Abstract
Life in prison: The first 24 hours in prison
This report is described as a findings paper and provides a summary of the literature relating to reception practices and a prisoner’s first 24 hours in prison. It focuses on evidence from recent inspections of local prisons undertaken by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) and survey data from inspection reports published between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015. The paper emphasizes the importance of the reception and induction process in the context of the prisoner’s overall experience of their custodial sentence.
The paper recognizes that arrival at prison can be a daunting and distressing experience. Appropriate support and reassurance are important to manage the anxiety experienced by new arrivals. Figures released by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) indicate that 10 per cent of the suicides investigated between 2007 and 2013 had occurred during a prisoner’s first three days in custody. Reports reviewed showed inconsistencies in safeguarding between prison establishments. One inspection found that health care staff and reception nurses did not always have adequate time to make health assessments or were not passed Person Escort Records or Self-Harm Warning Forms.
Similar inconsistencies were found in the use and completion of Cell Sharing Risk Assessment (CRSA) forms. These were introduced following the racist murder of Zahid Mubarek by his cell mate in 2000. A 2014 Inspectorate found that whilst the introduction of the assessment was a welcome initiative, staff were not being trained properly in its use and it was being completed and reviewed inconsistently across the prison estate.
The findings from the literature indicate that prisoners’ experience of the first 24 hours varied dramatically and that different institutions had varying degrees of success in meeting these expectations. For example HMP Eastwood Park provided a good standard of information on what to expect next, with leaflets in 16 languages and TV screens providing a video update on the prison regime. HMP Wormwood Scrubs by contrast provided no information to occupy prisoners and new arrivals were housed in austere holding cells that were described as smelling badly and disfigured by graffiti.
Some vulnerable prisoners raised concerns that they did not feel adequately separated or safeguarded which heightened their feelings of vulnerability. A common complaint was the length of time it took to be processed upon reception. Prisoners had often had lengthy journeys or waits in prison vans, however only 40 per cent of men at local prisons reported being in reception for less than two hours and some reported waits of significantly longer. Seventy three per cent of respondents at men’s local prisons reported that they felt safe on their first night in custody; 75 per cent of those surveyed at local women’s prisons reported that they felt safe on their first night in custody. First night centres varied in their quality and level of preparation; some were found to be clean and well equipped whereas other establishments had facilities that were dirty and ill prepared.
New prisoners rely on staff members and other prisoners peer support for reassurance and reducing anxiety levels. The report highlights the need for new arrivals to be able to access this peer-to-peer support. Unfortunately many of the establishments inspected had no established formal peer support scheme for those new to the establishment. Where this support was available it was found to be usually of a very good level; however peer supporters sometimes had access to very personal information or were carrying out tasks that should have been performed by formal staff members. The report also raises concerns about routine strip-searching being the norm in many establishments and that this was being carried out with no risk assessment or adequate information being given to the prisoner. This findings paper is a very useful summary of a significant number of inspections and surveys that relate to a prisoners’ reception into custody. It highlights the issues they face at a time when they are particularly vulnerable and prone to anxiety, and suggests areas of improvement that can be implemented across the prison estate.
Life in Prison: The First 24 Hours in Prison. A Findings Paper by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, published in November 2015, available at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons