HMP Ranby – much safer but far too little purposeful activity
Inspectors to HMP Ranby, a category C training and resettlement prison in Nottinghamshire, found that prisoners and staff were now much safer, but this improvement was let down by poor provision of purposeful activity.
Over half of the 948 prisoners at the time of the inspection were unemployed and spending up to 23 hours a day behind their doors. Well-resourced workshops sat empty, as did the library, and few prisoners attended classes. A substantial number of prisoners had poor English and mathematics skills but received no help to improve them, and low literacy skills were not addressed.
Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, said:
“The prison must break out of its COVID-19 inertia and provide meaningful, well-planned, and structured activities.”
However, there had been improvements across every aspect of HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ safety test, and the flow of drugs into the prison, which had been a chief cause of violence in the jail at previous inspection in 2016 and 2018, had been stemmed with improvements to perimeter security, the use of dogs, and the introduction of body scanners. Violence had reduced significantly – assaults against fellow prisoners had reduced by almost half, and against staff by 39%. Inspectors judged the prison to have improved its safety score from ‘not sufficiently good’ to ‘good’ – an impressive achievement.
Leaders struggled to provide adequate resettlement provision for Ranby’s population. The prison was out of step with its remit as a training prison with 65% of its prisoners having been transferred there for resettlement purposes. Prisoners were also frustrated with how little they were able to communicate with their offender manager.
At the time of our inspection, Ranby was not operating as a category C training prison. Just being safe is not good enough, and if it is to fulfil its essential function in giving prisoners the skills, knowledge, confidence and work ethic to support them on their return to the community, then leaders urgently need to get them into the workshops and classrooms which should be a thriving part of this jail.
Notes to editors
- Read the HMP Ranby report, published on 12 July 2022.
- HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
- Ranby was converted in the early 1970s from its original use as a World War II army camp. Some purpose-built accommodation was added to the complex in the 1980s, and two further wings were opened in February 1996. Two more wings were opened in summer 1998, and a further one in March 2008.
- At the time of this inspection, the establishment held 948 prisoners.
- Inspectors identified four examples of notable positive practice.
- This inspection took place on 21–22 March and 4–8 April 2022.
- Please contact media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.