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4. RESPECT
Outcomes
Prisoners are treated with respect by prison staff.
4.1 Met. Relationships are good, but active engagement with prisoners in the residential units is not obvious.
Prisoners are treated with respect for their dignity while being escorted to and from prison, in prison and while under escort in any location.
4.2 Met. There is good communication between the prison and the escort provider; vehicles are clean; and escort staff treat prisoners with respect.
Relationships
4.3 Relationships between staff and prisoners are good. This is supported by the Prisoner Survey 2007 which notes that 98% of prisoners said they got on well or very well with staff. First names are used when addressing prisoners and no inappropriate behaviour was observed.
Equality and Diversity
4.4 There are two nominated Race Relations Officers. The first and only meeting of the Equality and Diversity Forum was held in October 2007. This group should hold regular meetings. Impact assessments have been carried out on local policies.
4.5 At the time of the inspection three prisoners were registered as disabled with a visual impairment, one of whom also had a hearing impairment. One prisoner had mobility issues. An extensive range of audio books and several large print books are available for prisoners who have a visual impairment. The prison has also made large print notices available for prisoners.
4.6 There are currently no cells in Dumfries that meet the SPS standard for disabled prisoners. The layout of the prison accommodation areas makes it very challenging to prisoners with mobility problems. Such prisoners can only access the accommodation in 'B'1 or 'A'1. They cannot easily access the health care area, chapel, dining hall, library or 'C' hall. At the time of the inspection there was only one ramped entry to, or exit from 'B' hall. It is recommended that the prison is made more accessible to prisoners with mobility problems.
4.7 There were six prisoners over the age of 70 during the inspection. From time to time there have been prisoners in Dumfries who required assistance to get in and out of bed, dress and access the toilet and shower. This puts added pressure on an already busy regime.
4.8 There were 15 ethnic minority prisoners held in the prison on the first day of inspection. Interpreting services are available via a telephone helpline and onsite interpreters. In 2008 on site interpreters had been used three times and the telephone helpline had been used 14 times. The establishment also has a copy of a DVD which has the national induction policy in a range of languages. There are also folders with prison information in a range of languages. In the two years prior to the inspection there were three Confidential Racial Incident Reports raised. The incidents had been dealt with appropriately.
4.9 At the time of the inspection there were two former prisoners being held on an immigration warrant awaiting transfer to an immigration detention centre. It is recommended that on conclusion of a sentence, individuals who require to be detained for the Immigration Service should be transferred immediately to a facility for that purpose.
4.10 Inspectors met with a group of ethnic minority prisoners who indicated that they felt safe and that staff treated them well.
Searching
4.11 The searching of prisoners after visits takes place in a dedicated area which ensures that the dignity of the prisoner is maintained. All searches observed were conducted in a respectful and discreet manner and to the required SPS Standard.
4.12 There were no records kept of prisoners searched, although detailed records are kept within the gate area of all staff and visitors searches. Appropriate records are kept of all area and cells searches, both in hard copy and on PR2.
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