By Press Release
High-risk sex offenders in HMP Isle of Wight are not prepared effectively for their release and the prison is plagued by staff shortages, according to a report released this week by the Prisons’ Inspectorate.
HMP IW, at Parkhurst, is a Category B training prison, holding nearly 1,000 men convicted of serious sex offences, the vast majority of which pose a high risk of harm to the public. There is also a few local prisoners on remand or sentenced.
After the last inspection in 2019, 35 recommendations were made, but only eight had been achieved, four were partially achieved and more than half (18) were not achieved at all. One recommendation was no longer relevant.
Inspectors found that the prison had significantly deteriorated in important outcomes. Fifty-three prisoners had been released into the community over the last year, but the report says there are not always “robust risk management plans” in place. About one in five prisoners had been released as homeless during that time, but the report does not say where the men were released.
Staff shortages are a problem across the UK’s prison estates, but are “particularly acute” at HMP IW with over one-third of posts vacant or staff “not deployable”, contributing to slow progress on delivering offending behaviour programmes, according to the inspectors.
There had been seven suicides since the last inspection, one of which took place during the inspection visit between September 20 and October 7 last year. There were also rising rates of other types of self-harming behaviour. Some prisoners spent up to 22 hours a day locked in their cell. Ofsted judged that education, skills and work were ‘inadequate’ and the Care Quality Commission, which inspected the health services, issued ‘requirement to improve’ notices following the inspection. Serious concerns were also expressed about the living conditions and “neglected” outside areas.
The inspection was carried out by a team of 20 people, including Ofsted, CQC and other health staff.
Chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, confirmed that the prison is failing in its duty to prepare potentially dangerous prisoners for release. “This is frightening — the prison service has to take serious and immediate action to address this,” he said.
Pictured: A communal toilet area