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6.1 The reception facility was spacious, hygienic and well managed, providing a proper environment for all aspects of the reception process.
6.2 Admissions were initially received into a holding room that included a table, chairs and a television. All the appropriate reception information was displayed on a large notice board. Eight traditional holding boxes and two strip boxes were located at the opposite end of this facility, which created a sterile area for security purposes after the YOs/prisoners had been searched. The staff office was strategically placed, with glass panelling permitting an uninterrupted view of the whole area. It was designed and resourced in such a way as to ensure the safe storage of warrants and other valuables. In an adjacent corridor there were three store rooms for prisoners' clothing and private belongings and again, these were well managed. A large, well-equipped medical examination room offered privacy for admission interviews by the screening nurse and reflected the overall high standards of the rest of the reception, as did the two showers and a bath, which were extremely clean and afforded the appropriate levels of privacy.
6.3 Admissions were provided with tee-shirt and denims but were encouraged to wear their own trainers. The wearing of personal clothing was also permitted at certain times.
6.4 Given that the daily throughput rarely exceeded eight, the facility appeared to be well resourced and was capable of offering an excellent all round service. Although staffed by one Officer, additional staff were made available for searching duties and for the admission of females. Proposals to have a self-sufficient reception within the female unit were also being considered -; see also paragraph 5.20.
6.5 The only shortcoming identified was the absence of a room for the reception officer to interview admissions in privacy, particularly as the new ACT strategy places considerable importance on the admission process for identifying risk of self harm. We suggest, therefore, that consideration should be given to examining how best such a facility could be incorporated without compromising security or detracting from what presently exists.
6.6 All YO admissions were located on the bottom flat of 'B' Hall where they remained until they had completed a two week induction programme.
6.7 The programme covered all aspects of the regime, individual responsibilities and the services provided by education, PE and industries. There were opportunities to meet with a chaplain, nurse, social worker and psychologist, with the latter two predominantly having the responsibility of identifying and assessing offending behaviour needs. During the induction process, a personal officer was identified and a sentence planning folder was prepared and compiled as the weeks progressed. On completion of the induction programme, a multi-disciplinary case conference was held which informed a sentence management plan for each YO.
6.8 This programme was not nearly as detailed as the induction provided for long-term adult prisoners, both in mainstream establishments and in the NIC, particularly in areas of needs and risk assessments.
6.9 Whilst we welcome the proposed SPS approach to address the needs of particular prisoner groups -; see paragraph 4.3 -; we believe that it is unacceptable that a YO and an adult who are each sentenced to over 10 years should be treated so differently. In such cases, the adult prisoner would be sent to the NIC and for six to nine months there would be careful and detailed assessments of the risks he presents and of his needs, as part of his preparation for transfer to a long-term prison. On the other hand, the YO would spend two weeks on induction at Dumfries, where the structure of the programme is largely about information giving and offending needs are identified by only two short assessments. We recommend, therefore, that an induction process, on the lines of that available for adult prisoners at the NIC, should be developed for all long-term YOs.
6.10 It is also recommended that the liaison procedures adopted by long-term prisons who receive prisoners from the NIC should be extended to include transfers from Dumfries.
6.11 In recognising that the suggestions outlined in the immediately preceding paragraphs will take time to implement, we believe that in the interim, steps should be taken to improve the existing induction arrangements at Dumfries. We were conscious that the new Regimes Manager had only been in post for six days prior to our visit but it is our understanding that he was to be responsible for the co-ordination of the induction process and overall sentence management. We suggest, therefore, that there should be an immediate review of the existing local induction programme with the aim of ensuring that it is systematic and sequential in taking forward issues raised at this stage of a YO's sentence.
6.12 It was disappointing to note that no structured induction programme was available for remands, convicted adults or female prisoners. We suggest, therefore, that this should be addressed and implemented as a matter of urgency.
6.13 Offending behaviour needs were identified during induction and the Regimes Manager was advised of the aggregated needs of the YO population. It was also the responsibility of the Regimes Manager to co-ordinate the resources and personnel responsible for delivery of the programmes. A good working relationship between the various disciplines involved ensured the necessary co-operation and flexibility required to detail individuals to attend. The menu of programmes available included HIV, hepatitis, cognitive skills, violence and aggression, basic drug awareness, a sex offender programme and group work. In addition, we were advised that an alcohol awareness package was being prepared.
6.14 The programmes available reflected those delivered throughout the SPS, having been identified as appropriate for the needs of prisoners in general. However, we question the extent to which they are designed specifically to meet the needs of YOs and whether the range available fully addresses the issues of adolescence. The induction process should be the main source of identifying needs but we did not think that the process was sufficiently robust for this purpose. We trust, therefore, that our proposals for a review of that process will determine the programmes that will be required in order to meet the needs of the YO population.
6.15 Social work in the establishment was the responsibility of one full time basic grade worker who had been in post for approximately one year at the time of our visit. Clerical support was provided on the basis of 20 hours per week. There was no specific cover for absences such as annual or sick leave but emergency cover would be provided on request. Consultations were presently conducted in the agent's visit area but interviewing facilities were to be provided within each Hall as part of the refurbishment programme.
6.16 The responsibilities of the social worker were divided between general welfare duties, parole and supervision reports but very few interventions dealt with issues surrounding offending behaviour. It was intended, however, that she would design and deliver programmes relevant to alcohol abuse for those identified through induction as requiring this intervention. It was hoped that if time permitted, this programme could also include remand prisoners.
6.17 The Social Worker had a part to play in the YO induction process and responded to other groups on request. All female prisoners were interviewed within two weeks of admission and the distinct needs of this particular group were identified. Where possible, these needs were addressed within the establishment or through external agencies such as Rape Crisis or Women's Aid. There was recognition, however, that there was room for development in areas such as drug abuse and childcare issues for females.
6.18 We were satisfied that the core social work business was being delivered. It was also pleasing to note that, in contrast with the situation described in our previous report, which had suggested that the social worker was marginalised, the present post holder felt very much part of a multi-disciplinary team, had a good working relationship with other disciplines and saw herself as an integral part of the management set up. Also, good working relationships with external agencies within the local area assisted with better throughcare and the provision of comprehensive Court reports.
6.19 When she had first taken up post, there had been an expectation that Residential staff would have taken on more of the welfare work, such as immediate family contact, housing issues and benefits which in turn, would give the Social Worker greater time to deal with offending behaviour interventions and provide assessment reports for parole and supervision. However, progress in developing the welfare aspect of the job for Residential staff had been slow and was not yet fully functioning in the way expected. Consequently, the service being delivered was of a less specialist nature and far more welfare orientated.
6.20 The need to specify the role of the Social Worker and develop staff to deal with welfare issues would go some way towards delivering and meeting those needs. There was an expectation that as induction and sentence management developed for YOs, the role of the Social Worker would be a more integral part of that process and would change from what it is at present. We were advised of ongoing discussions between the local authority and senior management in the establishment about supplementing the present service with additional hours, equivalent to 0.5 of a full-time Social Worker. However, the intention was that these hours would be used to bring in specialists in response to identified needs rather than having a permanent part-time worker. There was sufficient evidence to suggest that the present role of the Social Worker required clarification and that it should be evaluated against the needs of a diverse population, with a view to identifying possible additional resources to meet those needs.
6.21 Psychological services were mainly provided by a consultant clinical psychologist from North Lakeland Health Centre who attended one day per week and had been in post for approximately three years. He was supported on his visits by a chartered counsellor who dealt with the less complex referrals, as identified by the psychologist. The psychologist's remit was divided equally between direct clinical consultations and sentence management casework associated with offending behaviour programmes. Referrals were identified by staff who informed the health centre, which acted as a co-ordinating point for this service.
6.22 The psychologist had a significant involvement in induction and sentence management within a multi-disciplinary team. It was his belief that there was growing recognition that the needs of YOs differed from those of adults and that programmes designed to deal with anger management and sex offending required to take note of this factor. The Regime Services Directorate of SPS HQ had responded to these concerns and research into the appropriateness of the present accredited programmes for this particular group had begun and was ongoing at the time of our visit.
6.23 We were satisfied that the time allocated to the psychologist was being used efficiently and was of considerable benefit to the establishment. However, given the mixture of the population and the importance of challenging offending behaviour and adolescent issues in the dominant population, we thought that attendance on only one day might be inadequate. We suggest, therefore, that there should be an evaluation of the service, particularly in view of the developments in other areas such as induction and sentence management, though we have since been told that a second psychologist is now designing a juvenile sexual offenders programme for future accreditation.
6.24 Labour allocation was part of the induction process. It was the intention that allocation to work parties would be based on information obtained at various stages of induction. However, given the limitations on the variety of work, the system normally allocated YOs to one of two joiner shops and from there, the opportunity to participate in one of the two VT courses, which involved a separate selection procedure. Opportunities for employment in certain domestic duties were dependent on a lower security category and were, therefore, not readily accessible at this stage of sentence.
6.25 The Regimes Manager was responsible for two Supervisors and 15 staff. Prisoners and YOs were employed as shown below:-
| Work Party | Number Employed |
| 'B' Hall cleaners | 5 |
| 'C' Hall cleaners | 3 |
| Administration pass* | 1 |
| Gate/visits pass* | 2 |
| Gymnasium pass | 1 |
| Stores pass | 1 |
| Education pass | 1 |
| Joiners machine shop | 9 |
| Joiners assembly shop | 12 |
| VT painting and decorating | 7 |
| VT industrial cleaners | 9 |
| Laundry+ | 12 |
| Gardens | 3 |
| Kitchen | 9 |
*Female prisoners
+Protection party
6.26 Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) modules were available in painting and decorating, horticulture and catering. Additionally, training in industrial cleaning was to BICS standards.
6.27 At the time of our inspection, priority was being given to meeting a contract to produce self-assembly garden gates. This meant that the machine shop was fully loaded with work but as a consequence, the assembly shop, which was set up to make garden sheds, had no prepared material and was not being used. YOs were therefore spending their time either in mundane activity or playing cards. Whilst we recognise that from time to time there may be periods of industrial inactivity, we believe there is scope for a more imaginative and innovative approach in such circumstances.
6.28 Staffing in the gymnasium comprised a Supervisor, who also had regime responsibilities for Cognitive Skills, Laundry, the Joiner's Workshop and VT Painters, and two Officers. There were, however, no relief staff which meant that the Supervisor had to provide cover for staff rest days and other absences. There were several staff trained in sports and games but due to pressure of work in their own areas, they were seldom available to help out in the gymnasium.
6.29 Facilities consisted of a gymnasium and weights room together with a full-sized grassed football pitch with a running track. The pitch had, however, been sub-divided into two seven-a-side pitches so that it could be used by greater numbers and this game seemed to be the preferred option of the majority.
6.30 A PE programme was provided from 0900 to 2045 Monday to Friday and from 0830 to 1630 at weekends. Remands were given the opportunity to attend but there was little uptake due, we were told, to the small population and the wide range of ages. A place in the programme had also been set aside for those on Rule 80. Staff had access to the gymnasium at meal breaks on a supervised basis and the PE staff were mainly responsible for providing training on control and restraint techniques.
6.31 PE staff had initiated a health care programme for staff and prisoners, which included health checks every six months. Questionnaires were issued for completion prior to a health check and we were advised that since the introduction of this programme, health problems had been identified earlier than they might otherwise have been.
6.32 We were satisfied that there was adequate access to PE facilities for everyone in the Institution and we were particularly impressed not only with the level of access for staff but also with the Health at Work programme that had recently been introduced. However, we did have some concerns about the actual quality of the PE programme which, in our view, was somewhat lacking in imagination and could do with a comprehensive review.
6.33 We also had some concerns about the staffing situation, as the absence of any relief cover and the requirement for the Supervisor to undertake other commitments meant that the very willing staff were extremely stretched. We suggest, therefore, that arrangements should be made either to provide relief cover on a permanent basis or to ensure that trained sports and games officers are available to assist.
6.34 The Education Unit was of adequate quality and comprised four classrooms, a staff base, an office and ample storage facilities. There was a well-equipped computer room and in general, resources were adequate to support the curriculum. The staffing complement comprised one full-time co-ordinator and six part-time teachers, all of whom were employees of Motherwell College, which had the education contract for the Institution. Within the establishment, the link with the College was through the Regimes Manager, though the actual contract was the responsibility of the Finance Manager. This contract was well established and the fact that a number of other SPS establishments were involved with the College was creating the opportunity for co-ordinated approaches; for example, a computerised link had been established which provided a video conferencing facility, with potential for further development when the hardware was upgraded.
6.35 The induction process helped to place students on the appropriate level of course and we thought that the curriculum on offer was well-balanced. The core items comprised subjects such as English/Communications, Mathematics and Computing whilst the options included Art, Craft and Scottish History. There had been attempts to include Music but efforts to recruit a guitar tutor had thus far been unsuccessful. Most courses on offer led to national certification under the SQA and reasonable success had been achieved by candidates. In particular, excellent work was being done in Art, with some students having had successes in national competitions. A very successful link had also been established with local business by the launching of a Young Enterprise project, which involved the formation of a company that identified a product, sold shares and attempted to make a profit. There was clear evidence that participation in that project had contributed positively to the personal development of those involved.
6.36 The quality of the educational provision was generally good. Similarly, relationships between staff and students were good. The curriculum was well balanced and the Young Enterprise project is an item of best practice that deserves credit.
6.37 We were disappointed to note that access to education was virtually confined to YOs, with no provision for remands and only 'Open Learning' for female prisoners. We suggest, therefore, that management should address this issue with the aim of extending the educational provision to all categories of prisoners in the establishment. Some preliminary work on computerised timetables could usefully be extended to the benefit of management, staff and students.
6.38 We were unable to inspect the library as it was closed due to the reconstruction work.
6.39 There were three Chaplains working in the Institution -; viz., two Church of Scotland (C of S) Ministers who attended for six and four hours respectively and a Roman Catholic (RC) Priest who was contracted for seven hours a week. An RC Mass was held on Saturday morning with the C of S service being on Sunday morning.
6.40 At the time of inspection, there were two problems affecting the provision of the Chaplaincy service. Firstly, the senior C of S Chaplain had been on long term sick leave - though it appeared he might be returning to duty shortly. Secondly, the refurbishment programme meant that the Chapel had been out of use for some time and as a result, the Chaplains were currently having to use a 'symposium' room for their services.
6.41 In addition to the traditional services, over the last two years the Chaplains had run four Alpha courses, each of ten weeks duration for up to 30 participants. These courses had replaced Bible classes and appeared to be well suited to the particular needs of YOs.
6.42 Despite the two major difficulties referred to above, it appeared that the Chaplains were managing to fulfil their statutory requirements and were providing a full range of pastoral duties. However, although they were also involved in other regime activities, including induction, they were not represented on any local Committees -; for example, the ACT Strategy Group. The Chaplains also said that they still had difficulty in gaining access to those being held in the Segregation Unit and described difficulties over the toleration of sex offenders by others at services or religious classes.
(i) Visits
6.43 The visits area was in the Administration block and consisted of a visitors' waiting room with toilet facilities, a visit room and closed visits area. Adjacent to the visit room was an area where agents' visits took place. The visits complex was a no smoking area and although this had led to some complaints initially, the practice was now well established and contributed significantly to the bright and fresh atmosphere. Information for visitors was displayed on TV screens in the waiting room and visitors' information sheets for adult prisoners and YOs were also freely available.
6.44 The visit room normally accommodated up to 20 YOs/prisoners and their visitors at one time. There was also a small, unsupervised play area for children with a play house, TV and video. A canteen, staffed by members of the WRVS, provided a range of snack foods and drinks which was much appreciated by visitors, some of whom travelled considerable distances. (On the first day of our visit we were told of parents travelling from Inverness for a two hour visit with their son.) Those on closed visits could not use the facility, though it was available to their visitors.
6.45 Visits for remand and local prisoners took place between Monday and Friday in the afternoons, whilst visits for YOs were at the weekend for two hours in the afternoon. Initially, YOs were allowed two such visits per month but as they progressed through their sentence, this allowance increased to three. However, we were pleased to note that, in accordance with the Governor's policy, visit entitlements were being exceeded as a matter of course.
(ii) Family Contact Development Officer
6.46 The FCDO was the gate Supervisor who had been in post for some three years. As part of the induction programme, either he or a member of his team briefed the YOs about family access, arrangements for financial help with travelling for visitors and contact with SACRO, who provided a bus service for visitors. He also provided information for staff as part of their induction programme.
6.47 He had conducted a survey to establish the numbers and various ages of children visiting the establishment in order to provide an appropriate range of activities to meet their needs. It was planned to visit HMPs Shotts and Barlinnie over the next few months to exchange ideas and experiences about improving family contact.
(iii) Prisoners' Visitors
6.48 Prior to our arrival, a notice had been published extending an invitation to visitors to speak with members of the Inspectorate team but no visitors had responded formally. We did, however, take the opportunity to speak informally to some visitors who confirmed that, in general terms, they were happy with the arrangements and with the courteous way they were received by staff. They also expressed their appreciation of the facilities provided by the WRVS.
6.49 Access to family had been rated highly by both YOs and prisoners in the latest Prison Survey, with it being said that facilities for children and flexibility in arranging visits had been the greatest improvements. On a separate issue, we suggest that the lockers for visitors' personal effects should be located somewhere other than their present location in the actual visit room.
6.50 The Lifer Liaison Officer was the Residential Manager for YOs; his Deputy was a Residential Supervisor. At the time of our inspection, 34 YOs out of a population of 79 had been convicted of murder and were either serving life sentences or because they had been sentenced under the age of 18, were being detained without limit of time.
6.51 On average, around four YOs serving long-term sentences, including lifers, were transferred to Dumfries every month, shortly after conviction and usually following a brief period at HMYOI Polmont. There was a two week induction programme (see also paragraph 6.7) following which, a case conference was convened and each YO was then allocated to a work party.
5.52 The Deputy LLO had completed a project on setting up a Lifers Liaison Group as part of his personal development plan and in August 1997, a report had been submitted to the Governor. This proposed establishing such a Group to provide lifers and their families with necessary information to help them structure their sentence and offer appropriate support. The reason for carrying out the study had been to address a general lack of motivation and self-worth which had been perceived, particularly among the lifer population. It was felt that this was due in part to the insecurity and uncertainty that is an intrinsic part of an indeterminate sentence. This was even more relevant in the case of YOs who, shortly after their 21st birthday, would be transferred to the adult prison system during the early part of their sentence. (It has been widely recognised that this can be an unsettling period and YOs' preferences are therefore considered whenever possible.)
5.53 There was a perception generally held by young lifers that there were only limited opportunities open to them and that there was a perceived lack of understanding about the reasons behind their criminal behaviour. It was also felt that staff did not have the necessary knowledge to be able to offer the proper level of support. To address these issues, a survey had been conducted which had concluded that YOs as a group would welcome the opportunity to speak with an adult lifer who had progressed to an open prison; to discuss parole issues with a member of the Parole Board; to enlist the active support of their families and provide them with progress reports; to improve induction procedures; and to have access to reference material.
6.54 At the time of our inspection, an information booklet had been issued and a lifers' families open day had been held in September 1998 and had been attended by a member of the Parole Board. It was planned to repeat the event this year. Arrangements to establish a Lifers Group, which would be addressed by an adult lifer from HMP Penninghame, had yet to be finalised.
6.55 The proportion of lifers was very high, at almost one half of the YO population. The establishment had tried commendably to meet the needs of this group by providing information for them and their families. Nevertheless, we believe that YOs should have access to an induction process appropriate to their needs, similar to that for very long term adult prisoners -; see paragraph 6.9.
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