We spend plenty of time in this job visiting grim, drug-infested establishments where demotivated prisoners are supervised by demoralised staff. Then we give tough feedback to beleaguered leaders who are operating in what are often difficult circumstances. Sometimes however, things feel very different.
Haverigg is a category D PCOSO prison on a windswept peninsular that juts out into the north sea in Cumbria. The prison has had a troubled history. It was previously a category C jail that was troubled with violence and drugs, but in 2019 it was re-rolled to become a category D. There has been quite a remarkable transformation and our team found a well-motivated, knowledgeable staff cohort that was committed to helping prisoners prepare for their return to the community. There was an admirable focus on getting prisoners into jobs with companies that could provide work after release, whichever part of the country they were returning to. The prison also provided a very good range of services and activities that encouraged men to mix and avoid the sort of isolation that can often be a factor in reoffending.
It was a relaxed and enjoyable week that was complemented by perfect weather – blue sky and light winds – in a jail where in the past, an inspector got stuck in a snow drift.
Last week I gave a talk to students at London City University where I had been invited by Jas Sohal our previous RT. She was on tenterhooks, waiting to find out if she had been appointed as a research assistant back with HMIP Prisons. I am delighted to say that she was successful and all going well we look forward to welcoming her back some time in the summer.
On my way up to the NPM conference in Edinburgh, I stopped off at Hatfield, another 4444 scoring open prison. The governor makes a point of not having the sorts of manicured gardens we often see in this sort of jail because he wants the men out in the community working. With the best employment on release rates of any prison in the country, it was hard to disagree with the policy.