Inspectors 'shocked and saddened' to find inmates at Bristol Prison being 'failed'

Inspectors have been left "shocked and "saddened" to find inmates at a prison in Bristol are being "failed", despite multiple warnings that the service needs to improve.

HMP Bristol has been found to have made few improvements to the extreme levels of violence and death experienced at the site, to the lack of staff, or to overcrowding.

This is according to a report published on Thursday 23 November by the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), a service comprised of volunteers who have unrestricted access to UK prisons, their staff, and inmates.

Increasing levels of violence, deaths, and drug use

The study concluded that HMP Bristol has "one of the highest numbers of deaths across the country" and the second "highest levels of self-harm and violent incidents" compared to similar prisons.

Nine deaths were reported between August 2022 and July 2023 at the category B prison, of which six are believed to have been suicide and another which is believed to have been murder.

"This is significantly higher than previous years and when compared to other prisons", the report noted.

Incidents of self-harm had risen by 40% during the inspection period and violence was found to be increasing.

The number of "incidents of prisoners under the influence, due to availability of drugs and illicit prisoner-made alcohol" was also on the rise.

The availability of drugs was also found to have significantly increased over the year.

Overcrowding, with prisoners doubling up in cells designed for single occupancy

Inspectors found the prison, which was already known to be overcrowded, had increased its operational capacity from 529 to 580.

Typically, the prison now houses around 540 to 550 people, which is similar to the level it held in 2019. But this is a significant increase compared to the year before, when it held around 480.

This is despite no additional cells or staff and means the prison is now so overcrowded, a majority of prisoners (60%) are now sharing a cell.

Much of the prison consists of single-occupancy cells built in 1863, when the site first opened. While two further wings were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, one building has no in-cell sanitation.

The inspection found many prisoners were doubling up in these cramped, historic cells for up to 22 hours a day.

Of those detained at HMP Bristol in July 2023, inspectors found 248 prisoners had not yet been sentenced or were awaiting trial, with this category of inmate making up an increasing percentage of those held at the site.

Low numbers of staff leading to a reduced number of activities

The IMB inspection also found that staffing levels were "below the required levels and on some days the numbers on duty were below the minimum level needed".

This led to activities being routinely cancelled due to a lack of staff.

The report added that while there was "good education and workshop activities available", few prisoners were accessing these due to a shortage of staff.

The inspectors added repeat offenders often talk about a lack of support, housing, and medication - all of which they felt were present at HMP Bristol.

HMP Bristol's Governor was also appointed to the role in Spring 2023 and inspectors found many of the senior leadership team were also new to their roles.

Long waits for mental health treatment

Too few prison staff and too many inmates has also meant long waits for prisoners requiring specialist mental health units, according to the report.

Inspectors found this had led to those needing additional support being held in segregation while they waited to be transferred.

In one case, a prisoner spent 130 days in segregation and eventually moved to a mental health unit, but required force to facilitate the move.

IMB: 'Prisoners at Bristol are being failed and will have little chance of rehabilitation'

IMB Chair Emma Firman said: “We are now seeing a prison that is being pushed to its limits.

"If the prison is to be fit for purpose, then additional resources and a reduction in overcrowding is needed to enable the hard working but overstretched staff to keep prisoners safe.

"Prisoners at Bristol are being failed and most will have a little chance of rehabilitation upon release.”

The study concluded that around 20% of prisoners released from HMP Bristol are immediately homeless.

This latest report follows the HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) issuing an Urgent Notification for HMP Bristol on 26 July 2023 following an unannounced inspection, following a previous Urgent Notification in 2019.

Reporting on the findings, the IMB concluded: "The Board has seen little sign of improvement in the areas highlighted in the 2021/22 Annual Report.

"The increased occupancy, reduced staffing levels, worsening safety, self harmfigures and deaths in the six months prior to the most recent UN were of concern tothe Board.

"It is disappointing that additional resources and support were not available to the prison over the last year."

It added that an Action Plan was published by senior staff at the site in August following the second UN, but said this did not "address some of the systemic problems within the prison and wider system".

In particular, the latest plan does not mention reducing the number of prisoners, or a substantial increase in the number of staff.

In response to the inspection, a spokesperson for the Prison Service said: “We have already taken action to address the serious concerns raised in this report including bolstering the number of frontline staff to reduce violence and improving the support provided to vulnerable prisoners.

“We only double up cells where it is safe to do so and we’re undertaking significant refurbishments at the prison as part of our multi-billion pound investment to improve conditions across the estate.”