Read the report: HMP Long Lartin

HMP Long Lartin, a long-term high-security prison in Worcestershire, was found by inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Prisons in February 2021 to be recovering from a serious recent COVID-19 outbreak in which three prisoners had died and there were staff shortages.

Long Lartin holds some of the country’s most dangerous and serious offenders, with two-thirds serving life sentences and almost all of the rest serving more than 10 years. At the time of the inspection visit, over 20% of those held were category A, the highest security classification.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said: “The governor and his team had focused on the management of the pandemic, and the partnership working between the establishment, the main health provider and Public Health England was effective.

“They had provided good communication about the restrictions to both staff and prisoners, with regular updates. Most prisoners said that the measures to prevent the spread of the disease were necessary, but the recent outbreak had affected their perceptions of their own safety, which were poor despite falls in recorded violence and self-harm.”

Aside from the handling of COVID-19, inspectors identified weaknesses in many areas of prison life. More than half of the 546 prisoners – around 280 – lived in cells with no toilet, sink or running water. The report noted: “They had to use an electronic request system – which was often unreliable – to use the toilets at night. The pandemic had brought the shortcomings of this system into sharp focus because prisoners were locked up for longer periods than usual.”

On a more positive note, though, inspectors commended the fact that exercise yards were open throughout prisoners’ time unlocked enabling them to access time in the open air for over two hours a day during the week.

The segregation unit subjected prisoners to a very austere regime for long periods without any reintegration planning. Planned use of force by staff was very high, largely because of excessive use of handcuffs in the segregation unit, much of which went unrecorded.

Mr Taylor added: “The prison’s investigations into prisoner complaints were poor and sometimes carried out by the member of staff about whom the prisoner had complained. The system for investigating complaints into discrimination was in disarray and nearly half of allegations made in the previous three months had not received a response.”

Health care waiting lists were undermanaged, resulting in some waits of over a year to see the GP. There had also been long delays in telephone monitoring of prisoner calls for public protection reasons.

Overall, Mr Taylor said:

“Our concerns about these practices was compounded by the failure of leaders to establish effective oversight to identify or address any of them. We had little confidence that sustained progress was possible without a major improvement to governance and management across many areas of prison life.”

– End –

Notes to editors

1. Read the report: HMP Long Lartin. This report was published on 16 March 2021.
2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. Read about the development of scrutiny visits (SVs) in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
4. On pages 4-5 of the report you can read facts and history about HMP Long Lartin.
5. On pages 6-8 you can read key concerns and recommendations and two examples of notable positive practice identified in this scrutiny visit.
6. This scrutiny visit took place between 2 and 9 February 2021.
7. Please contact john.steele@justice.gov.uk – or on 07880 787452 – if you would like more information.