Doncaster Prison Conditions Still "Very Poor"

A prison that was branded as inadequate two years ago remains "very poor," with "many violent incidents" leaving staff and inmates injured, inspectors have said.

Privately-run HMP Doncaster suffered from a "lack of staff" and "ineffective initiatives" aimed at reducing violence, according to a new report.

The National Offender Management Service said many issues it identified in 2014 remained unaddressed.

The unannounced visit in October revealed that many cells had missing windows and were in a poor state of cleanliness. Serco said it was addressing the problems with a new management team.

HMP Doncaster is a category B prison with more than 900 inmates, and has been operated by Serco since 2003.

Despite the problems highlighted in the report, the document did praise the "many good staff" at the site and praised the quality of the teaching at the prison.

Speaking on behalf of Serco, Julia Rogers said:

"We are continuing to address the issues raised in this inspection and safety has improved, violence is gradually reducing and the house blocks have been refurbished. Doncaster has a history of having previously been an excellent prison and we are determined that it will be once more in the very near future."

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