NPM Bulletin – September 2024
Welcome
Welcome to the September edition of the UK NPM bulletin. After a well-deserved Summer break, the NPM Central Team are back in action preparing the 2023-24 Annual Report; liaising with government and other stakeholders on issues of concern; and working on the next NPM business plan.
In August, we wished Serife Suleyman a warm farewell as her secondment with the NPM came to an end. Her contribution to the development of the upcoming recommendations database cannot be understated, and we hope you will join us in thanking Serife for her efforts over the past year. We are currently recruiting for a full-time Support Officer as the recommendations database project enters the procurement phase, with the goal of selecting a service provider end of Q3 2024.
As always, we invite you to please cascade this bulletin to your staff and volunteers so that they can remain up-to-date on the latest NPM news. If you have received a forwarded copy of this bulletin and would like to be added to the subscription list, please reply to this email requesting to subscribe.
Thank you for reading.
Sam Gluckstein, Head of UK NPM
The UK NPM is hiring!
The NPM Central Team is currently seeking a full-time Support Officer to join our team. The post holder will play a crucial role in the day-to-day functions of the UK NPM, working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Please circulate this post within your networks and help us find an excellent new addition to our team!
Blog: incoming NPM Chair Sherry Ralph reflects on protecting and promoting the rights of all
Sherry Ralph was appointed to a three-year term as UK NPM Chair on 2 September 2024. To read Sherry’s reflections on the role and the importance of the UK NPM, see the latest NPM blog.
Scottish prisons no longer holding under-18s
The Scottish Government announced on 2 September that there will no longer be any children under 18 in prisons in Scotland, with all under-18s detained at YOI Polmont now relocated to secure care settings. This is an issue that has been of great concern to NPM bodies, particularly HMIPS, who have been campaigning to end the imprisonment of children for several years. Learn more on the Scottish Government website.
Joint human rights report raises concerns
A joint SHRC and UK NPM report entitled Review… Recommend… Repeat… An assessment of where human rights have stalled in places of detention examined actions taken to resolve concerns around two absolute rights – the right to life and the right to protection from inhuman and degrading treatment – in places where people are deprived of their liberty in Scotland. The findings are deeply concerning, of the 29 recommendations mapped over a ten-year period – none were deemed to be completed, with only five showing limited progress. The vast majority had no meaningful progress. . Media pick up was strong, including this article by Lucy Adams (BBC News).
Listen to Sam Gluckstein’s interview with BBC Radio Scotland below:
Latest news from NPM bodies
- People updates:
- NPM Steering Group member Chris Dzikiti has been appointed interim Chief Inspector of Healthcare at the Care Quality Commission.
- Stephen Sandham has been appointed interim Chief Inspector of Prisons Scotland at HMIPS.
- Professor Angela O’Hagan has been appointed Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission.
- Emer Hopkins has left her role at RQIA and has been succeeded by Wendy McGregor as designated representative to the NPM.
- The Care Inspectorate has published a Cross border thematic review.
- CJI is commencing a Follow-Up Review of their 2020 inspection report on Police Custody, in conjunction with RQIA and the Human Rights Advisor from the Northern Ireland Policing Board. As part of this work, they will be engaging with the NI Policing Board Independent Custody Visitors.
- CJI: On 26 July 2024 the Chief Inspector and an Inspector conducted a monitoring visit to Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre.
- HMICFRS have published an Inspection report on police custody suites in Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
- HMIP has issued an Urgent Notification to HMP Rochester after an inspection identified several worrying failings.
- HMIP has published several inspection reports, including from HMP Nottingham, HMP Durham and HMP Oakwood. These and other reports are available on the HMIP website.
- HMIPS has published their Annual Report 2023-24, as well as several court custody inspection reports, prison inspection reports and prison monitoring annual reports which can be found on their publications page.
- ICVA has published their quarterly overview of feedback from each of the schemes.
- The IMB will be publishing a thematic report on 25 September on the issue of property loss, providing an overview of outcomes for men and women in adult prisons and children and young people in young offender institutions (YOIs), whose property has been lost or damaged.
- The IMB has published annual reports from several prisons, including HMP Berwyn, HMP Downview, HMP Erlestoke, HMP Garth. Find all available reports on the IMB website.
- The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has published its Annual Report 2023-24.
- Ofsted has released three new inspection reports of Clare Lodge (April 2024), Swanwick Lodge (April 2024) and Adel Beck Secure Children’s Home (May 2024)
- Ofsted: The first Secure 16-19 Academy,called Oasis Restore, was registered with Ofsted and granted approval by the Secretary of State for Justice on 8 August 2024. The secure school will be inspected bi-annually under the Social care common inspection framework: secure children’s homes by Ofsted social care and further education and skills inspectors, supported by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission. They will also be inspected under the Education inspection framework. Ofsted’s published inspection guidance explains how they will do this. Secure Schools are a new type of provision recommended by a Review of the Youth Justice System 2016, dually registered as a secure children’s home and a 16-19 academy.
If we missed anything, or if you have a report, blog post or news story you would like to share in the next bulletin, please send us an email.
External reports of interest
- Penal Reform International: Corruption in prisons: a guide for detention monitors
Upcoming events and activities
- 10 Sept NPM Steering Group meeting, Online
- 11 Sept Human Rights Consortium Roundtable, Glasgow, Chaired by Sam Gluckstein, Head of NPM
- 16 Sept NPM Northern Ireland Subgroup meeting, Online
- 23-25 Sept NPM Forum, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, Sam Gluckstein attending
- 18 Oct World Menopause Day – NPM will launch Menopause in Detention Toolkit, Online
- 25 Nov NPM Steering Group meeting, London
- 30 Sept Ministry of Justice liaison meeting, London
Thank you for reading!
This bulletin is compiled each month by the NPM Central Team. If you have any news you would like to share, please let us know.