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HM Prison Garth is a Category B men's prison, located in the village of Ulnes Walton (near Leyland), in Lancashire, England. Garth is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is situated next to HMP Wymott.
Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction HMP Garth has been adversely affected by the national increase in the prison population. Transfers out have become much more difficult and the prison inappropriately holds a high number of category C prisoners. The number of transfers in and out has increased and the reception department is ill-equipped to cope both in terms of physical space and staffing. The property [...]
Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The prison is in a great need of refurbishment. For many years, maintenance has been done in reaction to a problem arising. The flat roofs leak regularly, particularly in main corridors, when buckets have to be put down to catch heavy rain. This is a major slip hazard. There is no real refurbishment plan. Improvements and repairs are done in an ad hoc manner, [...]
Purposeful activity: Throughout 2023, a new regime was introduced that allowed more prisoners the opportunity to attend education on a part-time basis (four sessions per week). The outreach education provision has continued to be provided throughout the reporting year so that all areas within Garth have access to some learning. The prison library has been relocated to the education department, where it is able to [...]
Preparation for release: Staffing The performance of the offender management unit (OMU) is affected by staffing problems. During the reporting period, the Probation Service has been unable to allocate sufficient staff and the prison has been unable to allocate the required number of band 4 officers. The complement should be two senior probation officers (SPOs), 13 probation officers (POs) and five band 4 prison officers. [...]
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Practical info
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5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The prison is in a great need of refurbishment. For many years, maintenance has been done in reaction to a problem arising. The flat roofs leak regularly, particularly in main corridors, when buckets have to be put down to catch heavy rain. This is a major slip hazard. There is no real refurbishment plan. Improvements and repairs are done in an ad hoc manner, depending on money being available. On the reporting year, there have been some repairs and improvements to various showers on wings and some floor coverings that were totally worn. These areas need major investment from central funding. Intermittent problems occur with the heating and water supply. The ventilation in some wing accommodation is frequently problematic, leading to many applications and complaints by prisoners. In the summer, it can be stifling in the cells. The whole ventilation system needs renovating. Very few applications were made regarding food-just five during the reporting year. Food intolerances, faith requirements and lifestyle choices, such as vegan and vegetarian needs, are accommodated within a varied menu. 5.2 Segregation The care and separation unit, known in Garth as the Segregation Unit, has 24 regular cells, with a number of other short-term holding cells. These are usually fully occupied and it is not unusual for prisoners to be segregated on wings. IMB members monitored 76 segregation reviews during the reporting year. The number is far smaller than the [...]
Staffing The performance of the offender management unit (OMU) is affected by staffing problems. During the reporting period, the Probation Service has been unable to allocate sufficient staff and the prison has been unable to allocate the required number of band 4 officers. The complement should be two senior probation officers (SPOs), 13 probation officers (POs) and five band 4 prison officers. In fact, there was 1 SPO, plus 7 POs (0.6 on long-term sick leave), one band 4 prison officer and three probation service officers (PSOs), the latter being unqualified officers with limited operational responsibilities. There was a promise of additional staff when resources allowed. --- Caseloads OMiC profiles the approved level of staff resource. In Garth, there should be 13 probation officers in the OMU, but throughout this period only about half of that number have been in post. With full staffing, a caseload should be between 60 and 65 prisoners, but the reality has been that those numbers should be doubled. The senior probation officer has been obliged to nominally carry about 160 cases and this places increased pressure on her. The OMiC workload management strategy is used to inform priorities, including essential duties and sentence planning, OASys (a tool used in sentence planning to complete risk and needs assessments), parole reports, re-categorisations and programme reviews. This is a substantial list of duties, but it misses out work such as advice and counselling and [...]
4.1 Reception and induction HMP Garth has been adversely affected by the national increase in the prison population. Transfers out have become much more difficult and the prison inappropriately holds a high number of category C prisoners. The number of transfers in and out has increased and the reception department is ill-equipped to cope both in terms of physical space and staffing. The property storage area is limited. Prisoners frequently bring multiple bags with them and other large quantities arrive later. Inevitably, it is taking much longer to process all this property, which is greatly increasing the number of complaints about property. This problem could be partially resolved by the transporting companies using secure trailers more widely. On arrival, prisoners receive full physical, medical and mental health checks. On occasion, medical records do not arrive with the prisoner and this causes delays in the prescription of necessary medicines, which results in distress for the prisoner. On arrival, prisoners are located on an induction wing, where they are seen by all relevant staff members, including those from healthcare, the offender management unit (OMU) and education and skills; a key worker is also allocated. It has not been possible for the IMB to monitor all inductions, but where this has been done it has been reported that staff have demonstrated care and respect for prisoners. 4.2 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody Mental health problems and self-harm [...]
Throughout 2023, a new regime was introduced that allowed more prisoners the opportunity to attend education on a part-time basis (four sessions per week). The outreach education provision has continued to be provided throughout the reporting year so that all areas within Garth have access to some learning. The prison library has been relocated to the education department, where it is able to play a more effective role in the education of prisoners. The relocation has brought some issues in relation to access for those prisoners who are not attending education. No time is allowed in the daily regime for prisoners to visit to the library. This means they are being denied the opportunity to interact with library staff to discuss book recommendations or suggestions to broaden their knowledge and enthusiasm for books. The library, however, does offer an outreach service so that prisoners can submit applications via their in-cell laptops for specific books, which are then delivered to the wings. The library staff also ensure there is a stock of books available on library trolleys in all residential areas. The library at Garth has access to the full resources of the Lancashire Library Service. The increase in the regime throughout the second half of 2023 ensured that workshops were able to provide purposeful activities for most prisoners. Several workshops support industries (commercial workspaces in prisons set up by outside businesses and staffed by serving prisoners). These [...]
