- Average of 141 people in prison last year
- This was the lowest figure for five years
- Number of young offenders was also ‘extremely low’
THE number of prisoners detained at La Moye continued to fall last year, with an average population of 141 – the lowest for five years and well below the 255 places available in the cells.
According to the annual report released yesterday, the maximum held last year at the prison was 150, compared to a peak of 200 in 2011.
The number of young offenders and juveniles – between the ages of 15 and 21 – in custody was also ‘extremely low’, with one teenage boy convicted and sentenced during the year and no young women under the age of 21.
Assaults on members of staff doubled over the year, but assaults on prisoners fell significantly.
However, of the 12 assaults on staff, eight were carried out by ‘one very difficult and violent individual’.
There were nine assaults on prisoners, compared to 44 in 2013, which prison governor Bill Millar said was ‘encouraging’.
Mr Millar added that the Prison Service had achieved a very good performance all round, with prisoners gaining ‘excellent’ results from courses and examinations and producing a high standard of work in carpentry and horticulture.
In all, prison industries contributed £40,419 to prison income, including sales of garden furniture sold mainly to other States departments, as well as community projects in schools and at the Channel Islands Co-op.
‘Our drive for efficiency and success in this regard is evidenced by the fact that our net expenditure for 2014 was less than it was in 2010,’ said Mr Millar.
Overall expenditure totalled £11 million, close to budget, of which £8.7 million went on staff costs and £1.2 million on supplies and services.
At the end of 2014 the total number of staff was 158, including 13 senior officers, 83 officers (residential and operations) and 25 civil servants.
During the year 174 misconduct reports were submitted for breaking prison rules, involving 64 male prisoners and four females.
There were fewer reports of violent incidents last year, with 125 reports submitted to the Safer Custody Officer compared to 185 in 2013.
Sixteen reports were bullying information reports and in all 22 anti-bullying investigations were carried out, compared to 59 in 2013.
The Safer Custody Officer received 69 referrals relating to self-harm. In terms of general health, four formal complaints were recorded but none was upheld.
Of 98 alcohol and drug detox programmes carried out, 30 related to benzodiazepines, 21 to alcohol addiction, 21 to opiates and 16 to a combination of opiate and bezodiazepine abuse.
The report states that the substance misuse team ‘suffered considerable disruption’ following the departure of the counsellor in August and the psychological assistant in November.
Mr Millar said that he was particularly grateful to the members of staff for their commitment and support, as well as the many external agencies, including the Freedom for Life Ministry and Cornerstone, who had been ‘outstanding’.
IN June last year it was revealed in the annual report that the number of bullying investigations at La Moye prison had increased the previous year.
Fifty-nine investigations were carried out in 2013 following complaints from inmates or intelligence that individuals were being targeted.
The total is higher than in 2012, when 37 bullying investigations were conducted.
During 2013, 185 reports were carried out at the prison.
As well as concerns about bullying these also included 44 complaints of assaults on prisoners and six on staff.
Prison Governor Bill Millar said the figures – published in 2014’s annual report, – were not high and that staff had a zero-tolerance approach to violence and abuse, be it physical or psychological.
‘We take allegations of bullying or threatening behaviour very seriously,’ he said at the time.
‘We do remove the bullies from general circulation and try to make sure that prisoners aren’t frightened to come forward and discuss any issues.
‘When a person has made an allegation or intelligence has come forward to suggest that a person is being targeted, we mount an investigation in every case.’
