THE Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Dartmoor has commended management and staff for working hard to make progress despite working under a threat of closure.

The report highlights many achievements over the past year but has also said that the availability of illegal drugs continues to be a serious problems within the prison.

In 2014 the Government announced that it was entering negotiations with the Duchy of Cornwall to terminate the prison’s lease leading to its closure but a date has not yet been disclosed.

The board said that a new governor and deputy governor took responsibility during the reporting year and this resulted in a notable improvement in staff communication and morale.

The report commended the clear and continuing emphasis on the decency agenda and on efforts to increase the number of prisoners in work and education but it also observed that still too many prisoners remained on wings during the working day.

The board also found that, like many other UK prisons, there was also still an unacceptable amount of illegal drugs and manufactured psychotic substances seemingly readily available to prisoners which had the potential to promote bullying and violent behaviour.

During the year, the prison moved to an integrated regime and the report highlights the concerns the board had over its implementation and subsequent management. However, this year’s report also celebrated the prison’s significant positive achievements during the year, such as the move at last to total single cell accommodation and the attempts at cell and wing redecoration.

The report concluded: ’There is much to commend about the prison.’

READ MORE ON THE REPORT IN NEXT WEEK’S EDITION