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OFFICERS

Staff rated relationships with prisoners as excellent and characterised by ‘mutual respect’. They highlighted the specialist family interventions unit and support for family ties, including family days, extended visit length, Storybook Dads, and in-cell phones. They rated the education and training opportunities for prisoners, mental health provision and substance misuse services as positives. They also highlighted the specialist unit aimed at reintegrating prisoners on Basic regime, and the on-wing Kiosk system which benefited both prisoners and staff. They valued the weekly team meetings and monthly training afternoon for staff, and felt that a period of shadowing for new staff helped them settle in to their roles. They also appreciated the employee of the month staff recognition scheme.

PRISONERS

The prisoners described the prison as ‘safe’ and praised staff-prisoner relationships. Like staff, they highly rated the family interventions unit and support for families. The prisoner-led radio station, which helped keep prisoners informed and entertained, was also praised, as were the ‘extensive’ peer support and mentoring programmes, and approach to prisoner consultation. They too highlighted the education and training opportunities in the prison and substance misuse services, as well as the mental health provision, including the use of birds of prey and dogs, and the specialist unit for prisoners on Basic.

MANAGERS

Senior managers rated many of the same things as both frontline staff and prisoners, including: staff-prisoner relationships; prisoner engagement and consultation; education and training opportunities; the family interventions unit and support for families; substance misuse services; mental health provision; and the unit for those on Basic. They also highlighted safety, staff recognition, and staff training and development as positives.