HMP Wealstun had 'difficult year' despite 10 Prisons Project funds

The 10 Prisons Project money was to fight drugs and improve security, said the government

A jail given extra funding through the government's high-profile 10 Prisons Project has had a "very difficult year" with high levels of violence, self harm and drug use, inspectors have said.

HMP Wealstun near Wetherby was one of 10 jails to share £10m from the scheme, announced in August 2018 and aimed at improving security and conditions.

The Independent Monitoring Board found the West Yorkshire jail was so short of staff inmates were in cells all day.

It said improvements had taken months.

The monitoring board volunteers checked the day-to-day life of prisoners and standards of care and decency at the category C prison, which holds about 800 male prisoners.

"This has been a very difficult year for the prison, with levels of violence, self harm and the availability of drugs remaining high for nine months of the reporting year, despite additional funding from the then Prison Minister's 10 Prisons Project", the report said.

Staff shortages had an adverse impact on prisoners and at times they spent up to 24 hours a day in their cells, it said.

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However, the recruitment of new senior managers and officers from other prisons in March had eventually resulted in improvements but these could not be sustained if staffing levels were not maintained, said the board.

Rebecca Major, the board's chair, said it had hoped the project would have "some positive impact".

"Unfortunately, the anticipated improvements did not occur until the project had been running for more than six months", she said.

"Under the circumstances the prison's management team have done a reasonable job this year," Ms Major added.

The other prisons in the scheme were Hull, Humber, Isis, Leeds, Lindholme, Moorland, Nottingham, Ranby and Wormwood Scrubs.

Levels of violence and drug taking have fallen since last year at some of the prisons, the Ministry of Justice has said.