HMP Durham – notable fall in violence but serious shortfalls in health care
Leaders at HMP Durham, a men’s category B prison covering the north of England, had brought down levels of violence by almost two-thirds since the previous inspection, said HM Inspectorate of Prisons. Joint working between security, drug strategy and safety managers had led to the reduction, and the rate of violence and disorder was below the average for a local prison in England. This was reflected in the Inspectorate’s survey of prisoners, where fewer men than at the previous inspection said they had experienced verbal abuse, physical assault, threats or intimidation, or theft.
Much credit must go to the impressive governor and to what was a generally strong leadership team, who had worked together to reduce the supply of drugs into the prison. This had contributed to a more than 60% fall in violence since our last inspection, making the prison one of the safer category B locals in the country. Throughout the inspection the prison felt calm and generally well-ordered.
But inspectors also found that more needed to be done to help a significant proportion of the population who required support for complex mental ill health and substance misuse. There were long delays for routine GP appointments – 264 prisoners were on the waiting list during the inspection, some of whom had been waiting more than eight weeks. Many new arrivals did not receive health care screening and deficiencies with the appointment booking system added to problems in accessing care.
The quality of health care in every area, from GP appointments to mental health provision, was suffering from some serious staff shortages. Prisoners frequently complained to inspectors about the difficulties in getting treatment or medication.
Inspectors underlined the potentially illegitimate use of force and poor practice in some cases, despite an overall decline in physical intervention. Urgent action was required to make sure staff received the training they needed and effective systems were in place so incidents could be reviewed.
Prisoners spent too long locked in their cells, particularly if they had just arrived at the prison – some could only spend half an hour in the open air every day and 45 minutes undertaking domestic tasks. There were not enough activities or work, and the education provider had been too slow to restore face-to-face educational and vocational training workshops. A worrying 43% of men, including some high-risk prisoners, were released from the prison without suitable accommodation to go to.
Durham prison has shown some impressive improvements since our last inspection and the governor and his team should be proud of the progress the jail has made, particularly considering the challenges caused by the pandemic. The inspection team left optimistic that if senior leaders remain in post and the issues raised in this report are addressed, the prison can continue to make good progress.
Notes to editors
- Read the HMP Durham report, published on 11 March 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.
- HMP Durham opened in 1819 and was rebuilt in 1881. From May 2017, its main role was as a reception prison holding adult men aged 21 and over and young adults aged 18 and over. It serves the courts of Tyneside, Teesside, Durham and Cumbria and is a publicly run prison.
- Inspectors identified one example of notable positive practice during this inspection.
- The inspection took place on 15 and 22–26 November 2021.
- Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.