Urgent improvements needed at Exeter Prison
It follows a new report, which a prison reform charity says is 'one of the worst' they've seen
Exeter Prison has been given an urgent notification to improve, after a highly critical report from inspectors.
The report, based on an unannounced inspection conducted last year, found four main areas of concern:
1. National leaders had failed to provide stability of leadership at the prison.
Exeter had had three governors, eight deputy governors and eight heads of safety since our previous inspection. This instability of leadership impeded progress at a high-risk site.
2. The number of self-inflicted deaths and incidents of self-harm was very high.
Care for prisoners who were vulnerable on arrival or those who were in crisis while in custody was poor.
3. The lack of clinical leadership and chronic staff shortages across the service had a detrimental impact on patient safety and the provision of care, particularly in the area of mental health. This resulted in practice that did not meet national standards and unmet need for many patients.
4. Many prisoners spent too long locked in their cells, purposeful activity was not prioritised, and few prisoners took advantage of what was offered, limiting their prospects of rehabilitation and reducing reoffending.
Also highlighted were high levels of violence, 'transactional' relationships between staff and prisoners, and a poor standard of cells.
'Things have not improved'
In the introduction to the report, inspector Charlie Taylor wrote, "It has had a troubled recent history and in 2018 was subjected to an urgent notification because of its inability to keep the prisoners in its care safe.
"Four years on, I am disappointed to report that things have not improved at anything like the rate that we would have expected.
"Although this report points to some small improvements and some potentially promising work, the levels of care, particularly for the most vulnerable, were still nowhere near good enough."
'One of the worst reports we've seen for some time'
Rob Preece from the charity The Howard League for Penal Reform told us, "The Howard League for Penal Reform looks at prison reports every week of the year, and this is one of the worst we've seen for some time.
He adds, “Inspectors first raised the alarm seven years ago, when they noticed a severe decline in safety, respect and help given to people preparing for release.
"When they returned in 2018, self-harm had risen by 40 per cent, assaults had doubled, and one in seven men said that they had developed a problem with drugs since arriving at the prison.
“In 2021, the watchdog found men locked in their cells for more than 22 hours each day.
"Relationships between people living and working in the prison were not good enough, and inspectors concluded that significant progress was needed to make it safer.
“How are prisons such as Exeter helping to keep the public safe? Any serious attempt to reduce crime would begin with investment in housing, education and jobs, and a commitment to ensure that people are given the support they need.”