Shropshire Star

Weapons, drugs and alcohol found at Shropshire prison

Weapons, drugs and alcohol have been found at Shropshire's only prison, a report has revealed.

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Levels of violence at Stoke Heath Prison, near Market Drayton, were found to be high and "psychoactive" substances are also readily available.

The report by chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick suggested the availability of drugs and alcohol contributed to poor behaviour among inmates, but acknowledged most incidents were "low level".

  • Offender management processes need to focus more on reducing prisoners’ risk of reoffending

  • Levels of violence are high and there had been some concerning finds of weapons, but most incidents were low level

  • Many prisoners are under-occupied and although the amount of work, training and education has increased, it is still insufficient to meet the needs of the population

He also said staff at the prison could do more to reduce the risk of prisoners reoffending following their release.

Mr Hardwick did say the prison was managing reasonably well and inspectors were pleased to find that it cared well for the most vulnerable men it held.

The report followed an unannounced inspection of the prison carried out between April 13 and 23, when it housed more than 700 prisoners.

The report said: "Levels of violence were high and there had been some concerning finds of weapons, but most incidents were low level.

"Managers felt, and we agreed, that levels of violence were likely to be linked to the high availability of alcohol and drugs, including new psychoactive substances, and the behaviour of young adults."

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said: "The governor and his staff have worked hard to make real improvements at the same time as managing significant change.

"The prison will now use the findings of this report to develop and improve further, including through an enhanced strategy to tackle and reduce prisoner violence."

  • HMP/YOI Stoke Heath is a closed adult male category C establishment with a young adult designation and small remand function.

  • There is also a small 16-bed category D unit for prisoners “trusted in open conditions”.

  • It is a designated resettlement prison for Wales, taking prisoners primarily from HMPs Swansea, Cardiff, Altcourse in Merseyside and Parc in Bridgend.

The report also found low levels of self-harm and said the relationships between staff and prisoners were among the strengths at SDoke Heath.

It found the use of force was high but well managed and the quality of activities was good and the achievements of prisoners were outstanding.

But inspectors also found health care screening of new arrivals was inconsistent and support for prisoners with protected characteristics varied.

The report said: "Levels of self-harm were low for this type of prison, and several complex cases had been very well managed. Prisoners in crisis said they felt well supported.

"Use of force was high but well managed. During the inspection we observed two incidents where there were good attempts at de-escalation before force was used in a proportionate way. The quality of activities was good and the achievements of prisoners were outstanding. There was a very welcome focus on functional skills such as maths and English."

But the report added: "In our view, many prisoners were under-occupied and boredom contributed to poor behaviour. The prison was overcrowded, some cells were very small and the overall environment was worn.

"Prisoners complained they could not get access to cleaning materials but cells were generally clean. A high proportion of prisoners had been involved in domestic violence offences, but there was no work done to address this behaviour."

The report, which followed an unannounced inspection of the prison carried out from April 13 to 23, has made a number of recommendations to prison bosses.

"The violence reduction strategy should be revised and data collation improved so that the prison can draw meaningful conclusions about safety and take action to address this," the report said.

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said the prison will now use the findings of this report in order to improve.

A copy of the full report can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons at www.justiceinspectorate.gov.uk/hmiprisons

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