Praise for high security jail

Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons said there were reasonable living conditions and relationships between staff and prisoners had improved at HMP Whitemoor in his latest report.

The prison, which has 431 inmates - with more than 30 per cent ‘category A’ prisoners - was praised for the low levels of violence, and the care given to those susceptible to self-harm.

The work and training on offer to the men was also given praise.

However, the inspectors said the segregation unit was full and the regime offered was poor, although there had been improvements in the staff culture and the use of force had dropped considerably. The inspectors added the prison was not particularly well supported by other high security prisons or the long-term category B estate in providing respite or a fresh start for men who had been segregated.

Mr Clarke said: “Overall, and given the complexity of the issues being dealt with at Whitemoor, we were heartened by what we found. For the vast majority, it was a generally safe prison, conditions were reasonable and relationships with staff had improved. The prison’s approach to diversity was developing and every prisoner could be involved in activities that would be of benefit to them.”