Self-harm in women's prison up by nearly 20%

HMP Send is a closed prison for adult women and transgender people located east of West Clandon, near Guildford

The number of self-harm incidents at a women's prison in Surrey has increased by nearly 20% in a year, a report has found.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said a high turnover of prisoners at HMP Send had contributed to a number of "concerning trends".

It also found more prisoners were being kept apart for safety reasons, assaults - particularly prisoner on prisoner - had increased and the number of "use-of-force" incidents had doubled since last year's inspection.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it welcomed the report, adding: "The prison system this government inherited is not working for most women."

Send Prison is a closed facility which can accommodate 255 adult women and transgender people.

In a recent inspection by His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, it received the highest rating in three out of the four categories.

But the IMB report, published on Wednesday, said the high turnover of prisoners and an increase in prisoners with complex needs was putting pressure on staff and "the prison regime".

'A great effort'

Inspectors said they were also concerned at how often escorting chains were being used when prisoners went to medical appointments, at the lack of progress in rolling out digital technology meaning prisoners were not being prepared for life outside prison, and that items belonging to inmates were being lost when moving them between prisons.

There were 590 instances of self-harm this inspection year, compared with 479 in the previous period.

It was said the main triggers were linked to mental health, prison rules and adjudications.

The report did, however, state that Send continues to be a prison where management and staff make "a great effort" to try to ensure the safety of prisoners.

Inspectors said 64 new rapid deployment cells, which provide an incentivised substance free living area for prisoners with a history of substance abuse, continue to be very popular with prisoners and support their recovery.

Many prisoners have spoken positively about the educational courses they are taking, and the prison's handling of inmate complaints of discrimination had improved since the last inspection.

Philippa Helme, IMB Send chairwoman, said: "Despite the best efforts of management and staff, the increased turnover of prisoners has had a negative impact over the reporting year, both on prisoner safety and on the prison regime.

"The board will be watching to see if these trends continue in the current year."

An MoJ spokesperson said: "The prison system this government inherited is not working for most women. Many are victims and over half are mothers.

"That's why we have welcomed the Independent Sentencing Review's recommendations and established a new Women's Justice Board to reduce the number of women in jail and the number of women's prisons."