HMP Sudbury, HMIP Inspections

The prison was given an inspection by HMIP in August 2023. In their report the inspectors said ;

HMP Sudbury, located near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, is an open prison holding just over 600 adult men. This was our first full inspection of the prison since 2017, when we reported on a successful institution that was achieving reasonably good outcomes against all four of our healthy prison tests. At this inspection it was pleasing to report that success had been sustained and that there had been further improvements in rehabilitation and release planning outcomes, which we now judged to be good, our highest assessment.

The prison remained overwhelmingly safe. New prisoners received good care and support, and violent incidents were rare. In our survey very few prisoners suggested that they had ever felt unsafe, but a few told us they had been victimised. Although used infrequently, there had been improvements in the way in which force and segregation were managed. Security was generally applied proportionately, but there was evidence to suggest that drug usage was too high. Mandatory testing, for example, indicated a positive rate of about 20%, which was more than at comparable prisons. We were also told of one death of an inmate in recent times, attributed to a drug overdose.

Staff-prisoner relationships were respectful, supported by the use of peer workers and improvements to prisoner consultation arrangements. There had been genuine enthusiasm in the prison’s work to promote equality. Data was used to understand disparities and there were few disproportionate outcomes.

Many areas of the prison’s buildings and accommodation were old and grubby, despite imaginative initiatives to fund renovations from income gained from contracts with external industries operating in the workshops, and the deployment of skilled prisoner work groups. The grounds, in contrast, were attractive and well maintained.

The prison was a generally active place, which mitigated some of the limits imposed by the accommodation. Nearly all prisoners had an education or work allocation, with many engaged in paid employment in the community, linked to the extensive use of release on temporary licence (ROTL) to support employment and resettlement goals. Support for prisoners to maintain family ties was very good, both in the prison and through ROTL. Partnership working to coordinate offender management and release planning outcomes was excellent.

The success of the prison was consistent with the clarity and visibility of leadership seen at all levels, from the governor down. Work with partners and stakeholders was strong, as was the application of data to support decision making. Leaders were honest in their assessment of the prison’s strengths and weaknesses and had a firm grip, leading to a real sense of purpose about the prison and what it could achieve.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
September 2023

 

The inspectors provided a brief list of areas which require attention

What needs to improve at HMP & YOI Sudbury

During this inspection, we identified six key concerns, of which five should be treated as priorities. Priority concerns are those that are most important to improving outcomes for prisoners. They require immediate attention by leaders and managers.

Leaders should make sure that all concerns identified here are addressed and that progress is tracked through a plan which sets out how and when the concerns will be resolved. The plan should be provided to HMI Prisons.

Priority concerns

  1. A significant quantity of illicit drugs was entering the prison and not enough had been done to reduce supply or demand.
  2. The fabric of the old residential accommodation was in poor condition and in need of substantial investment.
  3. Prisoners had poor access to basic amenities on the residential units, including cleaning materials and laundry for clothes and bedding.
  4. There were too few enrichment activities available to enable prisoners to develop their interests and talents.
  5. The initial and ongoing careers advice and guidance provided was not sufficiently detailed to enable all prisoners to have the range of information that they needed to make informed choices.

Key concerns

  1. Public protection screening was not always completed promptly, and the measures to mitigate risks were not always managed well.

 

Return to Sudbury

To see the full report go to the Ministry of Justice web site

This section contains the reports for Sudbury from 2001 until present