HMP/YOI Brinsford

What we found

After promising work to address Brinsford’s culture, prisoners told inspectors they felt safer and middle managers said the atmosphere in the jail had improved substantially. Recorded rates of violence among prisoners remained high but were slowly falling over the last six months.

Prisoner attendance at education was compromised by staff absences and course closures, the regime caused most prisoners to arrive late to their activities and the range of work available still did not meet the needs of the population.

Showers on the main residential wing were still in a very poor condition, with wood rotting away, mildew and, in some, infestations of small flies.

Points to note: The use of PAVA was high and governance around it was weak. Poor public protection work was exacerbated by the pressure to release prisoners with outstanding needs as part of the government’s early release scheme. However, innovative approaches to reducing prisoners’ reliance on sedative medication had been effective.