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Safety: Since the Board’s previous report, the designation of the establishment changed from a training and resettlement prison to a category C resettlement prison. This has resulted in a greatly increased churn of prisoners and, therefore, increased pressure on all staff but particularly those in the offender management unit (OMU). As stated in the latest HMIP report, 18% of new arrivals had less than [...]
Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food As previously referenced, the number of shared cells increased in 2024. The maintenance work to the general alarm, as well as the cell and fire alarm upgrades, were completed in 2024. In order for the maintenance work to be carried out in a safe manner and to allow a complete wing to be decanted, cell sharing was required. With these additional population [...]
Purposeful activity: Novus is the main education provider in the prison and offers a range of courses, including Maths, English, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), plus a variety of vocational training and several unaccredited courses. There are typically 6-12 prisoners taking Open University degree courses in subjects such as history, business management and criminology. Other distance-learning [...]
Preparation for release: There are several factors that have had an impact on the work of the offender management unit (OMU) this year. The Board has well documented, in this report and the previous year’s report, our concern about the increased churn of prisoners. An increased number of prisoners with only a short time left to serve obviously places pressure on the work of the OMU. In 2024, this has also been [...]
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5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food As previously referenced, the number of shared cells increased in 2024. The maintenance work to the general alarm, as well as the cell and fire alarm upgrades, were completed in 2024. In order for the maintenance work to be carried out in a safe manner and to allow a complete wing to be decanted, cell sharing was required. With these additional population pressures, the OpCap increased again to 1,079 at the end of 2024. At the end of the reporting year in 2023, the number of prisoners sharing a cell was 230, with an increase to 256 at the end of 2024. As a Board, we have received very few complaints regarding cell sharing and some men have appreciated the company. It is hoped that with the success of the vape-free segregation unit, the trial at HMP Humber of a vape-free wing will have a positive impact and result in more healthy living. In 2024, food shortages in the kitchen were minimal in comparison with those during 2023, so the menu choices have not been affected. The kitchen also carried out periodic food surveys and menu reviews, resulting in the addition of some new dishes. Work started in 2024 and continues on two new house blocks, with a planned completion of late 2025/early 2026. Each house block will accommodate an additional 60 prisoners, with the first projected arrival of spring 2026. 5.2 Segregation The segregation unit comprises 14 cells, four of which are adapted to be anti-ligature: one has closed-circuit television; [...]
There are several factors that have had an impact on the work of the offender management unit (OMU) this year. The Board has well documented, in this report and the previous year’s report, our concern about the increased churn of prisoners. An increased number of prisoners with only a short time left to serve obviously places pressure on the work of the OMU. In 2024, this has also been exacerbated by the early release scheme. Despite this, the Board believes that the department has worked tirelessly and continues to maintain high standards. Members of the team work well together, as noted in the HMIP report last year, and we have observed this to still be the case. Several initiatives, such as induction information given to new prisoners and the daily one-hour, offender management in custody (OMiC) hotline, have continued to be successful. At the end of 2024, there were approximately 150 to 170 releases each month and around 200 transfers in each month. It is the view of the Board that the early release scheme was managed extremely well, with 57 men released calmly on tranche 1 and 33 on tranche 2. This was also reported in the local media, with TV cameras present on the day, which helped to show the prison in a positive light. Recategorisation reviews (which assess a prisoner’s risk, behaviour and efforts towards rehabilitation to see if they can be managed in a prison with a different/lower level of security) continued throughout 2024. Transfers to open conditions were [...]
Since the Board’s previous report, the designation of the establishment changed from a training and resettlement prison to a category C resettlement prison. This has resulted in a greatly increased churn of prisoners and, therefore, increased pressure on all staff but particularly those in the offender management unit (OMU). As stated in the latest HMIP report, 18% of new arrivals had less than 12 weeks remaining on their sentence. The churn of prisoners, as of 31 October 2024: Prisoner sentence length Number % of population Less than 6 months to serve 533 51% Between 6 and 12 months to serve 275 26% A Prison Strategy White Paper was published in 2021, whereby a commitment was given to look at alternatives to wet-shave razors in prisons, which were used in serious assaults against both prisoners and staff. As a result of a serious assault on a member of staff, HMP Humber is one of 31 closed adult male prisons that plans to be made razor free in 2025 (the only exception being for religious reasons). 4.1 Reception and induction There were 2,372 new receptions during the reporting year, an increase of 36% on the previous year. With an OpCap of 1,079 (increased from 1,019 at the beginning of the previous year – also allowing for completion of works in the establishment), the number of new receptions continues to represent a very high proportion of the total prison population. There were 1,637 new receptions in 2021 and 1,848 in 2022, so even with a slight decrease, to 1,750 in [...]
Novus is the main education provider in the prison and offers a range of courses, including Maths, English, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), plus a variety of vocational training and several unaccredited courses. There are typically 6-12 prisoners taking Open University degree courses in subjects such as history, business management and criminology. Other distance-learning courses are available below degree level, with some of them funded by grants from the Prison Education Trust. The table below shows the qualification passes for learners in Maths, English and ESOL during 2024, compared with 2023 data, which is shown in brackets. Qualification achieved Entry Level Level 1 Level 2 Maths 153 (117) 60 (38) 5 (1) English 131 (131) 104 (113) 14 (4) ESOL 23 (30) 9 (0) 0 (0) The HMIP report found that the Maths results at Level 1, compared with English, were too low. This improved in 2024 but is still low. The Board is aware that there are not enough education, skills or workplaces to meet the needs of the prison population. The HMIP report found that too many prisoners were unemployed and waiting lists for education and training were too long. This has not improved over the reporting year due, mainly, to the volume of prisoners in the system. As soon as some prisoners are allocated to education, they leave the establishment. Novus staff have been instrumental in the success of the prison’s reading strategy, working with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) [...]
