COVID-19 restrictions have led to a reduction in violence at Deerbolt Prison, but they have also ended all rehabilitation and education efforts, a report has revealed.
The Startforth jail’s independent monitoring board (IMB) highlighted a host of concerns including fake solicitors’ letters infused with drugs being sent to prisoners, some facilities and equipment in dire need of repair and education staff being removed from the site during the pandemic.
However, it praised a change in senior staff which brought “new energy, enthusiasm and insights that have noticeably improved the performance of the prison” .
Board chairman John Stoney said 2020 got off to a bad start with a serious incident in January.
He added: “There was significant fire damage, and the regional Tornado team was deployed.
“The subsequent external investigation concluded that the incident was started by the action of one individual, who had reacted impulsively and spontaneously on being told to return to his cell by staff.”
Despite the incident, he said the number of assaults and fights was lower than in previous years.
Mr Stoney said: “After the Covid-19 lockdown, violence among prisoners was
further reduced, probably because there were fewer opportunities for prisoners to interact, and many vulnerable prisoners said that they felt safer.”
The lockdown meant that prisoners were confined to their cells for 22 hours a day, but to compensate televisions were installed and extra channels added.
The downside was that educational areas had been closed, he said.
Mr Stoney said: “There has been no education or craft training, or any courses aimed at addressing criminal behaviour or improving anger management and thinking skills. In other words, there is practically zero rehabilitation.”
His report also highlighted ongoing problems with substance abuse and new ways of smuggling drugs into the prison were being uncovered.
He said: “The staff have intercepted a number of supposed legal letters from solicitors which were impregnated with ‘spice’, so they now telephone the solicitors, the names of which are on the outside of the envelope, to see that the mail is genuine.
“This can delay delivery of legitimate mail but seems to be a necessary move.”
He noted that a rolling refurbishment of all wings is underway but problems still exist with the oil-fired laundry system, with some of the equipment out of action for about two years, and a heating failure in winter which saw staff bringing in appliances from their homes.
Despite the kitchen being “notably shabby” , Mr Stoney said it is kept consistently clean and overall the menus were “varied and interesting” .
