Despite a drop in recorded assaults within Long Lartin high-security prison, Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor has said the level of violence at the jail is still higher than at similar establishments, with prisoners feeling unsafe.
He also said that self-harm remains too high, and noted that four prisoners had taken their own lives in the two years since the inspectors last visited.
In a report published on 1 June, Mr Taylor wrote: “Too many prisoners live in unacceptable conditions.” He found that many staff fail to properly and constructively engage with prisoners, and that prisoners from ethnic minority communities report particularly poor relationships with officers and other prison staff.
During their announced visit, which took place in February and March, a team from HM Inspectorate of Prisons found that “some progress had been made, but not enough to change the previously given scores” for three of their four tests, these being safety, respect, and purposeful activity. All were assessed as “not sufficiently good”.
Preparation for release was assessed as “reasonably good”, also an unchanged score from the previous inspection in 2024.
The prison had been successful in reducing the supply and use of illicit drugs, and there had been a sharp fall in positive drug tests. Governor Babafemi Dada, in post since 2023, had set “clear standards for improvement, and there was evidence of greater stability”. Neverthless, Mr Taylor reported that “staff morale was low, and shortages of experienced staff had weakened delivery”.
Time out of cell was too limited, with insufficient access to meaningful activity. There were positives, for instance the gym and library were praised for giving a good service, and education is provided in cell for those who need it, including for those in segregation.
