Inspectors to HMP Spring Hill in Brendon Underwood found it was a safe and reasonably respectful establishment, but the prisoners held there were underemployed and unmotivated by the work, education, and activities programmes.
The prison held 241 men, 70 of whom were in full-time paid work, training, or education. Although leaders and managers had reintroduced almost the full range of educational and vocational courses and work opportunities, access to release on temporary licence (ROTL) was limited. Too few prisoners had benefitted from the opportunity to leave the prison for work and felt little motivation to complete on site activities.
Recovery from pandemic restrictions was playing a part in delays of ROTL. Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons said: “When the regime reaches its final, settled state, more than half of prisoners should be out at work every day.”
They had also found that accommodation was unfit for purpose. Three large houseblocks had been condemned, meaning the jail was not operating at full capacity. Prisoners’ rooms in the old and deteriorating huts were in urgent need of refurbishment, although the 40 prisoners held in the new pods installed during the pandemic had much better facilities.
A copy of the full report, published on 19 August 2022, can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/
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