Assaults increase at prison, inspection reveals

The report found the supply of drugs persisted and violence between inmates had increased

Assaults have increased in a prison where an inmate was charged with the murder of another inmate, an inspection has revealed.

The assessment at HMP Peterborough found that in four out of seven concerns identified at a review in January, there had been insufficient or no meaningful change.

The supply of drugs had persisted despite steps being taken to prevent drugs getting into the prison and prisoners being helped to stop using them, the report said.

A spokesperson for HMP Peterborough, said: "Since the inspection, we have been taking action to tackle these issues. Working alongside HM Prison and Probation Service, we remain committed to building on the progress made."

The category B jail, which is operated by Sodexo, was inspected in October and the rate of violence remained high with a case where an inmate was charged for the murder of a fellow inmate.

The report also found there was little motivation to reward prisoners for positive behaviour and inmates were locked in their cells for longer than planned.

In the previous inspection it found one third of inmates were made homeless due to insufficient housing support, this remained high with 28% of prisoners released homeless between February and August.

The Care Quality Commission also found there had been a failure to meet aspects of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and asked for an action plan to be made to address the issues.

'We have more to do'

However, in two of the areas of concern the report identified good progress.

Prisoners now received a second health assessment within seven days of their arrival.

There was also a substantial increase in the number of education, skills and work places with sufficient places allocated to all prisoners into education, vocational training or work.

The report also found officer shortages had been addressed by recruitment efforts, although too many remained unavailable for duty.

The improvement to resettlement support available for remanded men was also highlighted.

An HMP Peterborough spokesperson said: “We welcome the chief inspector’s review of our progress and take on board fully his feedback and recommendations for improvement."

It said it was "pleased" the report recognised the "hard work" that had been undertaken to prevent illicit items, such as drugs, from entering the prison. Also the increased opportunities to build skills needed to secure employment upon release, the positive impact of resettlement to support remanded men and improving staffing levels.

“However, we fully acknowledge that we have more to do in other areas, such as improving safety levels and increasing access to wing-based activities."