Inspection finds dirty cells in Thames Valley court custody

An official inspection of court custody facilities across Thames Valley found detainees were sometimes held in cold, dirty cells, missed out on support, and faced long waits for release or transfer.

Detainees in court custody across Thames Valley were found to be held in unclean and uncomfortable conditions, with some locked up for long periods in cold cells without proper cleaning or support.

Inspectors visited custody areas in courts across the region and reported stained walls, ingrained dirt on floors, and cells without natural light. “Too many cells were in a poor state,” the report said. “We found debris on benches, ingrained dirt on floors, stains on walls, some offensive graffiti and potential ligature points.”

Some detainees complained that the cells were “cold and uncomfortable,” particularly those kept in them for long hours. The cells were not always cleaned between uses, and many toilets were described as dirty, with some missing seats and lacking soap or toilet paper in proper dispensers.

The report said that although some improvements had been made since the last inspection, a number of key issues had not been addressed. These included missed safeguarding opportunities, delays in release planning, and problems with medical care.

Inspectors found that while staff generally looked after detainees well, important risks were sometimes missed. In some cases, detainees were released without checks on whether they had somewhere to go, or whether they needed help with housing or other problems. The report noted that staff often rushed the release process, saying: “Some custody staff, in their desire to release detainees quickly, often rushed risk assessments and failed to enquire properly into detainees’ circumstances on release.”

Some vulnerable detainees were left without help. “We saw some important missed opportunities to safeguard vulnerable detainees who were released,” inspectors said. Staff often did not refer people to liaison and diversion services, which can help with problems like homelessness, addiction, and mental health.

In one example, children were found locked alone in cells, despite being accompanied by trained staff. Inspectors said this had happened on two occasions during the visit, and some staff said it was “common”, which was described in the report as “poor practice”.

There were also delays in getting detainees out of custody. In cases where permission from a prison governor was needed before a person could be released, only 28% were resolved within an hour. In almost one in five cases, detainees had to wait over three hours.

Detainees were sometimes released wearing police-issue clothing, which some said was “humiliating”. Staff also often failed to give people enough help to get home, relying on dropping them at a nearby train station even when a bus would have been better.

The standard of food in custody had fallen since the last inspection. Microwave meals were described as poor and sometimes only given at set times, meaning some detainees went hungry. One photograph showed a ready meal smaller than an A4 notepad.

There were also concerns around medical care. Staff could contact a medical advice line and issue paracetamol, but updates to first aid training only took place every three years. Some defibrillators were not ready for use, and not all staff had regular mental health training. In some cases, detainees did not receive medicines they had been prescribed while in police custody, particularly those used to manage withdrawal from drugs or alcohol.

Body-worn video cameras had been introduced and were carried by most staff. Use of force was said to be rare and usually low-level, but inspectors saw examples of unnecessary searching and handcuffing, including of children and elderly detainees.

A previous report had recommended that all graffiti be removed and that cleaning be improved, but inspectors said this had “not been achieved”. The report said: “Outstanding repairs across the court custody suites should be completed promptly. All offensive graffiti should be removed immediately.”

The inspection was carried out jointly by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. The full report was shared with HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

We have approached Serco and the Ministry of Justice for a comment.

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