Isis independent review of progress 2023
Report for Isis Prison
Summary
we found leaders (see Glossary) relied too much on keeping prisoners apart to manage conflict and violence. As a consequence, prisoners could not access enough education or work. In addition, outcomes in rehabilitation and release planning were poor. 1.4 At this independent review of progress (IRP) we assessed progress against eight concerns identified at the inspection and found progress was reasonable in four areas and insufficient in four. Despite this mixed assessment there is much to be positive about. We found a governor and leadership team committed to understanding and meeting the needs of the young adults in their care. 1.5 Leaders were trying to make improvements in the face of several challenges. They included: a lack of national strategic direction or model outlining how services for young adults should be configured; high levels of community-based conflict among young men from London; increasing shortfalls of prison officers; and failures among partner agencies, most notably the Probation Service. Rather than wait for direction from HM Prison and Probation Service, the governor had established a positive culture where leaders felt able to instigate new initiatives to try and improve outcomes at the site. Report of an independent review of progress at HMP/YOI Isis 3 1.6 Examples of creativity included a thoughtful approach to violence reduction, based on a better understanding of the individual needs of those responsible for a disproportionate number of assaults. This had enabled managers to increase the number of prisoners who could be unlocked at once, and there were some promising signs that the rate of violent incidents was beginning to fall. The education model was also novel, relying on independent study and weekly tutorials.