Concerns at Wellingborough's £253m 'super prison' HMP Five Wells with drugs, hooch, mobiles and SIM cards and staff safety issues

Wellingborough’s £253m 'super prison' HMP Five Wells has been criticised in a report for a string of issues in its first year.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) Five Wells panel found problems at the G4S-run prison with concerns including drugs, food shortages, staff safety concerns and a lack of prisoner work opportunities.

Opened in March 2022, HMP Five Wells has had three governors called directors in its first 15 months and staff recruitment issues have led to safety concerns.

IMB Five Wells chairman, David Culwick, highlighted the problems found at the prison including recruiting and retaining experienced staff.

He said: “It is unfortunate that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the prison has had three changes of director in the first 15 months of operation.

"This, along with difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, has hindered the development of Five Wells’ rehabilitation and resettlement programme.

"We look forward to the next 12 months as a time of consolidation of regime offering opportunities to prisoners and support and training for staff.”

The modern category C rehabilitation and resettlement prison was designed to house up to 1,680 prisoners with up to two years left on their sentence.

In its first annual report, HMP Five Wells IMB understood the ‘difficulties of opening a new prison’ but said HMP Five Wells’ ‘functionality’ as a rehabilitation and resettlement prison has been ‘hindered by a lack of experienced staff and structural design faults’.

The board noted their concerns about the number and range of illicit items found in the prison including illegal drugs being offered to those in the drug recovery unit.

It said: “Drugs appear to be available on most houseblocks. Finds include hooch, drugs, cell phones and SIM cards. Drone sightings were initially common but additional security measures have reduced the incidences. The prison has, however, curtailed some outdoor activities in response to an increase in ‘throwovers’.”

One ground-breaking aim was to see ‘extensive use’ of Prisoner Led Initiatives (PLIs) to deliver programs, support prisoners and work with staff.

The report highlights a ‘significant incident’ when some PLI prisoners attending the segregation unit to support inmates were found to be the ‘supply line for drugs’. A disturbance in the segregation unit led to cells being so seriously damaged some were put out of action.

Radical plans to provide vocational training programmes have fallen short due to problems with tutor recruitment, lack of equipment and even power supply problems.

Five Wells’ head of education raised ‘serious concerns’ about the safety of staff in his department. Staffing in workshops and training areas has been ‘minimal’, making it less likely that disruptive behaviour is challenged.

Prisoners complained to the board about lack of support from officers and some houseblock managers, staffing changes, and inconsistent knowledge and application of rules by staff.

Other concerns raised in the 2022/23 report include:

- Insufficient work opportunities and the suspension of release on temporary licence has limited prisoners’ access to appropriate resettlement opportunities

- Building design faults mean low-mobility cells for less able inmates on each wing cannot be occupied for safety reasons and air flow on the landings is poor

- The high number of complaints from prisoners about the quality and quantity of food including on some occasions no food being served to some prisoners

The 'super prison' was officially opened by then deputy prime minister Dominic Raab on March 3, 2022.

Prisoner accommodation is provided in seven houseblocks with four self-contained floors accommodating 60 prisoners. At the end of March 2023 there were 1,200 prisoners and all but one houseblock was in operation.

The majority of inmates have single-cell accommodation with an integral bathroom. Cells have an in-cell telephone system. Prisoners can use shared touch screens to buy extras and each inmate has an electronic tablet device to access training and messages.

Prisoners were to undertake a 35-hour ‘working’ week as preparation for future employment, with visions of providing up to 150 ‘release on temporary licence’ placements in the Wellingborough area. But this programme was suspended after three prisoners attempted to bring drugs back into HMP Five Wells.

However, the report also highlights positives from the first year of operation.

- The support provided for families, with family ties being encouraged and a well-used visits hall.

- More than 20 workshops were running by the end of the 2022, including carpentry, bike repairs, a training kitchen, a call centre and Salvation Army recycling.

- Staffing difficulties notwithstanding, a regime of up to nine hours out of cell per day for prisoners has been maintained.

The panel has sent a series of questions to the Prison Service asking why staffing, equipment and facilities were not all in place when the prison opened, why unsuitable prisoners were transferred to Five Wells and how to stop prisoners’ property going missing.

Questions to the prison director (governor) include concerns over training, contraband drugs, food availability for prisoners, the Prisoner Led Initiative (PLI) and inconsistencies in the running of the prison houseblocks.

Will Styles, director at HMP Five Wells, said: "This report recognises some of the really good work carried out by staff and prisoners at Five Wells since opening, as well as acknowledging the considerable challenges that come with opening a new prison.

“We have responded positively to feedback from prisoners regarding our catering services and have, for example, introduced hot lunches.

“The IMB highlights the difficulties we face recruiting and retaining staff in a very competitive employment market. We have an active recruitment campaign and are enhancing our work and career development opportunities to make HMP Five Wells one of the best employers in Northants.

“We continue to work towards a full opening of the prison, and the expansion of training and resettlement opportunities for prisoners preparing for release.”

MP for Wellingborough Peter Bone (Con) congratulated prison staff ‘on what they were doing well’ but said he would be asking questions to his Government colleagues.

He said: “I will be asking questions of the Justice Secretary to find out answers to why they aren’t getting experienced staff and retaining them.

"The prison is well-loved in Wellingborough and brings employment.”