HMP BRISTOL Prison Regime Info

Online Library documents for HMP BRISTOL

UNLOCKING TIMES

Mon: 07:40 - 19:15
Tue: 07:40 - 19:15
Wed: 07:40 - 19:15
Thu: 07:40 - 19:15
Fri: 07:40 - 17:00
Sat: 08:00 - 17:00
Sun: 08:00 - 17:00
 

ASSOCIATION

Mon: 18:00 - 19:15
Tue: 18:00 - 19:15
Wed: 18:00 - 19:15
Thu: 18:00 - 19:15
Fri: 13:30 - 16:30
Sat: 09:00 - 11:00 & 13:30 - 16:00
Sun: 09:00 - 11:00 & 13:30 - 16:00
 

HEALTH & SPORTS

Sports available include;

• Badminton
• Basketball
• Circuit Training
• Light Circuit Training
• Remedial
• Soccer
• Soft Tennis
• Volleyball
• Weight Loss Programme

LIBRARY

The library is staffed by a professional librarian (30 hours per week) and is assisted by a
Learning and Skills Officer. prisoners have at least 20 minutes access per week and are able to borrow a range of books, music CDs, and games.

The library has excellent working relationships with the Education Dept and has been instrumental in the development of learning programmes, such as ‘Story Book Dads’ and ‘Poetry Can’, the Open University and ‘Debt Advice’.

FAITH

Every prison has a Chaplaincy department managed by a Co-ordinating Chaplain and supported by admin staff, other Chaplains and ‘Sessional Chaplains’ (faith leaders who visit for specific services or sessions). The Chaplaincy is considered an important part of the prison structure. When a prisoner arrives at a prison they are usually seen by a Chaplain within 24 hours and are invited to register as a specific religion (if they haven’t already done so) and can change their declared religion at any time.

The Chaplaincy does far more than just pastoral care; they often are able to lend radios, musical instruments and typewriters; they may take part in Sentence Planning and are available as a ‘listening ear’ and are able, sometimes, to help with domestic problems. Most Chaplaincies run various courses and activities which may or may not have a religious theme. Every prisoner has the right to follow their religious practices and attend Chapel for services pertaining to their declared faith (even when segregated).

The Chaplaincy are able to organise faith activities for all main religions (as recognised by the Prison Service; this does not, at present include Rastafarian as a specific religion) and contact faith representatives to visit individual or groups of prisoners for the purpose of religious activities. The chaplaincy can also intercede on matters of religious dress, diet and artefacts. A full list of permitted artefacts can be found in the Glossary Section under Religious Artefacts.

You can contact the Chaplaincy by letter or by telephoning the main prison number and asking to speak to the Chaplaincy. The Chaplaincy works as part of the prison and cannot, therefore, guarantee confidentiality (they can explain this to you in detail). Prisoners can contact the Chaplaincy in person or by Application.

Chaplaincy Statement of Purpose (HMPS)
The Chaplaincy is committed to serving the needs of prisoners, staff and religious traditions by engaging all human experience. We will work collaboratively, respecting the integrity of each tradition and discipline. We believe that faith and the search for meaning directs and inspires life, and are committed to providing sacred spaces and dedicated teams to deepen and enrich human experience. We contribute to the care of prisoners to enable them to lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and after release.

The Co-ordinating Chaplain at Bristol is: David Powe

Part-time Anglican, Catholic and Free Church Chaplains. Visiting Muslim Chaplain.

There are facilities for all faiths

HEALTHCARE

Visiting Specialists

• Dentist
• Optician
• Physio
• Stop Smoking

NHS Healthcare Information for Bristol

Prison Healthcare Manager:
Tel: 01117 3723100

 

EDUCATION

EDUCATION PROVIDER
Strode College
Church Road, Street, Somerset BA16 0AB
Tel: 01458 844400

Career Information & Advice Services (CIAS)
Tribal Education Ltd
Head office: 87-91 Newman Street, London W1T 3EY
Tel: 020 7323 7100
 

Classes include;

• Art
• Basic Education
• Computer Studies
• Cookery
• Crafts
• Creative Writing
• English
• Key Skills
• Life and Social Skills
• Literacy
• Maths
• Music
• Numeracy
• Open University

OFSTED INSPECTION

OFSTED inspect education establishments from schools to colleges to prisons. They inspect education facilities within prisons and have inspected Bristol.

OFSTED NUMBER: 52254
To read their latest report click here

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Employment includes;

• Gardening
• Horticulture
• Industrial Cleaning
• Laundry
• Sports Studies
• Health & safety
• Manual handling
• First Aid
• COSHH
• BICS
• Food Hygiene
• Recycling & Waste management
• Manufacturing

Outside companies with contract to Prison Industries workshop (2009-2010)

Royal British Legion Poppy Factory - General Packing and assembly
 

Vocational study not leading to a recognised qualification, Preparation for Life and Work (SSA 14)

Current Wages

Employed: £7.00 - £14.00
Education: £7.00 - £14.00
Retired: £2.50 per week
Long term sick: £2.50 per week
 

OFFENCE FOCUSED COURSES

There are no courses at Bristol.

RESETTLEMENT

• Job club - Job Centre+
• Self employment classes
• Working out opportunities

FAMILY DAYS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PRISON PERFORMANCE
Ministry of Justice Performance Rating for this prison: 3
This is on a scale from 1 (serious concerns) to 4 (Exceptional) and is worked out by the Ministry of Justice taking into account 34 criteria such as overcrowding, purposeful activities etc. A score of 3 is considered a good performance. Published quarterly.

Average weekly hours of Purposeful Activity: 23.9 (2010)
This figure is supplied by each prison to the Prison Service. Actual hours are usually dependent on activities etc. and should be taken as the maximum time either in workshops or education over a whole week.

Both of these figures are published retrospectively by the MoJ and HMPS and may have changed since the figures were published but they give a simple comparison between prisons.

PRISON BUDGET
Annual Budget: £14,100,000 (2011-12)*
Approx cost per prisoner place (2010): £36,600

*The annual budget allocated to the governor covers all major costs of running the prison but excludes most costs related to education and healthcare.
  

Parliamentary Information
CONSTITUENCY: Bristol West
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Stephen Williams (Liberal Democrat)

Prisoners may write to either their ‘Home MP’ or the MP in whose constituency their current prison lies.
The address to write to is:
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Local Authority
Bristol City Council
The Council House, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR
Tel: 0117 922 2000
Click Here for link

You can contact the local authority on matters such as libraries, environmental health, trading standards, food hygiene, social services, education and electoral registration.

Trading Standards
The nearest Trading Standards department is at:
Bristol City Council, Trading Standards, Neighbourhoods, Brunel House, St George's Road, Bristol BS1 5UY
Tel: 0117 9223444
Click Here for link

Trading Standards can help with problems with purchases such as weights and measures, ‘best by’ dates, pricing & faulty goods.

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephones
Most prisons now have PIN phones. Your relative or friend usually needs to apply to have your name and number on his/her telephone account. You will usually receive a call from the prison to check who you are and to ensure you are happy for them to call you. Prisoners cannot receive telephone calls.

There is no restriction on who prisoners can call except in the case of calls to journalists intended to be broadcast. In some cases child protection measures may mean extra checks on who they call.

Prisoners can normally make calls only during ‘association’ periods. Some prisons limit the length of time a call can last to avoid queues and people being disappointed. Prisoners’ telephone calls are very expensive; calls to landlines now cost 10p per minute and 37.5 p to mobiles (compared to 2p in a public phone box). In most prisons the phone calls can be listened to and/or recorded.

In general prisoners phone calls follow the same rules as for letters in as far as who can be contacted and what can be said. If the rules are broken the prison may terminate the call.

If a prisoner is newly convicted or transferred they should be offered an immediate ‘Reception’ phone call to tell you where they are. It may take a few days for numbers to be transferred or added.

Letters
When you write to a prisoner you must include your full name and address. In most prisons the letters are searched and can be read before being given to the prisoner.

You can write about anything but letters must not be obscene, name ‘victims’, or be a threat to discipline or security. Do not enclose any items with letters. Make sure you put sufficient postage to cover the costs (anything bigger than A5 counts as ‘large’). Prisoners can normally receive a ‘reasonable’ number of letters per week.

If you send greetings cards these should be of reasonable size and not padded or pouched. Do not send musical cards. If you are sending more than one card put them all inside one outer envelope, this saves postage. Remember to include your full details (you could put your details on a ‘Post-It’ note stuck to the card or include a letter which has your details).

Always put the prisoner’s full name and prison number. If the person has been moved their mail will be forwarded.

On conviction or transfer a prisoner should be given a ‘Reception’ letter to write to tell you where they are.
Prisoners are given a free letter each week to post out, they can send more, but at their own expense. Some prisons allow you to send in stamps.

You can send stamped address envelopes (address to yourself), for the prisoner to reply, to any prisoner in any prison.

Prisoners are not allowed to send you letters or information to be posted on social networking internet sites.

Remember all letters are opened and checked and may be read.

Full information about prisoners’ correspondence can be found in Prison Service Instruction 20011-006

Photographs
You can usually send in photographs but in some prisons these must not include any image of the prisoner. Child protection measures may mean that some prisoners may not receive pictures of children, unless they are their own and were not ‘victims’. If you send pictures of children include an explanatory note identifying who the children are and their relationship to the prisoner.

Money
It is not a good idea to send cash, this can get ‘lost’ in the prison. Prisons prefer postal orders, but you could send a cheque. Make these payable to ‘H M Prison Service’, write your name on the back and also the prisoner’s full name and prison number. Any money sent which is deemed to be ‘anonymous’ can be stopped.
Money you send is paid into the prisoner’s ‘Private Cash’ account and they get access to a certain amount (depending upon IEP) each week [currently £15.50 for Standard prisoners]. Include your full detail in an accompanying letter or note.

Visits
For full information about visits please refer to our ‘Visit Info’ section for this prison. Visits are very important to prisoners. At most prisons you may not give any item to the prisoner. Any items you wish to give them must usually be posted to the prison, and often after the prisoner has placed an ‘application’ for authorisation to have it sent in. The items which can be posted in are very limited. Check with the prisoner first and wait until they confirm that you can post it.

Emergencies
If there is a serious emergency - close family serious illness, death, or other reason you need to inform the prisoner immediately, you should telephone the main prison number and explain the problem to the operator who will transfer you to the appropriate person. If you are unhappy about their response redial and ask to speak to the Chaplaincy. Prison staff will not pass on general messages but only critical and very urgent messages. You should provide full details of the prisoner including their number.

Support and Advice
There are many very good charities and agencies who offer support and advice to people with family or friends in prison. We have a special section ‘Help/Support’ which has details and contact information for many of these. Do not hesitate or feel shy about calling any of these; they are there to offer support and advice.
 

EMAIL A PRISONER
This service operates at this prison. Email a Prisoner enables you to send messages to prisoners, in the UK and Irish prisons that operate the service, from any computer, without any of the hassles of writing and posting a letter, and it costs less than a second class stamp!

Your message is delivered to the prison within seconds so that it can be delivered to the prisoner by the prison staff in the next delivery.

It is free to sign up to Email a Prisoner and only takes a few seconds - all you need is an email address (EMaP can help you if you don't have an email address).

Once a member you will be able to send a message to any prisoner in the UK or Ireland, provided you know their prisoner number, from just 25 pence per message.

Click Here for link to Email a Prisoner website

Story Book Dads/Mums
Story Book Dads/Mums operates at this prison.
The imprisoned parent records a story and a message which is then edited and enhanced using digital audio software and editors remove mistakes and add sound effects and music. Finally a CD is made, a personalised cover created, and the finished disc sent to the child. The whole service is free.

Click Here for more information

Prison Video Link (PVL)
All prisons with video link facilities have at least one courtroom and two briefing rooms where the defendant can hold a conference with their solicitor before and, if required, after their court hearing.

If court hearings are not taking place it may be possible for solicitors, barristers and Probation Officers to hold interviews with a prisoner via video link to save having to visit the prison.

The facility is also available to assist the Parole Board in dealing with oral hearings.

It should be noted however that court hearings must take priority. At other times, operational reasons may mean bookings are refused or cancelled at short notice.

To book the Video Link facility telephone: 0117 942 4074 (Direct dial)
 

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP)

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons for England and Wales (HMI Prisons) is an independent inspectorate which reports on conditions for, and treatment of, those in prisons, young offender institutions and immigration detention facilities. They provide independent scrutiny of the conditions for and treatment of prisoners and other detainees, promoting the concept of 'healthy prisons' in which staff work effectively to support prisoners and detainees to reduce reoffending or achieve other agreed outcomes.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) is appointed from outside the Prison Service, for a term of five years. The Chief Inspector reports to Ministers on the treatment of prisoners and conditions in prisons in England and Wales.

The Inspectorate’s programme of inspection is based on a mixture of chronology and risk assessment. Full inspections run on a five or three year cycle; all unannounced follow-up inspections run on a risk-assessed basis.

Full inspections
Prison establishments holding adults and young adults are inspected once every five years. Establishments holding juveniles are inspected every three years. This type of inspection lasts for at least one week. The Inspectorate collects information from many sources, including the people who work there, the people who are imprisoned or detained there, and visitors or others with an interest in the establishment. Inspection findings are reported back to the establishment’s managers. Reports are published within 16 weeks of inspection. The establishment is then expected to produce an action plan, based on the recommendations made within the report, within a short period following publication.

Full follow-up inspections
Follow-up inspections are unannounced and proportionate to risk. In full follow-up inspections inspectors assess progress made and undertake in-depth analysis of areas of serious concern identified in the previous full inspection, particularly on safety and respect.

Short follow-up inspections
Short follow-up inspections are also unannounced and conducted where the previous full inspection and their intelligence systems suggest that there are comparatively fewer concerns.

Escort inspections
Three escort inspections are conducted every year.

Pre-inspection visit
One month prior to each full announced inspection, an inspector will visit the establishment to plan the inspection and request a range of preliminary information. In addition, researchers will attend to conduct a confidential survey of a representative proportion of the prisoner population. Results from the prisoner survey are provided for inspectors prior to the inspection and constitute an important source of evidence.

The inspection
All inspections are conducted against the Inspectorate's published inspection criteria, 'Expectations'. Expectations' are based on international human rights standards, as well as Prison Service Orders and Standards, and over all issues considered essential to the safe, respectful and purposeful treatment of prisoners in custody and their effective resettlement.
'Expectations' is the document which sets out the detailed criteria HMI Prisons uses to appraise and inspect prisons. These criteria are used to examine every area of prison life, from reception to resettlement, including;

• safer custody
• health services
• good order
• work
• diversity
• resettlement

The concept of a healthy prison is one that was first set out by the World Health Organisation, but it has been developed by this Inspectorate, and is now widely accepted as a definition of what ought to be provided in any custodial environment. It rests upon four key tests:

• safety: prisoners, even the most vulnerable, are held safely
• respect: prisoners are treated with respect for their human dignity
• purposeful activity: prisoners are able, and expected, to engage in activity that is likely to benefit them
• resettlement: prisoners are prepared for release into the community, and helped to reduce the likelihood of reoffending

Post-inspection action
Inspection reports are published within 16 weeks of the inspection. Prior to publication, the Prison Service (or whoever is responsible for the establishment) is invited to correct any factual inaccuracies within the report. The establishment is then expected to produce an action plan, based on the recommendations made in the report, within two months of publication. A progress report on the action plain is produced after a further 12 months.

HMCIP REPORT
Last Inspection by HMCIP: 4–8 January 2010 - Announced inspection

They said:
“Bristol is a medium sized local prison, holding adult and young adult men, mainly from the west of England. It has had a mixed recent history, with a succession of short-term governors, and previous inspections have recorded a sense of drift. It is encouraging that this inspection found a prison with a sense of direction and effective management – though, like most local prisons, it still struggled to provide enough for prisoners to do.

“ Bristol was a reasonably safe prison. However, support for prisoners in the crucial early days of custody was ineffective. Not all prisoners were able to benefit from dedicated first night services, and the induction process was ineffective. Conversely, suicide prevention measures were strong, with some innovative aspects, such as the involvement of prisoners’ families. Though violence reduction procedures were also sound, foreign national prisoners and those with disabilities felt less safe than others, and there were some concerns about the governance of use of force. There had been good work to reduce the supply of drugs and support substance-using prisoners.

“ Given its age, the prison was well maintained, if overcrowded. Relationships between prisoners and staff were mainly positive, though personal officer work was variable. Work had been done on all aspects of diversity, with some positive results. Nevertheless, black and minority ethnic, foreign national and disabled prisoners had poorer perceptions of their prison experience than their counterparts, and there was limited prisoner consultation. Health services were improving, with well-integrated mental health provision.

“ There were activity spaces for only about half the population, and four out of 10 spaces offered only menial work, leading to no useful qualifications. Nevertheless, the quality of some of the work and education was good, with effective use of prisoner mentors in some areas and improved access to PE. As we routinely find, recorded time out of cell did not reflect the experience of most prisoners, some of whom could expect only two and a half hours unlocked on a weekday: we found a third of prisoners locked in their cells during the working day. Association was extremely limited, even for a local prison.

“ The prison’s resettlement strategy was not effectively implemented. However, there was some good work being carried out. Offender management was sound, and would, under the new layered system, provide support also for those serving short sentences or on remand. Some of the resettlement pathways – notably drugs work and support for building family relationships – were good, but others needed further development, and prisoners were sometimes unaware of the services available. An innovative partnership with police and probation had been set up to coordinate the safe resettlement of prolific offenders in the Bristol area.

“ This is a positive report on a prison that had recovered a sense of purpose and direction, despite the limitations of an old site with too little provision for purposeful activity. Managers and staff are to be congratulated on the progress made, though the gaps that remain will be harder to fill in the restrictive financial climate that lies ahead.”

Anne Owers March 2010
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Click Here to read the full report

 Independent Monitoring Board

By law every prison and immigration removal centre must have an Independent Monitoring Board. IMBs in prisons derive their responsibilities from the Prison Act 1952 (Section 6). Prison Rules dealing with IMBs are numbers; 74 to 80

IMBs were known as ‘Boards of Visitors’ and are still referred to in the legislation under their old titles, although this is likely to change in the near future.

The Independent Monitoring Board for each establishment is made up of independent and unpaid volunteers from the local area. They monitor the day-to-day life in the establishment and ensure that proper standards of care and decency are maintained. Members have unrestricted access to all areas of the prison at all times and can talk to any prisoner they wish, out of sight and hearing of a members of staff. They visit all areas such as; kitchens, workshops, accommodation blocks, recreation areas, healthcare centre and chaplaincy.

If a prisoner or detainee has an issue that they have been unable to resolve through the usual internal channels, they can place a confidential request to see a member of the IMB. Problems might include concerns over lost property, visits from family or friends, special religious or cultural requirements, or even serious allegations such as bullying. In addition, if something serious happens at the prison, for example a riot or a death in custody, IMB members may be called in to attend and observe the way in which it is handled.

IMB members sample food, can attend adjudications and should visit people held in the segregation unit. They must also be kept informed on such issues as the use of restraints.

The IMB meets regularly, usually once per month, and has an elected Chair and Vice Chair. Members work together as a team to raise any matters of concern and to keep an independent eye on the prison.

Last Update: May 2013