating and the level of noise in the prison generally was acceptable. Almost one third of prisoners, though, described the level of noise in the halls and the level of ventilation as poor. Figure 3 shows that the current prisoner perceptions of the condition of Shotts have improved over the results recorded in 1994, to levels similar to those in 1991.

Figure 13 Condition of Shotts

Service from specialists

• Of those prisoners who had come into contact with different specialists, over nine out of ten described the standard of chaplains positively. Similarly, over eight out of ten prisoners were positive about education staff. By contrast, one quarter of prisoners criticised the standard of dental care, psychologists and social workers and more than one half were critical of medical care. Nevertheless, Figure 4 shows that prisoners consider services provided by specialists to be better than in 1994 and 1991.

Figure 14 Service from specialists in Shotts

Quality of facilities

• Nine out of ten prisoners considered the facilities for PE and in the library to be acceptable, with more than three quarters stating that the facilities for education were also adequate. However, four out of ten prisoners criticised the quality of facilities for outdoor exercise, and one half had the same opinion about the facilities for medical care, recreation and indoor exercise. Figure 5 indicates, though, that prisoners’ perceptions of facilities have improved considerably from those in 1994, although they are still not at a very positive level.

Figure 15 Facilities in Shotts

Relationships with staff and prisoners

• Overall, prisoners reported getting on reasonably well with staff. For example, over nine out of ten prisoners got on well with personal officers, staff in their work party and officers in the prison generally. Over one quarter of staff, however, described relations with Unit Managers and the Governor as poor. Figure 6 shows that relationships with prison staff have improved greatly compared with the perceptions recorded in 1994.
• Over nine out of ten prisoners stated that they had good relations with other prisoners. Figure 6 illustrates that this is consistent with the findings from 1994 and 1991.

Figure 16 Relationships with prison staff and other prisoners in Shotts

Atmosphere in Shotts

• Over eight out of ten prisoners stated that they thought the atmosphere in the reception area, recreation, and PE classes was good. In addition, over seven out of ten prisoners claimed that the atmosphere in the halls or dormitories, the workshop or work parties and the visits area was positive. However, more than one third thought that the atmosphere was fairly tense or very tense in the prison generally. Figure 7 shows that current prisoner perceptions of the atmosphere inside Shotts have improved compared with those recorded in 1994 and 1991.

Figure 17 Atmosphere in Shotts

Access to family and friends

• Over eight out of ten prisoners thought the facilities for children at visits and access to pay phones inside Shotts were good. However, over one third of prisoners rated the length of visits and the ability to rearrange visits in the prison as poor. Furthermore, there was criticism regarding the level of privacy at visits, with over one half of prisoners critical of levels of privacy. Despite these findings, Figure 8 shows that the current view of the overall access to family and friends has improved from those expressed in 1994 and 1991.

Figure 8 Access to family and friends in Shotts

Prisoners’ fears

• Over four out of ten prisoners stated that they had feared for their physical safety at some point during their current sentence at Shotts.
• One half of prisoners alleged that they had been physically assaulted at some point whilst in a Scottish prison.
• One quarter of prisoners stated that they had been physically assaulted whilst in Shotts.
• Over the last six months in Shotts, six out of ten prisoners had worried at some point about contracting HIV/AIDS, with two thirds being worried about catching Hepatitis B/C.