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HMP Rye Hill is a category ‘B’ training prison situated in the village of Willoughby, near Rugby in Warwickshire, holding 664 sentenced male adults.

Welcome to HMP Rye Hill from the Director Pete Small

At HMP Rye Hill we pride ourselves on making a difference to all we come into contact with. As you progress through the website I hope we give you a flavour of not only what prison life is like but more particularly what life is like for staff and prisoners within HMP Rye Hill.

We aim to continue to develop our prison into one of the best Category B Training prisons in the UK.

Whilst security is always paramount within a prison, challenging offending behaviour is pivotal to our success. Prisoners start to work towards their successful planned release from the moment they enter the prison.
Everyone, both staff and prisoners alike, are treated with respect and are expected to offer respect in return.

Our staff are highly trained and have the necessary skills required to create and maintain a positive environment at Rye Hill. Management are clear on leadership and direction and are highly visible in their support of staff and the development of prisoners.

Everyone within HMP Rye Hill has an equal part to play to ensure our success and they are expected to play it without exception.

HEALTH & WELLBEING

HEALTHCARE

At HMP Rye Hill we are committed to providing the highest standards of healthcare to prisoners in our care. Our healthcare team is staffed 24 hours a day and is made up of qualified nurses, paramedics and health care assistants.

Our staff approach their work in prisons and secure settings with a professionalism and commitment that lays the foundation for improved services and recognise the dignity of the individual. All our employees are selected and trained to respect the human rights and needs of detainees or prisoners. All staff are security vetted and provided with thorough induction training.

HMP Rye Hill has an integrated drug treatment (IDTS) in operation to provide prisoners who have a current substance misuse issue to receive the correct levels of medical and physical support to aid them in eventually leading a drug free lifestyle. This includes one to one medical interventions and support as well as purposeful activities support via physical activity staff.

Visiting Specialists include:

Doctor
Dentist
Optician
Chiropodist
Psychologist
Physiotherapy

Nurse organised clinics include:

Diabetes
Asthma
Giving up smoking
Healthy living
Hepatitis
HIV
Physiotherapy
Blood testing
Mental health Care
Counselling

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)

Improving access to psychological Therapies is part of the NHFT prison mental health service. The team provides evidence based psychological assessment and treatments to prisoners experiencing common mental health problems.

The focus is on improving health and wellbeing, improving economic productivity. Depending on the type and severity of the mental health problem, a prisoner may be allocated to low or high intensity IAPT practitioner to CBT therapist (cognitive Behaviour Therapy).

The team assess and treat depression, general anxiety disorder, panic disorders, agoraphobia specific phobia obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Post traumatic disorder (PTSD).

The team offers the following psychologic therapies:

Psycho education and supported self help
Psycho educational groups
Relaxation techniques
Problem solving

CATERING

At HMP Rye Hill the catering is provided by Aramark, one of the largest service providers in the world. Aramark has worked in partnership with G4S and HMP Rye Hill since 2001.

The catering facility provides 664 prisoners with 3 meals per day in accordance with Prison Service Instructions.

Breakfast – Cereal & Toast options
Lunch – Choice of 5 meal options both hot and cold
Dinner- Choice of 5 meal options both hot and cold

The selections are based on a 4 week menu cycle which is seasonally adjusted. The menu options are developed to ensure a balanced and nutritional diet is available for all prisoners. The menu options also consider the population demographics regarding ethnicity, age and dietary requirements. Special diets are also provided where there is a medical need and this is done in conjunction with the healthcare team.

In addition to this, the menu also has ad-hoc reviews to allow for the inclusion of:

Religious festivals
Equality events calendar

The catering team also supports the establishment by providing food and/or refreshments for

Prisoner Events
Family Days/Visits
Staff Events
Social Visits

All prisoners who work in the kitchen receive full training within the establishment’s Training Kitchen Facility to ensure food safety standards are followed. Prisoners complete the following qualifications:

Food Safety Level 1
Health & Safety Level 1

Food handlers undertake additional training:

Food Safety Level 2

Additional NVQ qualifications are also offered in the following:

Food Preparation & Hospitality Level 1
Food Preparation & Hospitality Level 2
Barista

The Training Kitchen also provides a breakfast and lunch service for staff. The items offered to staff include hot and cold options which are prepared by the prisoners as part of their NVQ qualifications

We are currently working to introduce a Prisoner Hospitality Team that will specialise in the additional catering utilised in the establishment

CHAPLAINCY

The Chaplaincy team play a vital role in the life of the prison taking main responsibility for the faith and pastoral needs of all those prisoners at Rye Hill.

The Team

The team reflects the multi-faith nature of the prison and employs (or works with) a wide variety of Faith Leaders including Church of England, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Pagan, Buddhist, Quaker, Jewish, Orthodox and Rastafarian.

Services and Groups

Between them, the team run a range of services and study groups to cater for the diversity of faith needs. The Chaplaincy team ensure that everyone is free to practice their faith whilst in prison and have access to all they need. We also assist any who wish to explore another faith or change their religious registration.

Pastoral Care

In line with Rye Hill’s Rehabilitative Culture, the mental and emotional well-being of prisoners is a high priority for Chaplaincy. We work collaboratively with Residential Managers and other teams within the prison (particularly Safer Custody and Mental Health) in this respect.

This includes support for those who may be at risk of suicide or self-harm and, where appropriate, we will liaise with external family. We will also support prisoners transferred into Hospital and those who may be terminally ill.

We visit daily those segregated and see all prisoners on arrival at the prison

Loss and Bereavement

We run regular courses to assist prisoners working through issues of loss and bereavement. We also co-ordinate applications from prisoners to visit close relatives in ‘end of life’ situations and view / attend funeral services.

Official Prison Visitor Scheme

We co-ordinate Rye Hill’s OPV scheme which links volunteers with prisoners who would not otherwise receive any visits.

Community Networks

There is a national network of Community Chaplaincies who will support / mentor prisoners on release in the community, in conjunction with other statutory bodies. The Chaplaincy team can make referrals to this network as appropriate. We also maintain strong links with the local Salvation Army to ensure all prisoners have adequate clothing and access to their other services.

SPORTS FACILITIES

Health, Fitness & Well-being – HMP Rye Hill

The health and well-being of prisoners in our care at HMP Rye Hill is important. We therefore work collaboratively to support them with improving and maintaining this through the following interventions;

Physical Education and Training
Gym Induction
Over 50s Gym
Sporting / Fitness Event
Weight Management programmes
Group Fitness
Annual Health and Well-being checks
Fitness Testing
Physiotherapy & Remedial Gym
Yoga
Walking Club

Sports Hall

Racket sports / Spinning classes / Circuit classes / Volleyball / Bowls / Basketball / a wide range of new cardiovascular equipment including;

Treadmills – Concept 2 Ski Erg
X-trainers – Medicine Balls
Stairmasters
Torque Tanks
Concept 2 Rowers – Weighted vests
Battle Ropes – Sand Bags
Trx (suspension training) – Kettlebells
Plyometric Jump boxes – Training Tyres

Weights Room

The weights room consists of fixed resistant machines and free weights.

Outdoor Pitch

We have an all-weather 3G Sports Pitch that is used for a variety of sports and activities, including; 5 a side football / tag rugby / cricket / circuit classes / boot-camp

The Sports Centre opening hours:

Monday – Thursday 07:30 – 19:00
Friday – Sunday 08:30 – 17:00

EDUCATION

Skills and Work opportunities for our prisoners.

Prisoners can access a wide range of education, skills and work opportunities whilst they are at HMP Rye Hill. These can range from accredited qualifications (courses you would take on college) to Higher level learning (course you would take in University). This will help prisoners gain new skills to help them secure employment on release

Understanding the prisoner demographic, need and skills requirements enable us to develop a responsive and effective curriculum. Our curriculum is relevant to the prisoner’s journey and personalised to their goals. We have two key learning and skills priorities for our prisoners at HMP Rye Hill which focus on development and support for their rehabilitation.

Building solid foundations.
Supporting the prisoner’s custodial career.

We work with a number of partners who help us deliver education and skills opportunities including, Novus, Shannon Trust, Open University and Aramark.

Building solid foundations curriculum

Equip prisoners with the knowledge to make personalised choices at the start of their learning programme, whilst at HMP Rye Hill and their further journey within the criminal justice system or community.
Provide personalised and effective support to all prisoners, regardless of their learning need, prior attainment, race, age or ethnicity, to enable them to achieve their goals.
Enable all prisoners to gain basic skills to enable them to contribute to prison life and work, find and sustain employment on transfer/release and support them in their personal and family life.
Develop prisoners’ social awareness, confidence and resilience to help them become responsible citizens who can make a positive contribution to the community.
Allow everyone to experience success.

Career in Custody curriculum

Offer a range of prisoner employment opportunities in real work environments.
Develop employability and job specific skills to enable prisoners to fulfill their prison role.
Provide prisoners with valued job roles to develop workplace experience, skills and confidence.
Recognise, record and celebrate achievement in the prison workplace.
Provide learners with the knowledge, understanding and skills for the next stage of their learning, skills and/ or employment journey in a Cat C establishment.
Encourage and support learners to higher level learning and distance learning.

Our Education, Skills and Work Provision

T.E.A.M Skills provide support to learners who are pre-entry English and maths via the Shannon Trust and One to One maths mentors.
All prisoners will receive a full induction and undergo initial assessment which helps us understand their starting points.
Novus have a dedicated staff who focus on supporting learners with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)
All prisoners will receive a 1-1 meeting with the Novus CIAG Officer who will provide them guidance on what custodial route ways are available
Basic skills is our key focus at HMP Rye Hill. We offer English and maths classes from entry level to level 2, including outreach provision. We also offer ESOL provision for prisoners who do not speak English. We offer a range of IT qualifications from entry to Level 2.
We have added a number of vocational programmes to our portfolio in 2020 including Industrial Cleaning, Waste Management and Customer Services. This is in addition to Performing Manufacturing Operations, Mentoring, Team Leading and Horticulture.
We support higher level learning through distance learning with Open University and Prison Education Trust.
We offer a range of PSD programmes including Art and programmes directed at developing positive attitudes and behaviours e.g. stress management.
We offer a range of YMCA Health and wellbeing programmes through DART for example, Health Champions and Nutrition.
Aramark provide professional training to kitchen workers including Food Hygiene, NVQ in Food Preparation and Barista qualifications.
Our Industry workshops provide prisoners with a range of industry and employability skills which are tracked in a Skill Passport. Each Prisoner has a Skills Passport which records their progress and acts a record of achievement. For the workshops we also deliver PMO, Team Leading, on the job and safe systems of work training modules, Health and Safety and Manual Handing.
We have a well-stocked library with a wide range of books including foreign national texts and LGBT+ literature.
We provide focused support to older prisoners and those with multiple need via our Activity Centre with a timetable that includes activities such as arts and crafts.
We provide a number of enrichment opportunities to our prisoners including the Newsletter, Choir and Inspiration Club which will be going live in 2020 – see Claudia Reynolds for more information.
English and maths will form part of prisoners sentence plan and sentence plan reviews.
Progress against English and maths will be discussed at key worker reviews.
We regularly hold learner forums and conduct surveys across all learning and skills to gain feedback on our provision and continuously improve. We will be extending this to learning and work staff in 2020

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

HMP Rye Hill is committed to engaging with the community and with voluntary organisations.

We already engage with local volunteers who help provide religious activities and we are also working closely with the Race Equality Council and the Samaritans who contribute to the prison policies.

The people in our care are actively encouraged and supported to participate in charity fundraising. Care is taken to ensure relevant charities are comfortable with the involvement of people in our care to ensure the integrity of all involved.

SUBSTANCE MISUSE SERVICE

The Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team (DART) team at HMP Rye Hill are here to offer support, advice, objective setting and a number of specific interventions to prisoners that have used substances in their past, our aim is to give all prisoners the skills that they need to assist them with rehabilitation.

Our team consists of a DART service manager, one administrator, six substance misuse workers, one healthy lifestyles manager and one healthy lifestyles instructor.

The DART service facilitates a number of structured programmes and groups that help the prisoner not only look at their substance misuse but also look at their past and know that they are not alone in moving forwards:

The Recovery and Health Intervention Programme (R&Hip)
Alcohol & Me
Cannabis Awareness
Does legal mean safe?
Managing Anxiety and Increasing Confidence

Psychosocial Interventions

The core of the DART Service is Psychosocial Interventions and is a collaborative relationship between the client and their DART worker.

Psychosocial Interventions are facilitated by face to face 1:1 sessions that last for 45 minutes and are scheduled every 2-6 weeks depending on need, during these 1:1’s we work with prisoners to identify skills and strategies to address substance misuse patterns and behaviour including:

Coping Skills
Dealing with High Risk situations
Motivational issues
Relapse Prevention
Stress & Anxiety
Harm Reduction

All care plans are individually tailored to the prisoners’ needs as their own recovery is key for them to move forward.

Temptation and cravings can be tough to deal with in prison – In DART we offer SMDT’s (Substance Misuse Drug Tests) to help and encourage prisoners to avoid misusing substances and keep focused on their recovery goals.

The DART team have also created the DART Peer Mentor scheme – 2 x Peer Mentors on each unit are available to talk to prisoners when the DART team is not available. The Mentors are prisoners that have worked with DART and are now substance free but want to help others move on with their life.

Within the DART service, there is a Healthy Lifestyles (Health Inside) department that works within the prison. They work very closely with prisoners to support them and their health and wellbeing, by looking at the correct exercise and nutrition for the individuals’ needs, and support prisoners for their future without substances.

The Health Inside team also offers a variety of programmes that focus on Personal Wellbeing and Healthy Lifestyles that all prisoners can apply to complete.

They also offer a range of gym sessions to promote fitness, these include:

SMART gym
Running Classes
Prehab Classes
Yoga Classes

In addition to the above we also offer:

Auricular Acupuncture sessions
Alcoholic Anonymous Meetings
Gambling Awareness Meetings
Assessments and onward referral into prescribing Services.

Gardening is a great therapy, at HMP Rye Hill we also have the DART garden intervention, this offers a supportive and educational environment for prisoners with substance misuse problems, the aim is to get prisoners involved in the maintenance, development and upkeep of the garden.

At any point during their time at HMP Rye Hill a prisoner can refer themselves to work with the DART Team.

PAT DOGS

Within HMP Rye Hill there is a very successful PAT dog project that operates on a daily basis.

PAT dogs are an evidence-based, recognised intervention that has proven to assist with the reduction in levels of individual self-harm and violence. The purpose of the PAT dog project is to provide close engagement with all prisoners and incorporate the dogs as business as usual. It is important to note that for the true benefit of the policy to be recognised, the use of dogs should be as widespread as practicably possible across each establishment.

The benefits of the project include;

Enhance lives in our communities by providing companionship and friendship. They can also help to tackle loneliness.
Improve the lives of people experiencing mental and physical health conditions and illnesses, including autism, dementia and stroke victims, through animal-assisted interventions as part of a holistic approach to treatment.

We currently have 11 official PAT dogs who are owed by staff that attend the establishment on a weekly basis. The scheme is well received by the people in our care and also appreciated by the staffing group. Due to the success and value of the project it is now being replicated within other G4S Establishments.

INDUSTRIES

At HMP Rye Hill prisoner’s regime and activities are designed to reflect life outside of prison and address risks of re-offending on release. We will also aim to improve employment chances upon release by installing similar ethics within the regime.

Work and training will be provided and will use and develop prisoners’ skills and abilities and, where possible, reflect the skill requirements of the external, local labour market; for example, some jobs will require shift work, offer day release education and provide opportunities to earn productivity bonuses. Where possible, the training and work available will reflect and assist prisoners into gaining employment in their discharge area. We aim to provide all prisoners with at least 27.5 hours of purposeful activity per week.

There are 3 workshops each employing a mixture of skilled and unskilled labour. Examples of the work currently at Rye Hill are set out below.

Hairnet production for the food industry.
Electronic wiring & industrial lighting production.
Component assembly & packaging.
Woodworking for garden products.

If you think your business could benefit from using this service, please do not hesitate to contact the Activities Manager who can discuss the options available to you.

INDUCTION

Prisoner Induction is a process whereby prisoners new to Rye Hill are encouraged to become involved in the opportunities available to them at Rye Hill. This partnership approach will be developed by providing prisoners with information and involving them in an assessment process to assist in the allocation to work and offending behaviour programmes.

The induction period serves three main functions:

To provide information to prisoners and their families about visits, Assisted Prison Visits, prison routines, rules and procedures.
To complete a series of assessments of custodial and criminogenic needs and risk of harm to self, staff and others.
To provide a programme of activities designed to inform and motivate prisoners to make purposeful use of the opportunities available.

Induction will structure what Rye Hill expects from prisoners, what prisoners can expect from Rye Hill and provide them with a positive lasting impression of life in Rye Hill. It is important that this impression is positive. Induction staff will also provide advice on how the prisoner can use their time in Rye Hill constructively. During this time the prisoner will be encouraged to sign and agree a compact.

All Induction Staff receive specific training in assessment and group work skills. Motivational interviewing and pro-social modelling will underpin the approach to the Induction Programme. They will also receive additional training in OASys (Offender Assessment System). Induction staff will maintain an up to date knowledge of the resources available to prisoners both within the prison and from external agencies. They will also be responsible for maintaining an information display with relevant literature in a range of languages and visual images in the Inducting rooms.

Insiders

Insiders are a nominated group of prisoners who provide a Peer led approach to provide fellow prisoners, support through the Induction period. They complete follow up checks with each new inductee usually after three weeks to ensure that the new inductee is settled within the prison and engaged in purposefully activity.

Insiders will also do a second follow up check within seven days of moving from the Induction unit. Any concerns that Insiders need to raise as a result of these follow ups, can be highlighted to the Induction Manager.

Insiders assist in providing key information about the prison and services available, and how to take opportunities to engage in the regime.

Insiders will signpost all departments within the prison with an increased emphasis on Safer Custody and a Cooperative, Community living ethos.

The role of the Insiders is adapted from the national Insider policy to make it specific to HMP Rye Hill.

The Induction Process

A rolling Induction Programme will be delivered including details of custodial routine and regimes. Personal support and development opportunities will be provided.

The programme is multi-disciplinary with specialist inputs from

Healthcare
Prisoner Listeners
Chaplaincy
Education Department.
Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team

Each Discipline will conduct separate interviews with prisoners, as there may be confidential issues that they wish to discuss and help identify any vulnerabilities/poor coping.

During Induction, information will be delivered on the following:

The role of the Prison and Probation Ombudsman
The Violence Reduction Policy
Race Relations and Equal Opportunities
Incentive Scheme Policy
Assessment Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT)
Sentence Management
Substance Misuse

Work Allocation

Induction staff will have knowledge of the nature of all the different work and purposeful activity opportunities that are available in the prison. They will complete a preliminary assessment taking into account:-

Level of supervision required
Temperament to work in specific areas,
Security needs
Previous Employment
Offence Details

Finally a clear message from Staff and Insiders will be given to all new receptions stating that:

“HMP Rye Hill has a zero tolerance approach to abuse, violence, bullying and any form of anti – social behaviour.”

RELEASE PLANNING

At HMP Rye Hill we provide a broad range of accredited programmes to help people reduce their risk of reoffending and change their lives for the better.

These include:

Horizon
New me Strengths
Building Better Relationships
Becoming New Me +

Release planning staff will also provide advice to people preparing for release about:

Housing & Accommodation
Benefits & Education
Family & Significant Others Relationships
Healthy Lifestyles
Debt Management
Drug & Alcohol Support

Rehabilitation & Release Planning

Rye Hill is committed to Rehabilitation and Release Planning and has received the highest grading from the Inspectorate in the last two inspections for its release provisions in spite of the fact it is not a Resettlement Prison.

The Offender Management Unit oversees releases in accordance with the Reducing Reoffending Pathways which identifies nine pathways to address the specific criminogenic needs of the prisoners in our care to ensure they are safely released and do not go on to reoffend.

HMP Rye Hill works with the new Offender Management in Custody Phase 2 model to support our prisoners. We assess specific risks posed, set targets to address those risks and then develop robust risk management plans for the eventual release of our prisoners – this is done in conjunction with the Community Offender Manager or COM.

WELCOME TO HMP RYE HILL