• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Good Book of Prisons

What's good in prisons across England & Wales

The Butler Trust
  • The Introduction
  • The Overall Findings
  • The Individual Prisons
  • The Media
  • The Book

Dartmoor

Location: Devon
Date of visit: 14 August 2018
Visit number: 39
Prison type: Category C
Capacity: 640
Opened: 1809
Operator: HMPS

PRISONERS

The prisoners said they felt ‘safe’ (more than they did in similar prisons) and thought staff relations were good. They liked the two-week, peer-led ‘new prisoner induction’, thought ‘peer buddies’ for prisoners with disabilities and social care needs ‘excellent’, and said integrating VPs into main location worked ‘very well’. They praised education & training (including CSCS training) and the ‘brilliant’ prison choir project. They liked all day family visits, and single cells ‘make a big difference’.

OFFICERS

The Officers called the jail ‘calm’, with a staff ‘family’ valued by managers and a ‘very’ visible and supportive No. 1 who ‘knows everyone’s names’ (and sends them all Christmas cards). They also liked Staff Recognition, a monthly training shutdown, wing staff rooms, gym use, an annual well-being day, outside family social events, and ‘family & friends’ open days. Team-based self-rostering was ‘brilliant’ (‘really helps family life’), and communications (including daily briefings and the No. 1’s blog) were ‘very good’. They rated the integrated regime, and agreed with prisoners on staff-prisoner relations, education, training, the CSCS course, and single cells.

MANAGERS

The managers had fulsome praise for the ‘sense of identity’, ‘pride’ and ‘resilience’ of a staff group with a ‘team spirit second to none’, and for the Governor (who, with the Dep, walks the prison weekly, and sees every part of it monthly). They also rated the Staff Recognition scheme, as well as well-being and training days, and the popular outreach activities for staff families and friends. They said staff retention was ‘very good’, and agreed with the others in rating the induction process, peer buddies, and education & training (with ‘98%’ attendance). They also rated the detailed care and management plans, with multi-disciplinary strategy review meetings, for very challenging prisoners.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Category: Category C

Primary Sidebar

The Prisons

The Prisons

  • Altcourse
  • Ashfield
  • Aylesbury
  • Bedford
  • Belmarsh
  • Berwyn
  • Birmingham
  • Brinsford
  • Bristol
  • Brixton
  • Bronzefield
  • Buckley Hall
  • Bullingdon
  • Bure
  • Cardiff
  • Channings Wood
  • Chelmsford
  • Coldingley
  • Dartmoor
  • Deerbolt
  • Doncaster
  • Dovegate
  • Downview
  • Drake Hall
  • Durham
  • Eastwood Park
  • Elmley
  • Erlestoke
  • Exeter
  • Featherstone
  • Feltham B
  • Forest Bank
  • Foston Hall
  • Frankland
  • Full Sutton
  • Garth
  • Gartree
  • Grendon
  • Guys Marsh
  • Haverigg
  • Hewell
  • High Down
  • Highpoint
  • Hindley
  • Holme House
  • Hull
  • Humber
  • Huntercombe
  • Isis
  • Isle of Wight
  • Lancaster Farms
  • Leeds
  • Leicester
  • Lewes
  • Lincoln
  • Lindholme
  • Littlehey
  • Liverpool
  • Long Lartin
  • Low Newton
  • Lowdham Grange
  • Maidstone
  • Manchester
  • Moorland
  • New Hall
  • Northumberland
  • Norwich
  • Nottingham
  • Oakwood
  • Onley
  • Parc
  • Pentonville
  • Peterborough
  • Portland
  • Preston
  • Ranby
  • Risley
  • Rochester
  • Rye Hill
  • Send
  • Stafford
  • Stocken
  • Stoke Heath
  • Styal
  • Swaleside
  • Swansea
  • Swinfen Hall
  • Thameside
  • The Mount
  • The Verne
  • Usk
  • Wakefield
  • Wandsworth
  • Warren Hill
  • Wayland
  • Wealstun
  • Whatton
  • Whitemoor
  • Winchester
  • Woodhill
  • Wormwood Scrubs
  • Wymott

Footer

Author

Simon Shepherd has been Director of the Butler Trust since 2008 and has worked in and around prisons for the last three decades.

Butler Trust

The Butler TrustThe Butler Trust is an independent charity set up in 1985 to recognise and promote good practice in UK correctional settings.

Contact

Butler Trust

www.butlertrust.org.uk

info@butlertrust.org.uk

020 8688 6062

Copyright © 2022 The Butler Trust (registered charity no. 1145182)

 

Loading Comments...