Coldingley

OFFICERS

The Officers noted a safe jail with good staff-prisoner relations, and felt KeyworkA national scheme under which Prison Officers are given training and time to work one-to-one with around six prisoners, aimed at supporting their management and rehabilitation had had a significant impact on this and behaviour generally. They highlighted: a full working day; work, education & training opportunities; offending behaviour programmes; reliable regime; time out of cell; good food; the gym (7-day access, including weekday evenings, and part-time qualifications); and visits, including Pact-runCharity supporting prisoners and their families www.prisonadvice.org.uk family, listener, lifer & adult-only days. Staff valued joint activities with prisoners, including sports, charity events & well-being days (run by the gym), as well as ‘community meals’, with staff as prisoners’ guests. They also rated the No. 1An informal term referring to a prison’s Governor (or Director in private jails), and relations between staff across disciplines, with plenty of socialising out of work.

PRISONERS

Prisoners agreed about safety, relations with staff and the impact of Keywork, and praised caring staff and progressive management, including the No. 1. They too valued education & training (including the PICTAPrisons Information Communication Technology Academy course), gym, visits, the food, and joint activities with staff (including ‘community meals’). Out-of-work activities (including chess club, bee keeping, talks & debates), and the Chaplaincy, were also highlighted, along with the Prison CouncilCommittee of prisoner representatives meeting with senior management to discuss issues relevant to the management and care of prisoners in the jail, meeting monthly with the DepShort for Deputy Governor & SMTSenior Management Team, and a wide range of reps & mentors. Support for lifers, including peer mentors, lifer days & information days, and regular lifer-SMT forum was another positive.

MANAGERS

Managers too rated safety, staff-prisoner relations and the impact of Keywork, as well as work, education & training; OBPsOffending Behaviour Programme – a structured programme aimed at reducing prisoners’ reoffending by addressing particular criminogenic needs; visits; the gym; joint prisoner-staff activities; Prison Council; range of reps & mentors; and support for lifers. They highlighted regular case reviews, consistent case managers and involvement of families with complex & challenging prisoners, and those at risk of self-harm, and an RJRestorative Justice – often used to refer to the use of restorative practices to resolve conflict in prisons https://restorativejustice.org.uk mediation programme run by prisoners and staff. They said photocopying all mail, and drug recovery support (including AAAlcoholics Anonymous, NANarcotics Anonymous & ‘stepping stones’), had led to low drug use, and noted good ROTLRelease On Temporary Licence – the mechanism through which serving prisoners are allowed out of prison on a temporary basis, including for work opportunities ‘for a Cat COne of four levels of security for male prisoners – from Cat A (high security) to Cat D (the lowest level) jail.’