Spring Hill inspection report 2022
Report for Spring Hill Prison
Summary
Spring Hill was making a good recovery from the pandemic restrictions that had made the operation of this open prison in Buckinghamshire difficult for the last two years. When I visited briefly in March 2021 during our scrutiny visit of neighbouring HMP Grendon, the prisoners I spoke to were bored and frustrated with being stuck on site, unable to be released on temporary licence (ROTL) either to go to work or to see their families. It was a pleasure to return just over a year later to find a much more productive and happier place. Everyone at the prison was given work or allocated to education on arrival, although many of the jobs were somewhat contrived and a lot of prisoners were underemployed, with two or three appearing to be doing the work of one. They were at least getting into the good habits of working that they will need on release, such as getting up in the morning. Once prisoners had navigated the extensive bureaucratic process and many delays caused by outside agencies, they were able to go off site to work.