Lincoln Prison has been spotlighted by a recent report from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons, as the leading reception jail in England and Wales. Despite highlighting a few areas that require improvements, notably prisoner healthcare access and overcrowding, the facility has been celebrated for providing standards that other reception prisons should strive for.
The summary of the inspection lauded Lincoln as an ‘impressive prison’, emphasising its notably lesser violence, drug use, and self-harm rates in comparison with other jails within the region. An unanticipated visit earlier this year saw the prison achieving ‘reasonably good’ ratings in all inspection areas.
Furthermore, the Keyworker system at Lincoln Prison was praised as ‘remarkable’. This provides inmates with the allocation of specific officers to assist them during their sentence. The inspectors also praised the prison staff for their continued motivation and upkeeping of good standards in both cleanliness and behaviour.
Ofsted rated the educational provision at Lincoln to be ‘good’, making it one of the only two prisons attaining this high grade. Yet, concerns were drawn from issues such as, nearly 90% of the prisoners share cells intended for singular occupancy and some prisoners not allocated to work or education, spend approximately 22 hours each day confined to their cells.
Access to GP services has also been flagged as below par, as the waiting times are not meeting the needs of the patients.
Built during the Victorian era, the prison, currently a Category B facility, accommodates 567 inmates. A representative of the Prison Service expressed approval of the positive aspects of the report but also recognised the need for continuing effort to combat overcrowding. Several measures have been initiated to address these issues, notably significant investment in the prison estate for enhancement of current facilities and addition of new places.
This article was adapted from original reporting by www.bbc.com by The Lincoln Post.
