HMP Hewell: Progress 'stalled' at under-fire prison

HMP Hewell in Worcestershire currently holds almost 1,000 prisoners

A prison once described by an inspector as the worst they had ever seen is failing to make sufficient progress in addressing problems, a report has said.

A review of HMP Hewell, near Redditch, published on Monday found improvements had "largely stalled".

It said many prisoners were spending too much time in their cells and more needed to be done to stop self-harming.

The prison said staffing had been an issue, but should return to full capacity soon.

The latest HM Inspectorate of Prisons review followed an inspection at the Category B prison in 2019, which identified a number of issues, including violence and access to drugs.

At the time, it was also branded "squalid, demeaning and depressing".

A follow-up visit in December 2022 concluded it was a "cleaner, less violent and more respectful prison", but more needed to be done to help prisoners in their first days, as well as reduce the risk of self-harming and address the number of prisoners spending up to 22 hours a day in their cells.

Inspectors have continued to highlight the amount of time prisoners spend in their cells and incidents of self-harming

The most recent visit was carried out in November and, in his foreword to the report, the Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said it was "disappointing" to see the lack of progress made since the last visit.

The inspectors did find "reasonable progress" had been made in reducing waiting times to see a GP or mental health practitioner.

They also found progress in public protection arrangements and in the teaching support for prisoners with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Noting the prison's assurance that it was receiving an influx of new staff, Mr Taylor said: "There will be no excuse then for further delay to instituting progress."

He also urged the prison leaders to "give urgent attention to the care of its high-risk, vulnerable and frequently displaced population", especially during their first few days at HMP Hewell.

In response, the Ministry of Justice said: "The report rightly recognises the improvements made at HMP Hewell following its previous inspection including in health and social care.

"We're also boosting staff numbers to better support vulnerable prisoners while increasing time out of cells so more offenders can get the skills they need to turn away from crime."

It also said it expected HMP Hewell to be fully staffed by the end of December.