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Photo by Charles Latham (1847-1912) via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Charles Latham (1847-1912) via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Charles Latham (1847-1912) via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Charles Latham (1847-1912) via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Charles Latham (1847-1912) via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Charles Latham (1847-1912) via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Charles Latham (1847-1912) via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Open female (Cat D) prison in Maidstone, South East England.
Background
HM Prison East Sutton Park is a women's open prison and young offender's institute located in the Parish of East Sutton, near Maidstone in Kent, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison & Probation Service.
were closed due to fire safety concerns. Within the grounds there are excellent to deliver excellent outcomes for the women held. We assessed these as activity had outcomes dropped slightly, to ‘reasonably good.’ women was prioritised. Violence and self-harm were rare and there was much to motivate and incentivise engagement in the prison’s regime, not least the context of the more positive outcomes we identified.
Visiting
This was our first visit to the prison since 2016, and we found that it continued women’s prison some miles away, but the governor visited regularly and the
Mailing
underpinned the positive work in the establishment.
Practical info
to motivate and incentivise engagement in the prison’s regime, not least the extensive use of temporary release (ROTL) to support employment, family ties and resettlement. At the time of our inspection over 80% of women had access women who retained their position with employers following their release. These achievements, however, were undermined by weaknesses in education underpinned the positive work in the establishment.
Known issues
women was prioritised. Violence and self-harm were rare and there was much
Higher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Capacity (beds)this: 100 · peers avg: 579 (83%)
Reports
HMIP8 Jan 2024
East Sutton Park is an open prison near Maidstone in Kent, holding just under
100 women. Set in a rural location, the main building is a former manor house,
where women live in dormitories, although during our inspection some of these
were closed due to fire safety concerns. Within the grounds there are excellent
additional accommodation units, capable of supporting semi-independent living.
This was our first visit to the prison since 2016, and we found that it continued
to deliver excellent outcomes for the women held. We assessed these as
‘good,’ our highest score, in three of our healthy prison tests. Only in purposeful
activity had outcomes dropped slightly, to ‘reasonably good.’
The prison was overwhelmingly safe and respectful, and the well-being of
women was prioritised. Violence and self-harm were rare and there was much
to motivate and incentivise engagement in the prison’s regime, not least the
extensive use of temporary release (ROTL) to support employment, family ties
and resettlement. At the time of our inspection over 80% of women had access
to ROTL and many had full-time, paid employment in the community. The
success of this approach was further evidenced by the considerable number of
women who retained their position with employers following their release. These
achievements, however, were undermined by weaknesses in education
provision. Our colleagues in Ofsted assessed the overall effectiveness of
learning and skills as ‘requires improvement’ which was disappointing in the
context of the more positive outcomes we identified.
The promotion of equality had stalled. We found little evidence of significant
differential outcomes, but our survey indicated some more negative perceptions
among some groups with protected characteristics. This suggested a need for
better communication, although consultation with prisoners, as well as
arrangements to facilitate redress, were generally reasonably good.
The prison was managed in partnership with the far larger Downview closed
women’s prison some miles away, but the governor visited regularly and the
deputy governor, who was on site full time, knew the prison well and was
knowledgeable about the women in his care. Leadership in the prison was
dynamic, ambitious, and visible. Some officers were new and inexperienced
and would have benefited from better supervision and support, but this did not
affect the particularly good staff-prisoner relationships we observed, which
underpinned the positive work in the establishment.
The governor had set sensible priorities, but development plans needed to be
sharper and would have benefited from a more consistent use of data. East
Sutton Park was, however, a good prison. The governor and her team should
be congratulated on their achievements.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
November 2023
