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HMP Long Lartin and HMP Whitemoor – squalid conditions a sign of wider concerns

Two maximum security prisons are effectively discharging their duties to keep dangerous criminals behind bars, but are missing important opportunities to support prisoners in reducing their future risk of harm.

HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire and HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire both hold men serving long or indeterminate sentences and considered to pose a significant risk of harm to the public. The populations of high security prisons tend to be more stable than those where prisoners are serving shorter sentences, and there should therefore be ample opportunity for prison staff to build effective relationships with prisoners, supporting their longer-term reduction of risk. This was not evident in either jail.

At Long Lartin, assaults on staff were also higher than other prisons while at Whitemoor, far fewer prisoners said staff treated them with respect than in other comparable prisons, and two-thirds said they had experienced some form of victimisation from staff.

Key working, where a named member of staff meets regularly with a prisoner to support them through their time in custody, was not well used in either prison, and both had very poor regimes with too few prisoners taking part in interventions to reduce their risk, or education or employment to occupy their time meaningfully. At Long Lartin, severe staffing issues restricted activity. At Whitemoor, an overcomplicated regime often led to activities or attendance at education being cancelled.

Men spent most of their time locked alone in their cells and described a sense of hopelessness. At Long Lartin, the rate of self-harm had doubled since the last inspection and was the highest among comparable prisons. Leaders believed that the lack of key working, which they were unable to deliver due to severe staff shortages, underpinned rising self-harm.

High security prisons hold some of the most dangerous prisoners in England and Wales, and their first priority must of course be protecting the public by keeping  them securely within prison walls. But reducing the risk posed by these men is also a vital part of the work of high security prisons: they should be supported in understanding their offending behaviour so that the risk that they pose to prison staff and other prisoners while detained, and to the public on release, is reduced. Both Long Lartin and Whitemoor had fundamentally lost their way. Neither prison was fulfilling this function effectively and they were not even discharging their duty to maintain clean and decent facilities. Both prisons need to take urgent action to improve.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

The physical conditions of both prisons needed urgent attention. Whitemoor was described as being the dirtiest prison the Chief Inspector had seen, with what appeared to be a blood stain uncleaned for several days of the inspection, serveries left uncleaned overnight and overflowing rubbish. At Long Lartin, the ageing facilities were failing: heating and often water did not work, roofs leaked, there were no in-cell toilets in older wings and men relied on buckets which they emptied out of their cell windows as they waited so long for them to be removed and cleaned and the smell became unbearable. Given how long men were held in their cells, this was appalling. Both prisons, unsurprisingly, were battling with rodent infestations.

Nobody should be held in the squalid conditions that we saw in these two prisons. The way a prison is maintained sends a strong signal about its general healthiness. I hope that each institution will use our inspection findings as the opportunity to reflect and hit reset.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Notes to editors

  1. Read the HMP Long Lartin report and the HMP Whitemoor report, both published on 12 April 2023.
  2. 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.
  3. HMP Long Lartin and Whitemoor are both high-security prisons for category A and B male prisoners. They hold mostly those with a determinate sentence of over 10 years, as well as lifers and prisoners with an indeterminate sentence for public protection.
  4. At the time of this inspection, HMP Long Lartin held 478 prisoners and HMP Whitemoor 315.
  5. Inspectors identified two examples of notable positive practice during this inspection.
  6. The inspection of HMP Long Lartin took place between 5-16 December 2022.
  7. The inspection of HMP Whitemoor took place between 5-15 December 2022.
  8. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.