Sadly the piece generated little response, partly because the other big news story was the risk of CRC's being expanded and Interserve going bust. It was also a long time ago, the unit closing in 1988. Certainly knowledge of it in County Durham never came to my attention and I only have the vaguest recollection of Detention Centres.
Time moves on and I must admit I was completely unaware of an ongoing investigation by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman and that they are actively seeking people, probation, teachers, social workers, clergy etc., who had dealings and hence knowledge of the regime at Medomsley. So, retired colleagues, and given the passage of time it is most likely to be this group with knowledge going back so far, are you able to help?
Medomsley special investigation: Operation Deerness
Operation Deerness is the special investigation into abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) was commissioned by the Secretary of State of Justice to carry out this special investigation. The final report will be published on this website.
Operation Deerness is the special investigation into abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) was commissioned by the Secretary of State of Justice to carry out this special investigation. The final report will be published on this website.
About Medomsley
This facility was open from 1961 to 1987, holding boys and young men aged 17-21. Many of these young men suffered widespread and serious abuse. Police investigations have since led to the conviction of 7 former members of staff.
About Operation Deerness
The PPO investigation will look into:
what the authorities knew about the abuse over this period
if there were opportunities for them to take action or intervene
what action they took, if any
This is not a criminal investigation. The PPO will not re-investigate the facts of the abuse or individual incidents.
View the investigation’s complete terms of reference.
BBC News website yesterday:-
ReplyDeleteHMP Dartmoor is to close temporarily, with all inmates to be moved out, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.
The department said it followed the discovery of high levels of radon at the jail.
The MoJ said there was enough capacity in other prisons for the inmates, who number about 175 at the jail, despite concerns about overcrowding.
A spokesperson for the department said: "Our prisons are in crisis. This is the most recent illustration of why this government was forced, in its first week, to take urgent action to release pressure on the estate."
The Prison Officers Association (POA) said the process of moving inmates would start on Thursday, with 40 prisoners moved at a time, and the aim was for all cells to be vacant by the end of the July.
More than 400 prisoners were moved from the Devon prison after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation in December 2023.
The HSE said it had been told by HM Prison and Probation Service about the "decision to temporarily close the prison".
It comes on the same day the government laid regulations in Parliament to reduce the amount of time prisoners must spend in jail before they are automatically released from half of their sentence to 40%.
The move, which does not apply to those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse or some violent offences, follows a speech by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in which she warned failing to take action would result in the "collapse" of the prison system.
A Prison Service spokesperson said earlier this month the prisoners would be "gradually returned to HMP Dartmoor following conversations with the Health and Safety Executive as we have ongoing mitigations in place to limit radon exposure".
Prisoner transfers back to Dartmoor recommenced on 1 July, the Ministry of Justice said at the time.
Peak radon levels detected at HMP Dartmoor in 2020 and 2023 were 10 times the recommended workplace limit, according to the response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the BBC.
Radon is a colourless and odourless radioactive gas formed by decaying uranium found in rocks and soils.
Levels may be higher in parts of the country rich in granite, such as Dartmoor, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Built in the early 19th Century to hold French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars, HMP Dartmoor had been slated for closure in 2023, but that decision was reversed in 2019 in the face of rising prisoner numbers.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cljy1r9xn2go.amp
ReplyDeleteAn inspection of Hertfordshire, rated 'Requires improvement'
DeleteInspectors visiting Hertfordshire PDU raised concerns regarding work to keep other people safe, with risk of harm assessments failing to identify or analyse all relevant risk of harm factors, and 11 out of 54 cases inspected having an inaccurate risk of harm classification. Despite these shortcomings in assessment, managers continued countersigning these as being of sufficient quality.
The report also found that insufficient attention was given to protecting actual and potential victims in just over half of all cases inspected. However, Hertfordshire PDU’s ability to engage people on probation is a strength for the service, with four peer mentors with lived experience of the criminal justice system used to engage people on probation in various activities.
The report makes seven recommendations to Hertfordshire PDU, including to ensure middle managers have sufficient capacity to provide the appropriate level of oversight and to improve the use of interventions to support the desistance of people on probation.
An inspection of Northamptonshire, rated 'Inadequate'
At the time of the inspection, the vacancy rate for Probation Officers (POs) was 40 per cent. Whilst this was an improvement, the issue was exacerbated by sickness absence and vacancies across operational and administrative grades. Workloads at all levels were too high and POs described feeling ‘overwhelmed’ and uncertain about what to prioritise. This resulted in a detrimental effect on staff development, management oversight and overall service delivery and, ultimately, impacted on the quality of service provided locally.
As was also highlighted in a May 2022 inspection of Northamptonshire PDU, the estates across the unit remain unfit for purpose. The Kettering office remains too small, and staff lack privacy to undertake sensitive work. The Wellingborough office has significant pest and maintenance issues and, at the time of inspection, was not accessible for staff or people on probation with mobility considerations.
The report makes seven recommendations to Northamptonshire PDU, including to ensure work is undertaken with other agencies to manage safeguarding and domestic abuse and to improve the use of interventions and services to manage the risk of harm.
An inspection of Essex South PDU, rated 'Requires improvement'
Inspectors found the leadership at Essex South PDU to be innovative and responsive to the needs of the service, and highlighted ‘extremely impressive’ partnership services that utilised Regional Outcomes Innovations Funding to deliver projects strengthening the delivery of services in specific areas, such as domestic abuse.
The offer for women in the PDU was also excellent, with a multi-agency forum to discuss complex female cases that demonstrated the significant benefits for people on probation of developing effective relationships with local agencies.
The report confirms the quality of work to assess and manage risks in the community requires improvement. This was particularly critical in relation to implementation and delivery, only where 23 per cent of cases inspected were judged to effectively support the safety of other people, and supported an overall theme that there needed to be a stronger delivery of risk of harm-focused work across the PDU.
The report makes five recommendations to Essex South PDU.
An inspection of Cambridge and Peterborough PDU, rated 'Inadequate'
DeleteSenior Probation Officers (SPOs) were overstretched and unable to carry out their duties effectively, and we were alarmed that some were managing caseloads and completing assessments on behalf of practitioners due to high vacancy rates.
The inspection also found poor practice in relation to safeguarding children and managing the risk of domestic abuse, with far too many assessments based on incomplete or missing information and lacking sufficient depth to protect vulnerable people from harm.
In contrast, the report highlights that work at the PDU to engage with people on probation was well established thanks to the recruitment of peer mentors and ongoing engagement with people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. Leaders had also built strong strategic and operational links with the police, with good levels of communication and collaboration on casework and relationships that supported information sharing.
The report makes four recommendations to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough PDU.
Press Release Prison and Probation Ombudsman today:-
ReplyDeletePost-release death investigations reveal homelessness on release is a considerable issue
In our second Learning Lessons Bulletin on post-release deaths, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman highlight how acutely vulnerable prison leavers are as we found that homelessness on release is a considerable issue.
The first Learning Lessons Bulletin on post-release deaths was published in January 2023. The second bulletin in this series adds to these findings, stressing that more needs to be done to ensure that prisoners are released with suitable accommodation and support measures.
KEY FINDINGS TO NOTE:
Between 6 September 2021 and 31 December 2023, we started investigations into 137 post-release deaths where we found:
Just over 50% of the individuals died within the first four days of release.
72% of these deaths were drug-related.
Of the 83 drug-related deaths, 20 occurred within one day of release meaning that more drug-related deaths occurred within the first day of release than any other day.
As part of our research, we did a further thematic analysis of 105 cases where the initial or final report was issued, and these findings highlighted:
Homelessness was identified as a considerable issue in our research as 32% of the individuals who died within two weeks of their release were released homeless. When framed in the context of other Ministry of Justice research, it seems that prisoners who are released homeless may be overrepresented in our post-release death investigations.
Those who are the most vulnerable due to experiencing mental health and substance misuse issues made up many of those released homeless.
Our cases showed that some individuals were worried about being released into accommodation that might lead them back to substance misuse.
“We know that prison leavers often have multiple risk factors” said Ombudsman Adrian Usher.
“However, more must be done by HMPPS and community service providers to ensure that vulnerable prisoners have the right support in place so they are released with suitable accommodation and to protect them from substance misuse on release”.
Some of the learning considerations for HMPPS and community services include:
Release planning should start as early as possible. Prisoners must be released with suitable accommodation and that support measures are in place and available.
It is important to have processes in place for healthcare to identify prisoners being released early, or at short notice, to ensure they are offered naloxone on release, where appropriate.
Getting suitable accommodation is easier said than done !
DeleteIt is ok for those criticising our service by saying resettlement should start earlier . Housing providers will not find whatever small amount of accommodation is available to some very difficult to place individuals until release is imminent. Maybe those doing the reviews should be tasked with finding a solution for us rather than implying we are not doing enough.
DeletePerhaps if we argued they need accomodation more than a free hotel to any asylum seekers something might be considered .
DeleteCan you help me understand what you mean by that please ?
DeleteIts very clear
DeleteYes exactly put the released in decent hotel accomodation . That would better their rehab than re criminalise them back to jail with further offending. The accomodation would be cheaper than jail and court police process. It would help our reforms and actually these people are our social responsibility before anyone who rocks up on a boat .
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/18/moj-plan-reduce-time-high-risk-offenders-hostel-supervision
ReplyDeleteThe Ministry of Justice has cut the length of time that high-risk offenders such as freed rapists and murderers spend under supervision in government-approved hostels, the Guardian has been told.
DeleteUntil recently, very high-risk offenders in England and Wales could stay for a maximum of 12 weeks in “approved premises” where their behaviour is closely monitored by key workers.
Union officials say they have been told that because of plans to release thousands of prisoners under early release schemes, the maximum stay has been cut to eight weeks. It is understood that the change was introduced two months ago because of the pressures from overcrowded prisons.
The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said on Thursday that 5,500 prisoners would be released in September and October to tackle the overcrowding crisis.
The MoJ introduced legislation on Wednesday for the early release scheme, known as SDS40, under which criminals will serve 40% of their sentences rather than being freed at the halfway point.
The probation staff trade union Napo was told of the “approved premises” changes in a briefing with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) officials. A union spokesperson said it raised serious questions around public safety.
“Approved premises are vital to supporting high risk of harm people coming out of prison. The SDS40 releases will put further pressure on an under-resourced part of probation,” they said. “Napo has been told that HMPPS are currently looking at how they can free up additional capacity by reducing the length of time clients spend as a resident. This will put further demand on practitioners to find ‘move on’ accommodation for cases and reduces the robustness of release plans in terms of public protection.”
There are more than 100 approved premises across England and Wales that supervise about 2,000 criminals considered too dangerous to release straight into the community. These offenders live in the hostels for about three months after coming out of prison. They are expected to sign in and out of the building and account for their whereabouts, and they can be monitored for drugs and alcohol and staff can search their rooms and belongings.
Refusing to stay in approved premises is considered a breach of licence and can result in a recall to prison. Staff in approved premises are expected to monitor and manage the risk posed by their residents. They may also help them find jobs, accommodation and provide activities intended to help with reducing reoffending and reintegration into society.
Since the last government’s early release scheme, when about 10,000 prisoners were released up to 70 days early in 2023 and 2024, many approved premises have reached capacity. The expected releases in September and October will increase the number of prisoners needing this support.
The development comes amid deepening scrutiny of the probation service and its supervision of high-risk offenders. A BBC Panorama undercover investigation in May showed two dangerous convicted criminals running away from a probation hostel in Kent.
Prisoners to be released early from September will include violent offenders serving sentences under four years for crimes such as assault as well as burglars, robbers and thieves. Sex offenders, terrorists, domestic abusers and those jailed for more than four years for serious violence will be excluded.
The 5,500 will be eligible because they will be between 40% and 50% through their sentences by 13 September, when the scheme starts. The subsequent monthly figures are expected to be lower.
DeleteThe changes will have two commencement dates for two tranches – SDS40 will apply to those serving sentences of under five years from 13 September. It will be extended to other eligible prisoners who received sentences of five years or more from 22 October.
Mahmood accused the Conservatives of having left behind a “ticking timebomb” by failing to get a grip on the prison overcrowding crisis. She said prisons were weeks away from running out of cells, with only 700 spaces left in male prisons, close to the point at which they would have to start refusing to take offenders and suspects sent to them by the police and courts.
She told MPs: “Suspects not held in custody, officers unable to make arrests leaving criminals free to act without consequences. If we fail to act now, we face the prospect of the total breakdown of law and order.”
An MoJ spokesperson said the changes were a result of “significant pressure” on the justice system. “These changes to approved premises apply only to carefully assessed lower-risk offenders in the approved premises cohort, considered on a case-by-case basis.”
Maximum 8 weeks in an AP, down from 12. Where do MOJ expect us to place them afterwards? Huge portion will just be recalled for being HROSH and Homeless
ReplyDeleteIt’s been 8 weeks for well over a year in the north west
DeleteIt’s impossible they get told to report to homeless then told there isn’t anywhere for them
ReplyDeletehttps://insidetime.org/newsround/probation-reset-stops-supervision-of-ex-prisoners/
ReplyDeletehttps://insidetime.org/newsround/moj-rapped-by-whitehall-stats-watchdog/
Thousands of ex-prisoners released on licence have had their meetings with probation officers halted, as a consequence of the capacity crisis in the justice system.
DeleteThe Probation Reset policy means that instead of prison leavers seeing their probation officer regularly throughout their licence period, the meetings will stop two-thirds of the way through.
The new system has been introduced gradually, with minimal publicity, starting on April 29 with a target completion date of July 1. Last week, the Ministry of Justice admitted to Inside Time that the deadline had been missed, but said the change-over was well underway. A Probation Service spokesperson told Inside Time: “The programme is expected to complete in coming weeks.”
Probation Reset was ordered by former Conservative justice secretary Alex Chalk as a way to cope with the extra burden being placed on probation staff by emergency measures designed to free up prison places – including the 70-day End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme, the widening of eligibility for Home Detention Curfew, and the switch to shorter Fixed Term Recalls for most people recalled to custody.
According to an HMPPS briefing note on the changes, “Probation Reset changes mandate that Probation Practitioner contact with an offender is suspended in the final third for all Community Orders and Suspended Sentence Orders with rehabilitation activity requirement, and all licences.” The briefing note says the reason for the change is “the need to alleviate the workload demands and to protect our staff time”.
As an example, a person handed a six-year prison sentence and released on licence after three years in the normal way would previously have been required to attend meetings with their probation officer for the next three years – typically weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, at their local probation office. Following the Probation Reset, their meetings will end after two years. For the final year, they will remain on licence and subject to recall, but with only one further meeting, mid-way through the year.
While most ex-prisoners will be subject to the change, there are exemptions for certain categories, including people identified as a very high risk of serious harm; those supervised under Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), which include people convicted of sexual offences; and cases where current active child protection procedures are in place. These groups will continue to have probation meetings until the end of their licence period.
Commenting on the Probation Reset, Professor Anthony Goodman of the University of Middlesex, a criminologist and former probation officer, told LBC radio: “This is trying to put a sticking plaster on something that needs major surgery.” Asked if it could put lives in danger, he said: “Absolutely. The general public is more at risk. This is something we should all be extremely concerned about because it affects all of us.”
The Ministry of Justice has defended the policy by pointing out that attention paid by probation officers to those they are supervising has the greatest impact when it takes place earlier in the supervision period. An MoJ spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressures facing our hardworking probation staff, which is why we are making changes to ensure they can continue to deliver high quality supervision in the community.”
Reading what the MoJ said there with interest as I have often, repeat often, found some of the most meaningful supervision happens towards the end of a Licence. Yes honestly, when the self management skills are all the person has for support going forward, when the” talk the talk” is done and the “walk the walk” needs to happen. Sometimes this is the very time when the person needs a trusted PO or PSO the most, when lapse is prevented from becoming relapse, but what do I know as a PO with 20 plus years in……
DeleteThe Ministry of Justice has been reprimanded by the Whitehall statistics watchdog for publishing misleading information about the outcome of a prison programme.
DeleteIn a report on the Creating Future Opportunities (CFO) programme, an initiative by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to help ex-offenders in prison or on probation to find work or learn new skills, MoJ statisticians hailed the scheme as a success.
The first page of the 20-page Justice Data Lab report, published in April, claims that CFO reduces reoffending among people who take part. The second page offers guidance to the media about how to report the findings, stating: “What you can say about the one-year reoffending rate: ‘This analysis provides evidence that support from HMPPS CFO may decrease the number of proven reoffenders during a one-year period.’ What you cannot say about the one-year reoffending rate: ‘This analysis provides evidence that support from HMPPS CFO increases/has no effect on the reoffending rate of its participants.’”
However, detailed findings included further down in the report show that whilst CFO reduced reoffending among people who took part while on probation in the community, it did not do so among those who took part in prison. Indeed, the reoffending rate among men and women who took part in CFO in prison was two percentage points higher than among their counterparts who did not take part, although this difference was found not to be statistically significant.
The Office for Statistics Regulation, a body which ensures that statistics published by government departments are fair and accurate, has now investigated the Justice Data Lab report and concluded that it was insufficiently clear. The MoJ has been asked to improve the way it presents statistics.
A spokesperson for Ed Humpherson, Head of the OSR, told Inside Time: “The headline findings within this report are based upon only male offenders within the community. This is explained within section 8 of the main report and is referenced earlier, but we consider it could be made clearer in the headline findings to avoid confusion.
“We have shared our findings with the relevant team at MOJ and will be working with them to identify opportunities to improve the clarity of future headline findings.”
The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the OSR’s finding.
Small industrial town in the North West had no vacancies anywhere on Tuesday so when the expected new releases are released…..where are they going?
ReplyDeleteAs London. HPU and cold comfort farm.
ReplyDelete