'Fragile' progress at Exeter Prison - watchdog

HMP Exeter has three wings

Exeter Prison is continuing to have one of the highest rates of violence between adult male prisoners in England and Wales, a report says.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons said that, of seven areas for concern raised in a previous inspection, reasonable progress had been made in three and insufficient progress in four.

Key concerns included a lack of stable leadership and overcrowding.

The Prison Service said it would do "whatever is required" to boost safety.

Problems 'slowly addressed'

The inspectorate said it had received urgent notifications from the previous two full inspections - the latest of which was in November 2022 - which had raised serious concerns about the safety of men held there.

The report said the prison's new governor had a clear vision and improvements to governance and risk management processes were evident.

However, it also said rates of self-harm remained high, and a further self-inflicted death had occurred since the last inspection.

The inspectorate said an action plan to address these concerns was in place, but managers were slow to address them.

Since the inspectorate's previous inspection, HMP Exeter has had three governors, eight deputy governors and eight heads of safety - the report said this instability of leadership had impeded progress.

It said the level of violence at the prison was high and leaders were unaware of many of the causes.

Investigations into violent incidents were inadequate and did not inform an action plan to identify and reduce violence among prisoners, the report said.

Overall, the report found progress at the prison remained "fragile".

Safety summit

The prisons watchdog said there had been "notable positive practice" - which it defines as "innovative work or practice that leads to particularly good outcomes from which other establishments may be able to learn" - in three areas in the latest inspection.

One was a well-organised and well-planned safety summit, which provided staff with comprehensive information to improve their knowledge and understanding of the different ways in which they could support the safety of prisoners.

Another was a detailed A-Z guide on safety, developed for staff to use as a reference guide.

Also, the substance misuse service manager informed key stakeholders in the prison which prisoners were being stabilised, preventing unsafe transfers from being made.

HMP Exeter was built for 317 inmates but government figures show it holds about 560.

The Prison Service said: "This report recognises improved care and support for those in crisis at HMP Exeter.

"Widespread refurbishment is under way and extra teaching staff have been recruited to provide new educational opportunities and to increase time out of cells.

"But we know there is still work to be done to achieve the real and lasting change this prison needs and will do whatever is required to improve the safety of staff and prisoners."