HMP Rochester’s “failure in its purpose” has led an Urgent Notification – the first for a Category C Prison.

The unannounced inspection carried out by HMIP in August led to the issue of an Urgent Notification after the prison achieved the lowest rating in three of the four categories. Respect, purposeful activity, and preparation for release were all ‘poor’, and safety ‘not sufficiently good’. As a category C prison, it was ‘failing in its rehabilitative purpose’.

The report highlighted a number of failures by the prison, including ‘dilapidated’ infrastructure, with prisoners forced to block cell doors with cardboard to fill gaps to keep rats out of their living space. The inspection also revealed an ‘endemic’ use of drugs, with over half of the prisoners reporting that it was easy to obtain drugs, including other prisoners’ medications.

A lack of staff and under-training staff has led to “chaotic” and poorly-supervised wings. Under a third of prisoners were able to engage in any purposeful activity. Prisoners reported having difficulty obtaining medications on time and clinical appointments were frequently cancelled or missed due to poor internal management and communication.

There has also been an alarming deterioration of the prisoners’ safety, with assaults increasing 67% in the past year. The inspectors identified some inappropriate instances of the use of force, which was high overall. Since the previous inspection in 2021, Rochester has seen two self-inflicted deaths and an increase in self-harm.

HMP Rochester, which holds approximately 695 prisoners is the second prison this year to be issued with an Urgent Notification, following HMP Wandsworth in May. It is the first Category C prison to receive a Notification.

The Urgent Notification system, introduced in 2017, requires the Secretary of State to respond to ‘significant concerns’ with an action plan within 28 days. There have been 17 Urgent Notifications to date, of which seven have been issued in the past two years.