Report reveals impact of overcrowding at Erlestoke prison
The Independent Monitoring Board has raised concerns linked to limited prison spaces
A report into life at Wiltshire's HMP Erlestoke prison has highlighted the impact of overcrowding.
The review, carried out each year by the Independent Monitoring Board, says the shortage of spaces is impacting life in the prison.
The board has raised concerns about the frequent changes to release criteria is putting staff under significant pressure and that the healthcare needs of elderly inmates haven't been met on occasion.
IMB chair Laura Bell spoke to Greatest Hits Radio about the concerns raised in the report.
She told us the Offender Management Unit is having to re-evaluate the case of each prisoner, amid attempts to free up spaces.
They have to assess whether changes are relevant to an inmate of not, an task complicated due to most inmates having more than one offence.
Laura said: "It means that there isn't necessarily time to prepare the prisoners for release effectively, so in terms of finding the jobs or finding somewhere to live, or just really basic things like setting up bank accounts because some of these guys will have been in prison for quite a long time."
And with an ageing prisoner population, Laura told us prisons can be left short of the required expertise to manage healthcare for older inmates.
Almost a fifth of prisoners are over 50 years old at Erlestoke, with five in their 70s.
But the biggest issue is the lack of 24 hour care - with nothing running overnight.
"If you have got somebody who's very old and very frail, it can be very hard for anybody to look after them. The officers aren't trained, they do their absolute best, but they're not trained," Laura said, adding that this is a national issue and that it is raised to the Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation, James Timpson.
Positives and improvements
While the report has raised concerns, it has praised improvements that are having a major impact within the prison.
Staff turnover is down, which is allowing officers to build connections with inmates, meaning they are able to help them with some of their problems.
This is borne out by the statistic of self-harming incidents dropping a third in the last year.
Laura told us the staff are "more experienced and more confident in managing the prision population".
There's also been improvements in the induction process.
The induction cells were previously "not fit for purpose", according to Laura, but they've noted in the report that these cells have been tidied up and are of a better standard.
"It's just little things like they've got shower curtains, because if you're in a cell with somebody else and you haven't got a shower curtain, that can be really demeaning and against someone's decency. So it's that sort of thing that has been a success," Laura said.
Other highlights include the Erlestoke being one of four prisons delivering the progression regime, which is to help prisoners provide sufficient evidence to the Parole Board.
During the last year 17 men were released (12 were serving imprisonment for public protection sentences) and nine transferred to open conditions, the most since the scheme started at the prison.
and despite ever growing food costs and modest budget of £3 per prisoner per day, staff in the kitchens have maintained a varied and innovative menu.
The prison’s gardens are providing an increasing range of fresh vegetables to supplement supplies.
The full report can be read here.