THE HM Inspectorate of Prisons has said improvements at HMP Hewell have ‘largely stalled’.
In its latest report, it states prisoners spent far too long in their cells, particularly the many unemployed who were locked up for around 22 hours-a-day.
The previous prisons review followed an inspection at the Category B prison in 2019, which identified a number of issues, including violence and access to drugs.
At the time, it was also branded ‘squalid, demeaning and depressing’.
A follow-up visit in December 2022 concluded it was a cleaner, less violent and more respectful prison, but more needed to be done to help prisoners in their first days, as well as reduce the risk of self-harming and address the number of prisoners spending up to 22 hours-a-day in their cells.
The inspectors did find ‘reasonable progress’ had been made in reducing waiting times to see a GP or mental health practitioner.
They also found progress in public protection arrangements and in the teaching support for prisoners with learning difficulties and disabilities.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said: “There will be no excuse then for further delay to instituting progress.
“We found ‘insufficient progress’ in the key areas that I had highlighted previously – too many prisoners were still only unlocked for two hours a day, early days in custody arrangements remained not good enough, and too little was being done to reduce self-harm.
“Leaders told us that further progress had been hampered by prison officer staff shortfalls, and the challenge arising from national prison population pressures that had increased the proportion of unsentenced prisoners received, including a high number redirected from other areas of the country.”
