Prison guards send "thank you" letters to well-behaved inmates

Prisonguards are sending thank you letters to inmates who behave well in an attempt to combat rising violence.

Men detained in Isis prison in south east London are also being given “reward slips” to encourage positive attitudes during their sentences.

The use of rewards was disclosed yesterday in a report by Peter Clarke, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, into the jail, which houses about 600 men.

It has been highlighted as one of the top 10 mostchallenging institutions by prisons minister Rory Stewart in August.

This summer he said that if his £10m scheme to tackle drugs, security and leadership in the prisons did not meet targets within a year, he would resign.

The scheme was announced after Mr Clarke’s inspection which warned the jail has made limited progress in the last two years and continues to have high levels of violence, with 163 incidents recorded in the six months before the inspection.

He said prison staff were using force often against inmates and frequently failed to record it on body worn videos.

He was however optimistic of signs that the prison was changing direction with “improving culture” and effective efforts to combat gangs and organised crime groups in the jail.

There was also a good success rate in drug searches, although the number of inmates testing positive for illicit substances remains “high”. He also commended “promising initiatives” to encourage better behaviour in the jail.

Mr Clarke says that many of these schemes were still not properly established or well implemented, but praises the use of incentives as a way forward.

He added that the prison governor, Emily Thomas, had “prioritised getting the basics right” in leadership and building “a more positive culture”.

Mr Stewart said the report showed the prison “still faces many challenges” but that it was “turning a corner” due to the governor and staff.