A Distressing Report

 

Extraordinary levels of self-harm are reported among the women at HMP Eastwood Park today. In a distressing report, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) found that in the 12 months to the end of October last year “seven of the most prolific individuals were responsible for 4,204 incidents”.   Over a five week period, one prisoner subject to constant supervision used J-cloths as ligatures in excess of 80 times (14 times on one day).

The IMB were also deeply concerned that force was used on prisoners over a thousand times, double last year’s figure.

While staff were observed employing excellent verbal de-escalation practice in extremely challenging situations, the watchdog notes that “compassion burnout” together with injuries and attacks from prisoners during restraints “seemed to have affected the overall goodwill of some staff”.  Similarly, in one example, the prisoners became resentful when they were locked in while a segregated prisoner had their hour out of cell.   

The IMB tell the minister that it’s essential that individuals who prolifically self-harm are more evenly distributed throughout the women’s estate to help reduce the adverse pressure on the regime and staff in a single prison.

More significantly they argue that use of force could be reduced if more women with complex trauma, neurodiversity or serious mental health issues were diverted from the prison system altogether.

The report says that in the second six months of the reporting year, 21 women, both sentenced and on remand were referred for transfer to hospitals. 11 actually moved but eight referrals were refused by hospital trusts, as they “did not appear to meet their admission criteria”.  

The new Women’s Justice Board must surely address as a priority the questions of where the most vulnerable and challenging women should be placed within the prison system; and whether there are sufficient options for managing them outside where necessary.  

If there are not, some of the funds earmarked for prison expansion should be used to develop more appropriate community based and institutional alternatives for women; and legislation promised after the Gauke review should enable them to be used more easily.