The government has announced it will permanently take over a prison in Nottinghamshire to “improve conditions and safety.”
HMP Lowdham Grange, near Nottingham, which holds up to 900 men, has been operated by a private company Sodexo since February 2023.
Concerns over safety, security, and decency at the prison prompted the government to appoint a new governor, Neil Thomas, to take over its running on an interim basis in December last year.
The move was meant to make the prison “more stable and safe.”
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Justice announced that the takeover will be permanent, and that Mr. Thomas is to remain in post to lead the prison and steer the transition process.
Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, said it was “unprecedented” for the prison service to step in and take back control of a privately run prison.
“We knew Lowdham was struggling, but even so we were shocked by quite how bad things had got at the jail. The new Governor and the existing Director appeared to be working well together, however, and there was very early evidence that their combined actions since the step-in, had begun to improve things,” said Mr. Taylor in a statement.
According to prisons minister Edward Argar, the majority of private prisons in the country perform well, including others Sodexo runs.
Transition
Sodexo operates seven prisons in England and Scotland. The company will pay the costs of the HMP Lowdham “step-in” action and anticipated additional future operating costs.The government stressed that the takeover will come at no increased cost to the taxpayer. The transition is expected to take effect during summer, while Sodexo employees at the prison will be protected through the process.
HM Prisons said it will continue to provide the necessary support to maintain “adequate staffing and a relentless focus on improving safety, including the serious drug problem at the jail.”
The latest report by the prisons watchdog, issued after a review took place in Jan. 8–10, found that levels of violence in HMP Lowdham had increased by 55 percent and levels of self-harm by 41 percent.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons also reported that two men had taken their own lives, taking the total of self-inflicted deaths at the jail during 2023 to five. In the 10 months before the review, 127 staff had resigned, leaving the prison desperately short-staffed, the report said.
“We are increasingly concerned about the prevalence of drugs in prisons and Lowdham Grange had one of the highest positive result rates for mandatory drug testing, at over 40 percent. It was, therefore, particularly reassuring to see that tackling this was now a priority, with targeted searches over the Christmas period leading to more than 600 litres of hooch being confiscated,” Mr. Taylor said, commenting on the report.
The government said it continues work to address the issues highlighted by the review of HM Lowdham. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has been working with Sodexo to conduct joint searches, which resulted in the retrieval of significant amounts of contraband.
An additional 50 prison officers and managers have been hired to support the team on the ground. As a result of a package of measures, the government said that violence towards staff decreased by 50 percent and the prisoner-on-prisoner assault rates have improved.
A Sodexo spokeswoman said that the takeover is in “the best interests of all concerned.”
“HMP Lowdham Grange is a prison facing a unique set of challenges. We have worked tirelessly and very closely with HMPPS since February 2023 to seek to improve stability and deliver the significant improvements expected,” the spokeswoman said.
