HMP/YOI Swinfen Hall had made noticeable progress and its living conditions were much improved, but violence between prisoners remained too high and assaults on staff were rising, inspectors found.
The inspectorate’s report, published in October 2021, followed an inspection between 28 June and 9 July 2021. Swinfen Hall is a category C prison for young adults and adults aged 18 to 28. Most were serving sentences of over four years. It held 531 men at the time, nearly half from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said it was very concerning to see more use of PAVA, an incapacitant spray, as the regime opened up after Covid restrictions. He warned leaders not to let it become a routine way of managing challenging behaviour.
How the prison was graded
Inspectors judge prisons against four healthy prison tests. Swinfen Hall scored reasonably good for respect. It scored not sufficiently good for safety, for purposeful activity, which covers education, work and time out of cell, and for rehabilitation and release planning.
Respect had improved from not sufficiently good in 2018, and purposeful activity had risen from poor. Safety stayed the same, while rehabilitation and release planning declined. Inspectors said their judgements took account of the prison’s recovery from the pandemic.
The prison had not achieved any of the four key recommendations from 2018. Ofsted judged it too early to assess progress on its education recommendations.
Though the prison had worked to increase the amount of time prisoners spent out of their cells, those without jobs were routinely locked up for 22 hours a day, a bleak prospect for the prison’s young and energetic population.
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
Violence, force and safety
Despite Covid limits on mixing and little time out of cell, violence between prisoners, often serious, remained high. Violence towards staff was increasing. Use of force was high and had risen since 2018. In some cases inspectors examined, force was not always justified.
There were real strengths too. Leaders had set up good systems to analyse data and plan for the most troubled men. Significantly more prisoners said they felt safe than at the previous inspection. Plans to support violent men and manage their behaviour were among the best inspectors had seen.
An excellent manager on the induction wing had made it a safe and positive place for new arrivals. Established prisoners helped newcomers settle in. On the two specialist wings for men with emerging or diagnosed personality disorders, men with complex needs were making good progress.
Self-harm had fallen but was still high compared with similar prisons. There were only three trained Listeners, prisoners trained by the Samaritans to support others, which limited access to the scheme.
Staff, regime and education
Some less experienced staff lacked the skills and confidence to keep wings stable, and did not expect enough of prisoners’ behaviour. Inspectors saw positive interactions but also staff who were ineffectual, dismissive or rude. Only 64% of prisoners said staff treated them with respect.
Prisoners said the incentives scheme did little to motivate them. Those on the enhanced level often did not get the rewards they had earned.
The prison had increased time out of cell, but men without jobs were still routinely locked up for 22 hours a day. Mr Taylor called this “a bleak prospect for the prison’s young and energetic population”.
For a year, most education had come as in-cell packs. These had improved but were no substitute for teaching in classrooms, especially for men with learning difficulties. Classrooms had reopened with desks set apart. Yet, in Mr Taylor’s words, “absurdly, only prisoners from the same bubble were allowed to be in education together”. As a result very few men had regular face-to-face lessons.
Rehabilitation programmes had long waiting lists. Inspectors said fully restarting them must be an urgent priority. Leaders lacked oversight of partner agencies, so services for men due for release were poorly coordinated.
Conditions, equality and later reports
Leaders had worked hard on decency. They had refurbished wings, upgraded showers and installed new laundry facilities, and the prison was clean. Most men now had their own cells. Inspectors who had visited before noticed a more positive atmosphere.
Equality work had significant weaknesses. Black and minority ethnic prisoners reported worse treatment, particularly on staff respect. Health services were good overall. The chaplaincy had supported prisoners well throughout the pandemic, though Muslim prisoners could attend Friday prayers only once every six weeks.
Inspectors have reported on Swinfen Hall again since. An independent review of progress followed in April 2022, and a full inspection report in November 2024.
About this story
This story is based on HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall, published on 6 October 2021, following an inspection that ended in July 2021. It covers an earlier inspection: the prison’s profile has the latest findings. All figures and judgements are the inspectorate’s. Read the full inspection report · See the prison’s profile in our directory.
