The privately-run prison also faces issues with drugs, improvised weapons and staff shortages
Privately run HMP Lowdham Grange also faces issues with drugs, improvised weapons and staff shortages, a new report has said.
Since opening in 1998 it had been operated by Serco but this ended in February, with Sodexo Justice Services taking over. "This view of 'how safe' is based on the increased number of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, an increase in prisoner self-harm, and the significant number of weapons finds," the report said.The report said: "The failure to provide an adequate number of offending behaviour and drug treatment programmes, restricted full-time work opportunities and a limited education service has compromised the overall progression of many prisoners in their sentences.
In the same period the number of prisoners on a support programme for those at risk of self harm had jumped from 18 to 36.Additionally, when the contract change was announced in August 2022, the prison was fully staffed but at the time of writing, the report noted 68 vacancies - with temporary replacement staff not being experienced in category B prisons.
The chair of the Lowdham Grange IMB said: 'The deteriorating situation at Lowdham Grange has caused significant concern to the Board."Prisoners are also directly released without specialist rehabilitation and resettlement involvement. Despite this catalogue of difficulties, the prison has been told to prepare to take an extra 20 prisoners, some of whom will have to share cells for the first time".
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