Report published 23 July

Close supervision centres

Type of inspection: full inspection

Dates of inspection: 18 March – 17 April 2024

Summary of findings: Close supervision centres (CSCs) are small, specialist units located within six of the high security prisons. They represent the deepest form of custody in the country, holding some of the most dangerous men in the prison system, who have committed serious, often repeated, acts of violence against others while in prison. Inspectors found that units were well led and were remarkably stable with infrequent incidents of violence, no self-inflicted deaths and low levels of self-harm. The quality of relationships between staff and prisoners were good, with staff evidencing commendable resilience in their dealings with prisoners. The quality of multidisciplinary working, and the individualised support and planning offered to each man was impressive.

Points to note: Many CSC prisoners had been diagnosed with or were showing traits linked to neurodiverse conditions such as autism or ADHD. However, few adaptations had been made to the centres. Whitemoor had undertaken an audit to identify improvements including reducing noise and providing easy-read information.

Read the report: Close supervision centres