1 week Ago By [email protected] (Patrick Edrich)
It is the open prison with the highest drug test rate in the whole country An open prison with the highest drug use of any in the country stinks of cannabis and inmates are "frustrated and bored", a report found. During an unannounced visit to category D HMP Kirkham, in Lancashire , inspectors found far too few prisoners were able to get the opportunity to work, with little for the men to do to fill the time. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor found that many of the 672 inmates were on drugs, with the positive mandatory drug test rate the highest in the open prison estate at 25% .
The prison, which inmates would generally go to before being released from the estate, is in the top third of all adult male prisons in the country. Mr Taylor said although efforts had been made to reduce the supply and leaders had found large quantities of illicit items in searches, they had not done enough to reduce the demand. The inspectors were surprised that prisoners "returning from work in the community were not routinely searched when they entered the prison".
The report published this week said the biggest incentive to behave in open prisons is release on temporary licence (ROTL) and the opportunity to spend time at home. However, Mr Taylor said it was "very disappointing to find that the proportion of prisoners was far lower than in other open jails". The report said the lack of these opportunities for eligible prisoners meant they were denied a key incentive to behave well, get into good habits, earn some money and transition smoothly back into the community.
The prison's brand new, £10m gym was rarely full, with sessions frequently cancelled, and the outdoor football pitch was virtually unused, inspectors found. They also said this wasted opportunities to help prisoners stay fit and off drugs. They also found the the prisoners lived in aging accommodation, some with black mould on the walls and ceilings, and were overwhelmingly negative about their experiences with prison staff, describing them as rude and uncaring.
The report said: "Prisoners frequently told inspectors that they were treated with disdain and we saw very little interaction, either positive or negative. At our last inspection, six years before, we had made similar criticism, so it was disappointing to find that, if anything, things had got worse. Leaders had allowed a culture to develop that was not supporting prisoners to prepare for their eventual release.
" Kirkham had been severely impacted by the various strategies to alleviate population pressures across the prison estate. In 2023, it had received a large influx of around 400 category C prisoners , more than the number for all other open men’s prisons combined. These men were not always prepared for open conditions and did not qualify for ROTL.
There was poor preparation for the release of higher risk prisoners, and dysfunctionality between different departments in the jail meant that bureaucratic processes were slowing prisoners’ progression. The report said the outcomes for prisoners at HMP Kirkham were "reasonably good" for safety but "not sufficiently good" for respect, purposeful activity or preparation for release. Mr Taylor said: "The new, acting governor had only been in post for a few weeks when we inspected Kirkham, but she already had a good grasp of the many challenges faced by the jail and was beginning to address some of the longstanding issues.
The prison service should give this troubled prison some space to reset, address the cultural problems among staff, reduce the demand for drugs and provide many more opportunities for work and family ROTL ." A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "The new government inherited a prison system in crisis and reports like these demonstrate the need for robust action to get the situation back under control. We have zero tolerance towards drugs and will continue the hard work of ensuring prisons like HMP Kirkham become places where offenders can turn their backs on crime for good.
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