HMP Preston inspection finds poor living conditions and not enough being done to safeguard public from those convicted of sexual offences

An inspection of HMP Preston which houses 680 men, carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons between March 7 and 23 this year found living conditions for many prisoners continued to be poor as too many shared small cells designed for one with inadequately screened lavatories. The wings were kept reasonably clean but not enough to deter the prison’s large rat population. Efforts had been made to refurbish some showers and communal toilets, but significantly more investment was needed to bring conditions up to a decent standard across the site.

Inspectors explored what had changed since they last visited in 2017 by looking around the prison, getting the views of prisoners, staff and helpers, and reading documents. They found the offender management unit was doing some good reactive work when prisoners were due to move, but otherwise they had little or no interaction with their offender managers, which was compounded by the very limited amount of key work that was taking place. This failed to reduce the risk of harm they presented, particularly those convicted of sexual offences who would be released into the community from HMP Preston. In addition, access to family visits – crucial for both prisoners’ well-being and their rehabilitation – had deteriorated.

The report contained a number of more positive findings. Activity was deemed to be much better than most other reception prisons. Most men spent far longer out of their cells and were allocated to appropriate education, work or training. The head of health care was credited for doing an “outstanding job”, with standards said to have improved markedly since the last inspection.

The inspection also found a “strong and proactive staff team working to improve outcomes for a population that had many difficulties with mental health and substance misuse”.

You can view the full report HERE.