Appalling, dilapidated, and covered with blood spatter and graffiti, along with some extensive scratches on the walls reflecting the distress of previous residents. This is how cells were described by the chief inspector of prisons following an unannounced inspection of Eastwood Park prison in South Gloucestershire.
The damning report on the inspection, which took place in October 2022, and which has just been released, highlighted shocking details about the prison which found 83 per cent of women in the prison spoke about suffering from mental health difficulties. The priority concerns in the report included “very high rates of self-harm” and two self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection in May 2019.
One experienced inspector described one of the units, ‘Houseblock 4’ as “the worst he had seen”. This unit housed women who were kept under supervision, in segregation, or awaiting transfer to a secure mental health facility.
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Charlie Taylor, HMS Chief Inspector of Prisons said: “The cells were appalling, dilapidated and covered in graffiti, one was blood-spattered, and some had extensive scratches on the walls which reflected the degree of trauma previous residents must have experienced. No prisoner should be held in such conditions, let alone women who were acutely unwell and in great distress.”
He said the staff were not adequately trained or skilled to support women on Houseblock 4, despite being ‘dedicated and courageous’. “They received no clinical supervision, dispute being exposed to prisoners in great distress, some of whose levels of self-harm were extreme," he added. "Specialist input from others had dropped off over time and the therapeutic ethos had simply disappeared.”
Mr Taylor said that during the inspection visit, the women told them that feelings of being “dismissed or ignored” had led to increased levels of self-harm and violence towards officers.
This included women getting basic requirements, including one who had to borrow a bra from her cellmate, the women could not buy clothes in the prison and parcels from family took a long time to be processed.
Priority concerns are those which are most important to improving outcomes for prisoners and in the report, it highlighted:
Two self-inflicted deaths and high levels of self-harm;
Acute staff shortages which allowed the prisoners very little time out of their cells;
Some women were acutely mentally unwell living in an appalling environment and no therapeutic support;
A significant increase in the use of force against prisoners which was not always used as a last resort;
Lack of support to help women maintain family relationships especially with their children;
Not enough space for education, skills and work.
The report did highlight that there were some "pockets of excellent work at Eastwood Park, such as the Nexus unit, which offered specialist support for women with personality disorders". "But the jail was failing in its most basic duty – to keep the women safe – and immediate and meaningful change is required to ensure that these very vulnerable individuals are suitably cared for", it said.
A Prison Service spokesperson told PA news agency: “This is a deeply concerning report and we are already addressing the serious issues it raises including appointing more staff and creating a new taskforce to improve women’s safety at the prison.
“We have refurbished Houseblock 4 since the inspection in October and restored the specialist, therapeutic support that inspectors expect for the vulnerable women in our care there.”
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