PRISON officers at Hindley prison have been struggling to manage an environment dominated by a “tsunami” of drugs, violence, and failing infrastructure, a report has found.
Last year, an unannounced inspection from the government's Chief Inspector of Prisons found that Hindley's prison and youth offenders institution has been facing several serious challenges.
With a high number of prison staff leaving within their first year of employment, HMP Hindley's rate of attrition has been marked in the top ten of prisons nationally.
Highlighting the inexperience of the staff who remain, the report found that more than 40% of basic grade officers had less than one years experience, with 58% having less than two years.
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This inexperienced cohort of officers have been attempting to manage a "very challenging population" at the Barracks Road institution, with a high proportion of prisoners having links to organised crime, the report found.
Inspectors reported that the prison also had "high levels of violence and self-harm", with more than half of prisoners testing positive for illegal drugs during routine drug testing.
Inspectors further noted that staff lacked confidence in challenging poor behaviour.
In the report, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said: “Hindley is facing an uphill battle: many prisoners arriving at the jail had an existing drug problem, and a large minority had known links to organised crime, so it’s unsurprising that the prison had a near tsunami of drugs.
"The situation was so bad that mandatory drug testing found more than half of prisoners were on drugs at any one time.
"Combined with the indolence, boredom and frustration created by a really poor regime, and some very inexperienced staff, it is no surprise that the prison just wasn’t safe enough.”
At the prison, located between Hindley and Bickershaw, the inmates' time out of cell was found to be limited with not enough activity places for the prison population.
The prison’s new and recently implemented daily regime was causing frustration because employed prisoners did not have enough time for domestic and physical activities.
The prison, built in the 1960s and extended in the 1980s, was noted to be showing its age and in desperate need of investment.
Accommodation was reported to be cramped, with a fifth of prisoners living in overcrowded conditions, while showers lacked ventilation and common areas were mouldy and dirty.
Although an upgraded prison and investment in security would vastly help to improve facilities and reduce the influx of drugs, the planned rebuild and expansion programme has been delayed until at least 2027.
Mr Taylor added: “Despite our criticism and the obvious strategic challenges, there was no sense of helplessness at the prison.
"Some very good offending behaviour and resettlement work was taking place: the PIPE unit, providing psychological interventions, was impressive, as was the preparedness of leaders to try new ideas and work hard to make improvements.
"Serious investment cannot come soon enough, but in the meantime building staff capability and confronting drugs, as well as diverting prisoners into useful activity that will motivate them, must be the priorities.”
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