3.20 We found several means by which good practice is identified and could be exchanged between prisons (Figure 20). One example where we found the system had worked well was in the development by Forest Bank of a modified safer cell design. These cells are designed to reduce the risk of self-harm and had been pioneered by the Prison Service during 1997/98. Forest Bank further modified the safer cell by, for example, incorporating collapsing hanging rails32. However, in general, although systems for exchanging good practice are in place, we found only limited evidence that good practice from the private sector was being incorporated into public prisons.
20 |
| Means by which good practice can be exchanged between prisons |
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| ■ meetings organised by area managers at which the area manager raises examples of good practice that s/he has encountered during his/her prison visits; ■ work swaps by prison officers within the public sector prisons and between public and private sector prisons; ■ staff moving from public to private prisons and vice versa; ■ good practice bulletins issued by the Standards Audit Unit following their two-yearly audits of prisons; ■ Butler Trust; ■ Prisons and Probation Ombudsman; ■ HMCIP reports. Source: National Audit Office |
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32 These automatically fold and collapse when more than the prescribed weight is applied to them, so as not to provide a ligature point.