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HM Prison Elmley is a local Category B/C men's prison, located close to the village of Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. The term 'local' means that this prison holds people on remand to the local courts. Elmley once formed part of the Sheppey prisons cluster, which included HMP Standford Hill and HMP Swaleside; it is now a stand-alone establishment. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
Safety: The prison operates a safer custody review group which meets monthly to review practice to identify improvements. 4.1 Reception and Induction The prison has continued to take steps to improve practice in this area amid concerns that some prisoners experience significant anxiety when arriving in prison. The prison put in place a revised procedure during the previous reporting year entitled “bus to [...]
Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The cells at HMP Elmley appear tired and in some areas are in poor condition. The completion of houseblock 7 is expected in early summer 2026. It will be imperative that the Governor is afforded all the resources that are required for the successful operation of a full and constructive regime in the new houseblock. A decision on the future of houseblock 5 is yet [...]
Purposeful activity: The Board was appalled to be notified, mid-reporting year, that the education budget would be slashed by up to 40% for the coming educational year. While HMPPS insists that budgets have not been cut but that the cost of delivering high- quality education has risen significantly, either way the outcome is the same: the latest HMPPS figures show that Elmley has seen a 29% reduction in education [...]
Preparation for release: Not covered
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Practical info
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The prison operates a safer custody review group which meets monthly to review practice to identify improvements. 4.1 Reception and Induction The prison has continued to take steps to improve practice in this area amid concerns that some prisoners experience significant anxiety when arriving in prison. The prison put in place a revised procedure during the previous reporting year entitled “bus to bed”, which seeks to make the entry into Elmley clear, informative and above all humane. From the Board’s observations, this approach has had a positive impact and we acknowledge that leaders responsible for reception and induction appear to want to improve provision. An important aspect of reducing risk to prisoners at the point of arrival is officers taking accurate notes of the prisoner escort record and the suicide and self-harm warning form, if they are provided. Due to the pressure to get prisoners through reception and onto the designated houseblock this does not always happen. Showers are not routinely provided to new prisoners on their day of arrival. Providing new prisoners with access to make a telephone call upon arrival does not always occur and is particularly a concern at the weekend, as staff are not available to update prisoners’ PIN numbers. For prisoners with court applied restrictions to phone use, the prison undertakes to inform a named contact of their arrival in prison. The prison has three prisoners who voluntarily act as ‘insiders’ to provide support and [...]
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The cells at HMP Elmley appear tired and in some areas are in poor condition. The completion of houseblock 7 is expected in early summer 2026. It will be imperative that the Governor is afforded all the resources that are required for the successful operation of a full and constructive regime in the new houseblock. A decision on the future of houseblock 5 is yet to be finalised. However, because of the significant fire risks, major works would be required to comply with current fire safety regulations. As a result of the unpredictable numbers of prisoners being received daily there appears to be a problem with the first night accommodation process. Houseblock 1 receives prisoners for their first night in custody, but there are regular cell moves late in the evening where prisoners are moved to alternative accommodation within the houseblocks to make available space for the new arrivals. This is both disruptive and a poor reflection on planning by HMP Elmley. As a receiving prison for the courts in the Medway and Kent, the Board would like to see some forward planning in place to alleviate this problem. The prison has identified the late arrival of some prisoners i.e. after 20:00 hours as a problem and has rostered one prison officer to work until 22:00 hours in addition to the standard staffing to ensure prisoners are appropriately received into the houseblocks There has also been the addition of an early days in custody manager introduced, [...]
The Board was appalled to be notified, mid-reporting year, that the education budget would be slashed by up to 40% for the coming educational year. While HMPPS insists that budgets have not been cut but that the cost of delivering high- quality education has risen significantly, either way the outcome is the same: the latest HMPPS figures show that Elmley has seen a 29% reduction in education delivery. We find this totally inconsistent with one of the main objectives of time in custody, which should be rehabilitation and training. Attendance for education and vocational training has been a concern for the Board throughout this reporting period. In view of the draconian cuts that have been applied to the education budget, the Board would implore the Governor and the senior management team to ensure that all measures are taken to make sure that if a prisoner is due to attend education, vocational training or workshop, they are able to. Therefore, using these now limited resources to the max. Teaching that has been observed during the reporting period has been of good quality and prisoners are usually very positive about their experiences in education classes. The Shannon Trust provides excellent training for prisoners to support other prisoners with reading. The Vanguard programme never reached its full potential within the prison with the representative of government failing to attend. The prison provides many opportunities for prisoners to work. Work is available in [...]
