Report of the Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard ...

punishment, there is no evidence that wing staff took any further account of Sonny
Lodge’s recent history of self-harm.
17.9 Before and after this time, HMCIP expressed serious misgivings about the
regime on K wing, the relationships between staff and prisoners and the wing-based
disciplinary system. Prison officers were able to exclude prisoners from association,
without due process, in circumstances outside those specified in Standing Order 4 and
Prison Rule 45, and with little evidence of managerial oversight. Sonny Lodge was
locked up for association periods under the scheme on at least three occasions and,
from his letters, there may have been others. According to the records, Sonny’s
behaviour deteriorated; his letters became increasingly hostile to prison staff and he
clearly found K wing stressful. It is to SO Nuttall’s credit that he recognised this and sat
down with him to talk about it.
17.10 Sonny Lodge’s account of life on K wing and the descriptions by HMCIP
represent two sides of the same coin: distant and mutually hostile relationships between
prisoners and staff, with small incidents tending to escalate and prisoners resenting what
they saw as arbitrary abuse of authority – or wind-ups. That is not a healthy regime. It is
a far cry from the aspirations of the 1994 Guide to preventing suicide and self-harm,
which emphasised supportive relationships, helpful staff, constructive activities and
above all listening and understanding. Still less did it meet the key features of the current
ACCT guidance to reduce risk by ensuring all prisoners (whether identified at risk or not)
receive individual support in managing any problems.
Prison culture
17.11 The ACCT guidance and the Safer Locals Programme emphasised the need to
reduce distress for all who live – and work – in prisons: for staff as well as prisoners.
They describe a healthy prison culture as one in which
“staff felt valued, communication was good, prisoners felt safe and there were good staff
relationships with senior managers who were approachable and supportive”.
17.12 This is contrasted with some prisons with
“a ‘traditional’ or negative culture, where staff relied on overuse of authority, distanced
themselves from prisoners and expressed distrust between uniformed and specialist
staff groups. The quality of care for prisoners in these prisons was reduced.” (PSO 2700,
paragraph 2.1.1)
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