‘Systemic failings’ lead to surge in suicide and self-harm at Sussex jail after two years in special measures

Prisons watchdog 'deeply troubled' by state of HMP Lewes after 'serious decline in performance' – prompting concerns 'special measures' process is failing

Lewes prison in east Sussex (Rex)

“Systemic failings” have led to a surge in suicide and self-harm at a jail that has been in special measures for the last two years, bringing into question the effectiveness of the system which is intended to ensure prisons improve.

The prisons watchdog said it was “deeply troubled” by the state of HMP Lewes, saying the jail had seen a “serious decline in performance” in the past three years.

There have been five self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection in January 2016, and incidents of self-harm have tripled during this time, the report found.

While levels of violence were broadly similar to 2016, assaults against staff had risen and a quarter of prisoners felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, with one in five assaults being “serious”.

The Prison Inspectorate said despite the fact that illicit drugs “undoubtedly” sat behind much of the violence, devices to detect contraband and drugs had not been working since April 2018 due to “procurement difficulties”.

HMP Lewes was placed on a “special measures action plan” in August 2018, but the report said that of the 45 action points in the plan, 39 had not been completed and the majority were described as requiring “major development”, and there was a “noticeable dearth of hard targets”.

Chief Inspector Peter Clarke said: “If ‘special measures’ was intended to help the prison overcome this type of bureaucratic obstacle, it [has] failed."

The report will fuel mounting concerns about the effectiveness of the special measures system, which is applied when the prison service determines a jail needs additional specialist support to improve performance. Fifteen prisons across England and Wales are currently in special measures.

The Ministry of Justice said special measures had “successfully supported improvement at other prisons”, but campaigners argued that these claims should not be "taken at face value" unless and until they are backed up by evidence.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “This is a disappointing report and, while it is claimed that the special measures process has led to improvements in other prisons, we should wait for the inspectorate and independent monitoring boards to publish their findings before we take those claims at face value.

“At the heart of the problems in our prisons is a culture and policies that infantilise people and are based on punishment, with no possibility of redemption – and overcrowding makes matters even worse. Lewes may be receiving additional support, but it is still being asked to look after more men than it is designed to hold.

“I would advise the new Prisons Minister to visit the jail as soon as possible to see the problems for himself.”

It comes after the Justice Committee warned that the government’s “crisis management” approach to prison funding had been failing for half a decade, saying it was “inefficient, ineffective, and unsustainable”.

Justice campaigners meanwhile expressed anger earlier this month when it was announced former prisons minister Rory Stewart was leaving the post, claiming he had been given a "get out of jail free card” on his pledge to improve the prison system.

In light of the report on HMP Lewes, Mr Clarke said: “The findings of this inspection were deeply troubling and indicative of systemic failure within the prison service. We found that in three areas – respect, purposeful activity and rehabilitation and release planning – there had been a decline in performance.

“The results of this inspection clearly showed that, far from delivering better outcomes, two years of ‘special measures’ had coincided with a serious decline in performance.”

He said it was “highly likely” that the use of the "urgent otification" procedure – used for the first time on HMP Nottingham last year, and since issued in a number of other jails – would have to be considered for HMP Lewes at some point.

Inspectors found that purposeful activity in the jail was “not sufficiently good”, with “no clear strategy” for the delivery of learning and skills, and allocation to activities appearing to be a "matter of luck".

While time out of cell was good for those attending activities, it was not so good for those not attending, and inspectors found 40 per cent of prisoners locked in their cells during the working day, the report said.

Responding to the findings, Phil Copple, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) director general of prisons, said the prison was “well-placed to make further progress” and would focus on the Inspectorate's recommendations to do so.

“After the previous inspection in January 2016, the staffing position at Lewes deteriorated and there were a number of disturbances. The prison clearly needed central support to tackle the challenges they faced,” he added.

“In January 2017, it was placed into special measures – a process that has successfully supported improvement at other prisons. Staff from other establishments supported the prison, and although there has been progress in some areas, it has not been as swift or as comprehensive as we would have hoped."