HMP Swinfen Hall: drug tests show 45% of young men using, inspectors find

Mandatory drug testing at HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall showed that 45% of prisoners were active drug users, according to HM Inspectorate of Prisons. Inspectors said the prison lacked the resources to tackle the problem.

The inspectorate’s report, published in November 2024, followed fieldwork that ended in September 2024. Inspectors found that outcomes had worsened for respect, improved for preparation for release and stayed not sufficiently good in other areas.

Swinfen Hall is a category C training prison near Lichfield in the West Midlands. It accepts new arrivals aged 18 to 28. Half of the 611 men held during the inspection were under 21, against an operational capacity of 624. Most posed a high risk of harm and nearly all were serving long sentences. They included 130 men serving life and about a quarter convicted of serious sexual offences.

How the prison was graded

The inspectorate assesses adult prisons against four healthy prison tests: safety, respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release. Purposeful activity covers education, work and time out of cell.

Swinfen Hall scored not sufficiently good for safety, respect and purposeful activity. It scored reasonably good for preparation for release.

At the previous full inspection, reported in October 2021, respect had been reasonably good and release planning not sufficiently good. The inspectorate also carried out an independent review of progress, published in April 2022.

Inspectors identified 12 key concerns this time, six of them priorities. They found four examples of notable positive practice.

Although it does not have the highest profile in the prison estate, Swinfen Hall manages significant risk and it would benefit from more investment to improve the environment and security, and to provide greater resilience to the regime.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons

Drugs, violence and use of force

Drugs and other illicit items were easy to obtain, undermining safety and stability. The prison had no resources for effective security at the main gate. Inspectors also noted that the prison service had not done enough to stem the supply.

Violence had been falling, and the rate of incidents was typical for a category C prison. A team called Want to Achieve worked with men involved in violence or gangs, and inspectors found it was helping to resolve conflict.

Other indicators had risen, including disciplinary hearings, segregation and use of force. Use of PAVA, an incapacitant spray, had also increased. A lack of body-worn camera footage made it harder for leaders to check that force was justified.

Inspectors found an over-reliance on punishment and too few incentives for good behaviour. Some men isolated themselves out of fear, and the prison did not always identify them or give them meaningful support.

Inconsistent staff and long hours in cells

Relationships between staff and prisoners were problematic. Men described staff as inconsistent and unreliable. Many officers lacked confidence and failed to enforce basic rules, and cleanliness on some wings was often poor. Men on D and E wings, which provide specialist psychological services, were more positive about staff.

Key work, in which an officer meets a prisoner regularly for support, happened too rarely. Inspectors called this a significant gap for a prison of this type.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said it was very disappointing that the daily regime had hardly improved since 2021. During the working day, inspectors found 30% of men locked in their cells. Weekends were worse. The prison had excellent gym facilities, but men made little use of them.

There were not enough activity places, and too many men had no job. Ofsted, which inspects prison education, rated education, skills and work as requiring improvement, its second lowest grade. Pass rates in mathematics were low, and many men in prison jobs did not gain new skills.

Swinfen Hall was also one of the few prisons that had not received funding for in-cell technology or electronic kiosks on the wings.

Progress on risk and release

There was good work on reducing risk and managing sentences. Leaders had improved offender management and accredited programmes, both concerns at the last inspection. They had also built an excellent range of personality disorder treatment. In total, 130 men could access therapeutic, psychological and personality disorder services.

Inspectors described leadership of offender management as very good. Prison offender managers could listen directly to recordings of prisoners’ phone calls to identify new risks. Leaders had put effective arrangements in place to release men safely, including some who posed a high risk of serious harm.

Support for contact with children and families had strengths. Specialist units held their own family days four times a year, letting relatives see where their family member lived. However, inspectors judged the overall range of family support too limited.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons said the governor was giving the prison a renewed sense of direction and a culture of optimism. In the staff survey, 64% agreed with leaders’ priorities. He said Swinfen Hall managed significant risk and would benefit from more investment in its environment, security and regime, and that leaders would use such resources well.