Holme House

MANAGERS

Senior managers praised their ‘amazing’ staff’s teamwork, resilience, care and commitment. They rated the monthly staff training days (focused on offender management and challenging behaviour). They highlighted a ‘comprehensive’ drug strategy, including a dedicated search team, reception X-rays for prisoners, body scans for visitors, and wider use of drug dogs and searches of staff, and said it led to ‘very low’ drug usage. They praised the ‘excellent’ sport facilities and opportunities, and the range of education & training on offer – including Inside Out, where Teeside students and prisoners learn together. They rated the palliative care facility and Houseblock 6’s Therapeutic Community. Wing Kiosks and in-cell phones were ‘transformative’. Noting a range of peer mentors and good prisoner consultation which included elected wing reps and monthly meetings with management, they added the new Keywork scheme was also ‘very promising’. Monthly family visits, supported by local charity NEPACS, were ‘very good’.

PRISONERS

The prisoners were really enthusiastic about in-cell phones and Kiosks, too. They called the family visits ‘great’, and had high praise for both education, and the Inside Out programme in particular. They also valued the ‘effective’ Democratic Council (Prisoner Council), and the wide range of peer mentors, highlighting especially the support provided by fully trained social care peer workers.

OFFICERS

The Officers felt staff were ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘committed’, and the new staff were ‘a breath of fresh air’. There was a ‘strong’ rehabilitative culture across the jail. Training days, staff support and the care team were ‘very good’. In-cell phones and Kiosks were ‘brilliant’ and Keywork was ‘great’, and the drug strategy was ‘making a real difference’. Family visits were another positive highlighted.