The state of a crumbling jail where high risk prisoners are released into homelessness and the risks caused by sex offenders were mismanaged was laid bare in a damning inspection report.
HMP Risley, a Category C prison in Warrington, was in such a poor state at the time inspectors made their rounds that some areas were "beyond repair". The report, after an unannounced visit by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in April, described the lack of accredited programmes to address sexual harm as an "astonishing failure" by the prison service at a jail where around 40% of the population are sex offenders.
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Measures to manage risk were also poor. In one example a prisoner, who was not allowed to have images of children, received a photograph of a child in his mail because "post-room staff were not always aware of which prisoners were subject to restrictions."
Risley is classed as a men's re-settlement prison intended to help prisoners prepare for release, housing just over 1,000 inmates. However the report slammed the lack of work and education programmes, and noted that prisoners without jobs were locked up for 22 hours a day.
The scathing inspection noted:
- Public protection arrangements were "inadequate" and the offender management unit was "understaffed"
- No accredited courses for Risley's large population of sex offenders despite concerns being raised as far back as 2016
- The prison's "poor living conditions" had deteriorated since they were raised in the last inspection with the "mouldy" showers singled out for their "appalling condition".
- Prisoners were paid as little as £10.20 per week for often "boring and repetitive" full time roles, which the report suggested added to levels of debt and contributed to violence on the wings.
- There was no dental care facilities in the prison, with inmates having to be transported to other prisons in small groups for treatment
The inspectorate raised six "priority concerns" and seven "key concerns", including living conditions, high levels of self-harm, lack of onsite dental facilities and problems with providing education and rehabilitation programmes.
Charlie Taylor, the government's Chief Inspector of Prisons, wrote: "Inspectors were particularly concerned about the public protection arrangements at Risley. The offender management unit was understaffed and there was insufficient support from probation services; this meant that some of the public protection arrangements were inadequate, men were not supported to reduce their risk of harm, and preparations for release were often not good enough."
Elsewhere in the report, the inspectors wrote: "Some high-risk prisoners were released homeless, systems to monitor phone calls and other contact were not managed effectively, and some were leaving having had little or no interaction with a prison offender manager.
"Some high-risk prisoners, including those convicted of sexual offences who were due to be released in the following seven days, did not have a robust risk management plan. As a result, some were sent to very temporary placements or simply directed to report as homeless to the council on the day of their release, which was poor."
The parts of the prison estate concerned with sex offenders was not the only cause of concern, however.
Prison managers had not, said the report, identified that while the overall level of violence in the prison was low and its score for safety had improved, the rate of violence in the general population excluding sex offenders was higher than average.
The prison did receive praise for "excellent work with Cheshire Police" in reducing drugs supply. However, Chief Inspector Taylor wrote: Levels of self-harm remained too high and support was patchy for these prisoners and for those who were a suicide risk…. Violence and self-harm were often related to prisoners being in debt to others. There was little constructive help for these prisoners and their situation was worsened by low wages."
The report noted that a specialist wing housing the prison's 200 strong population of foreign prisoners, some detained beyond the end of their sentences under immigration rules, "were some of the worst in the jail" with some inmates experiencing racism and language barriers.
As well as the "appalling" situation with the prison's showers, the state of the segregation unit was singled out by inspectors. The report said: "There had been little effort to improve conditions in the segregation unit, and the environment remained poor. Cells were grubby and toilet were heavily stained.
"During the inspection, there was a prisoner in distress whose cell had stained walls and rubbish strewn across the floor. The communal shower area needed refurbishment or replacement and the two small exercise yards, although cleaned daily, were grim."
The report concluded: "If Risley is to prepare prisoners adequately for their eventual release, it must provide far more purposeful activity that gives prisoners the skills and experience they need to settle successfully on release. The prison must also make sure that its critical public protection function is being met, particularly for the large population of prisoners convicted of sexual offences."
In response to the report, the prisons service said Risley has rolled out schemes to tackle self harm and has introduced new classes and qualifications in industries like construction.
A spokesman for the Prison Service said: “We accept improvements must be made and we are already taking decisive action to address the serious issues raised in this report.
“We are recruiting more probation officers at HMP Risley to improve the risk-assessment of serious offenders and rolling out a dedicated programme to better manage sex offenders. We are also now supporting prisoners at risk of homelessness when released with basic, temporary housing while they find a more permanent home.”
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