HMP Elmley – stagnation in prisoner outcomes
Inspectors to HMP Elmley, a category B and C prison, found a facility that had made little progress since the last inspection nearly three years ago. The Isle of Sheppey prison was judged ‘not sufficiently good’ in all four healthy prison tests. Education provision was particularly poor for the 1,095 men held there, and governance of use of force had slipped.
The temporary governor was popular with prisoners and staff. Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, was pleased to see that the governor had “made some progress in building a more rehabilitative culture.”
Prisoners were unlocked for a good proportion of the day but education provision was poor. Ofsted judged education at Elmley as ‘inadequate’, highlighting the failure to consider prisoner needs when planning the curriculum. It was disappointing that few prisoners, especially those studying English and mathematics, were achieving their qualifications. Teachers did not mark initial assessments in these subjects accurately, and neither was good feedback provided to help prisoners learn from mistakes. Although leaders had put plans in place to stimulate progress, it was too early to see the effects.
Use of force at Elmley was 20% higher since the last inspection, with 361 recorded instances in the last 12 months. Documentation did not convincingly detail the circumstances where batons or PAVA spray had been used, and there were no subsequent investigations to assure that their use had been proportionate. Despite the availability of body-worn cameras, they were sometimes activated too late or not at all. In the footage inspectors did see, it was encouraging to see good examples of de-escalation.
Staff were generally effective and had built positive relationships with prisoners. They did well to provide daily visits and good time out of cell despite staff shortages and COVID-19 restrictions.
Elmley had the highest number of complaints of all local prisons in England and Wales. Many prisoners reported frustration with the applications system and were waiting too long or did not get responses to multiple applications. Leaders were beginning to analyse complaints to understand the issues.
Mr Taylor said:
“There is much to build on at Elmley with many good staff members and a leadership team that has grown in confidence. The prison will need to continue to be led effectively and creatively if it is to build on the findings of this inspection.”
Notes to editors
- Read the HMP Elmley report, published on 21 June 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.
- Elmley opened in 1992 and is the largest of the three prisons on the Isle of Sheppey. Since the 2019 inspection it has changed its role; while its primary function is to receive remand prisoners from the courts, its secondary purpose is now as a training establishment for a large population of sentenced category C prisoners (almost 500 currently).
- Elmley is a category B reception and category C training prison for adult males.
- At the time of this inspection, the establishment held 1,095 prisoners.
- Inspectors identified three examples of notable positive practice.
- This inspection took place between 28 February – 1 March and 7-11 March 2022.
- Please contact media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.