Report by chief inspector of prisons criticises conditions and rehabilitation efforts at Wakefield high security institution
Wakefield high
security prison in West Yorkshire has 750 inmates, of whom almost half
are serious sex offenders. Photograph: Gareth Copley/PA
Little or no effective work is being done with some of the most
serious sex offenders behind bars, the chief inspector of prisons says
in a report published on Friday.
Nick Hardwick says in the report that almost half the 750 men held at Wakefield high security prison, many of whom are serious sex offenders, are in denial about their crimes, and there are no programmes at the jail to tackle their behaviour.
His report criticises the decision to concentrate so many men who refuse to take responsibility for their crimes at Wakefield, and points out that accepted expert opinion is that useful work can be done even with men in complete denial.
The inspection, which took place in May, also criticised conditions in Wakefield's close supervision centre (CSC), which holds seven of the country's most dangerous prisoners. It found the gated, cage-like cells in the centre to be small and stark with limited natural light.
"The unscreened toilets were located directly in front of observation panels," the report says. "Exercise yards consisted of bare, individual cages. There was some exercise equipment in a separate room. Limited education and visits could take place in a closed visits-style room in which a reinforced window separated the prisoner from whoever was speaking to him. Most of the men had lived in these conditions for about three years; one for as long as 11 years."
The inspectors said the failure to do much effective work with those in denial about their crimes risked entrenching negative attitudes and undermining the work done with those prisoners who did admit to the need to change.
"The prison service should consider whether it is right to place such a concentration of men in denial in one establishment. That does not reduce the responsibility of HMP Wakefield itself to do some work with these men. There is now expert opinion that it is possible to make some useful interventions even with men who are in complete denial, and the prison should be attempting to prepare and motivate men to change," the report says.
Hardwick said it was no surprise in such conditions that progress in rehabilitating men at Wakefield was often slow and small advances required enormous effort.
"The prison is stable and generally safe but more management attention is required across a number of high-risk areas such as self-harm prevention, segregation and the CSC. The need to occupy the prisoners more fully and purposefully remains unaddressed," he said.
Michael Spurr, the head of the national offender management service, said he recognised the concerns raised in the report.
"It is not unusual or surprising that prisoners serving long sentences deny or minimise their offence, particularly those with sexual offences who may deny their guilt due to shame or fears about status and family support," he said.
"However, staff will need to continue to work with offenders throughout their whole sentence to motivate them to address their offending and to reduce their risk."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/oct/12/serious-sex-offenders-neglected-prison
Nick Hardwick says in the report that almost half the 750 men held at Wakefield high security prison, many of whom are serious sex offenders, are in denial about their crimes, and there are no programmes at the jail to tackle their behaviour.
His report criticises the decision to concentrate so many men who refuse to take responsibility for their crimes at Wakefield, and points out that accepted expert opinion is that useful work can be done even with men in complete denial.
The inspection, which took place in May, also criticised conditions in Wakefield's close supervision centre (CSC), which holds seven of the country's most dangerous prisoners. It found the gated, cage-like cells in the centre to be small and stark with limited natural light.
"The unscreened toilets were located directly in front of observation panels," the report says. "Exercise yards consisted of bare, individual cages. There was some exercise equipment in a separate room. Limited education and visits could take place in a closed visits-style room in which a reinforced window separated the prisoner from whoever was speaking to him. Most of the men had lived in these conditions for about three years; one for as long as 11 years."
The inspectors said the failure to do much effective work with those in denial about their crimes risked entrenching negative attitudes and undermining the work done with those prisoners who did admit to the need to change.
"The prison service should consider whether it is right to place such a concentration of men in denial in one establishment. That does not reduce the responsibility of HMP Wakefield itself to do some work with these men. There is now expert opinion that it is possible to make some useful interventions even with men who are in complete denial, and the prison should be attempting to prepare and motivate men to change," the report says.
Hardwick said it was no surprise in such conditions that progress in rehabilitating men at Wakefield was often slow and small advances required enormous effort.
"The prison is stable and generally safe but more management attention is required across a number of high-risk areas such as self-harm prevention, segregation and the CSC. The need to occupy the prisoners more fully and purposefully remains unaddressed," he said.
Michael Spurr, the head of the national offender management service, said he recognised the concerns raised in the report.
"It is not unusual or surprising that prisoners serving long sentences deny or minimise their offence, particularly those with sexual offences who may deny their guilt due to shame or fears about status and family support," he said.
"However, staff will need to continue to work with offenders throughout their whole sentence to motivate them to address their offending and to reduce their risk."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/oct/12/serious-sex-offenders-neglected-prison
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