Report finds no direct racial abuse at Leeds - 17th January 2005

An investigation into allegations of racism at HMP Leeds has concluded that no evidence of direct racial abuse was found in the prison and that there are no grounds for disciplinary action against any staff.

Phil Wheatley, the Director General of the Prison Service, launched the investigation in September 2004 after receiving a dossier containing a series of allegations about staff at HMP Leeds from Hickman and Rose solicitors.

Twelve allegations of assault were also investigated by West Yorkshire police who did not start criminal proceedings in any of the cases.

Other findings included:

From the 90-plus individual complaints, there were only eight cases where the prisoner's allegation or perception was borne out, but the investigation found no evidence of direct racial abuse;

HMP Leeds has a good Racist Incident Reporting System in place, although awareness of this system needs to be improved;

HMP Leeds has assistant Race Relations Officers on every wing, which is not standard in all prisons. It also has a Race Relations Advisory Group in place to focus on practical issues;

Staff at HMP Leeds have benefited from training on Moslem issues.

The investigation team was made up of seven Prison Service managers from the Yorkshire and Humberside Area. Two senior managers from Leeds City Council Equality Team acted as independent observers during the investigation.

Paul Goggins, Prisons and Probation Minister said:

"I am pleased the investigation has concluded that there is no evidence of direct racial abuse at Leeds, and no evidence of racism on the scale implied in the allegations. Whilst we should never be complacent, this thorough investigation, supported by independent observers, paints a picture of a prison that is doing positive work in the areas of anti-bullying, diversity and racial awareness, and achieving real results."

Phil Wheatley, Director General of the Prison Service said:

"The Prison Service has recognised for some time that a small minority of staff display unacceptable behaviour that must be challenged robustly. The investigation makes clear that Leeds is pro-active and effective in challenging such behaviour and I am proud of the way in which Governor Ian Blakeman and his predecessor Stacy Tasker have created an environment in which respect for prisoners and an understanding of issues around diversity and discrimination are a priority."

Ian Blakeman, Governor of HMP Leeds said:

"Whilst there are undoubtedly lessons to be learnt from this investigation, I am heartened by its conclusion that Leeds is a good prison with sound monitoring procedures. I am confident that this investigation will serve to re-establish confidence in the prison by the local community, staff and prisoners."