Accessible showers part of facilities upgrade at prison

Work has been under way for nine years after a condition survey, but the passing of the discrimination law inspired the addition of accessible showers.

‘When they built the prison, the hot water system wasn’t really fit for purpose and the water pressure throughout the prison is awful, so each wing will have new hot tanks so that water supply is adequate, which should make the prison more efficient in terms of its energy consumption,’ said prison governor John De Carteret.

‘We’ve got a complex population. We look after men, women and, at times, children as well, so it’s important we keep the condition of the prison appropriate, decent, safe and secure.’

Since the condition survey, the prison has spent some £900,000 improving and future-proofing facilities after political boards recognised the importance of maintaining standards.

The condition of the showers on J wing have been reported on by the media for several years, and Mr De Carteret’s predecessor said it was something he may not be able to resolve.

The changes will be compliant for people with disabilities or mobility problems and the downstairs area in J wing will be primarily the accessible area, although the upstairs showers will also be upgraded.

‘We’ve had blockage problems for years and all the floors cracked so the water has run beneath the floor and had such a bad smell,’ said facilities, projects and health and safety manager Shane Loveridge.

‘Fixing this has fixed a lot of other problems as well, it’s come on in leaps and bounds.

‘This work is essential because we spent a lot of time trying to keep the place going as it’s 33 years old and there’s only a small team of us.’

They recognised that fellow colleagues and prisoners had been fantastic throughout the process.

The work on the plumbing, which meant the ceiling has been opened up, has allowed the prison to improve camera coverage in some internal areas where there were blind spots.

‘It made sense to have a look at what else we need to do at the same time so we can spend our money more wisely,’ said Mr De Carteret.

‘As the profile of prisoners changes, we’re expecting to see older prisoners and they can tend to have other health issues later in life and the prison isn’t really designed for that yet, despite having good coverage of wheelchair ramps.

‘I’m really pleased that this work is taking place on my watch because I think this is going to have some significant positive outcomes for the prisoners and the staff and make sure we’re getting a good return on investment and that the facilities are decent and fit for purpose for people in custody to live in.’

Prison facts

The prison has nine wings and all are being used currently.

It can hold up to 134 prisoners, with the most recent data from late February showing there were 87 inmates.

Eight of them were 55 or older.