Resolve Consultants - HMP Ranby: Conflict Resolution Service

Case Study

HMP Ramby

The introduction of Conflict Resolution to HMP Ranby was pioneered at the request of Governor and Head of Safer Custody.

The Conflict Resolution model developed by Resolve Consultants Ltd included both training for staff and prisoner mediators, along with the introduction of ConflictHub software for capturing, reporting and measuring practice. It was implemented between 2017 and 2019.

2017 - 2019 (Pre-COVID)

The introduction of Conflict Resolution

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2017 - 2019 (Pre-COVID)

Conflict Resolution Data Capture with InsightBox

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2020 - 2021

A mammoth 432 individual agreements were reached by the Ranby Conflict Resolution Team.

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2023

Service Evaluation

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2017 - 2019 (Pre-COVID)

The introduction of Conflict Resolution

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2017 - 2019 (Pre-COVID)

Conflict Resolution Data Capture with InsightBox

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2020 - 2021

A mammoth 432 individual agreements were reached by the Ranby Conflict Resolution Team.

Find out more

2023

Service Evaluation

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Case Study 1: A Fight that leads in a new direction.

Ali was doing his second sentence for GBH, and in his own words ‘Only care about my kids other than that I was a dossier’. During lunch on servery Jordon was ‘acting the bullying-boy, he tried it with me, and I said come to my pad (for a fight) or I will stab you’.
He did and we got into it ‘I am not going to be bullied by anyone’.
After the fight the Conflict Resolution came and said Jordon wanted to meet and resolve this as he did not realise how old I was, I agreed because age has nothing to do with this.
In the meeting I realised we had a lot in common, same backgrounds. I told him ‘if I say its done, ‘it’s done’ he wouldn’t have to worry about me and could go back to servery.
After the meeting ‘I realised I was not plotting revenge or was angry about seeing him again’.
I started to check on him and see how he was doing.
I also volunteered to help other lads with learning needs and have become a mentor.
If it was not for this meeting I would probably be in a Cat A because I would have got him.
Adjudication does not help you meet each others needs or stop retaliation.
I would definitely sign up to work with the conflict resolution team.

Case Study 2: Officer and Prison – Boiling over.

Marcus has Schizophrenia and tended to keep himself quiet on the wing. However, over the last five months his relationship with one officer deteriorated. He often felt that Mr Roland spoke down to him whenever you asked him to do stuff. one day it got to the point where he was fed up being spoken down to and he assaulted this officer with a plug at this point another officer was also injured in the restraint.
He was approached by the Conflict resolution team to see if he would engage with both officers. The officer is salted refused but the officer who was injured tip part in the process.
we spoke on the office with Jenny interested in our relationship and was not a ‘key happy officer’, volva wanted to understand what happened.
I apologise and we shook hands and he told me ‘I will try and talk to people more I learnt more in this hour with you then I had all of my prison officers training’.
‘I could see after he genuinely changed I would take the time with other lads as well’.
‘when I went to adjudication I asked the judge to make sure that both officers got compensation As a process it made me be a better person in life’.
I think the prison should put conflict resolution t put stuff on laptops let us know what it can really do.

Case Study 3: Resetting the boundaries of staff and Prisoner relationships.

Darren had gone to ask the S.O. Mr Smith a question, when he was told Bye Mr. Smith that he was interrupting and to wait until he was spoken to. Although Darren felt embarrassed, he waited his turn as he knew other prisoners had had running's with him and he didn't treat people with respect. Darren decided to start meeting again, left the room and came back in, Mr. Smith then felt Darren taking the ‘mick out of him’ and was going to give him a booking. Darren had wanted to hit Mr Smith but felt that he needed a more mature way to deal with him.
Darren had seen a Conflict Resolution leaflet and asked of a meeting with Mr Smith.
During the meeting Darren explained that he felt disrespected, and that day Mr Smith had a bad attitude, but also, he did not want their to be any further issues, as some officers can be ‘key board warriors’ and write you up for every little thing.
Mr Smith explained he did not have a problem with Darren and that they are not going to be ‘best friends’. Darren reached over to shake Mr Smith’s hand but Mr Smith refused to shake hands.
For Darren the meeting meant that it had prevented further escalation and that he had got feelings off his chest.
He felt there should be more officer training on conflict resolution.

HMP Ranby 2022-2023 model of development.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION: Move to sustainability

CR Team: Next steps

New training for staff and prisoners x3 days to become practitioners.
Prisoner interest remains high.
Develop awareness training for staff and prisoners.
Specific development of Equality and Diversity as also conflict involving debt.

Ranby Conflict Resolution: Building a trusting Community

Ambassadors – staff and prisoners are developed to be Conflict Resolution Ambassadors through awareness training by the CR Team.
Service Users – Collecting the successes and types of incidents, their experiences and feelings using conflict resolution.
Population awareness – induction, on wing, gym, advertsing campaign.

Ranby Conflict Resolution: Building a network of support

The Ranby model of Conflict Resolution is one if not the best evidenced model in the English Adult Estate.
The sustainability of this model now need to be networked so that other neighboring prisons can be supported and developed.
The ability of Ranby to create a network of support will benefit the delivery model and the prisoners as they transfer so that their skillset can be used and developed in other establishments.

Reflections from the Conflict Resolution Lead at HMPY Ranby

To be honest I was sceptical of Conflict Resolution, especially training staff and prisoners together. I had been in the prison service all my career, and been through a lot of change, not always good.
The three-day training with Luke (I knew him before he was a doctor) on day had me thinking there might be something in this, by day 2, I could see how this could be used in some cases and by day three, I and the whole team were ready to deal with all the conflict at Ranby!
More importantly, the change in relationships between the staff and the guys it became less about us and them, and more about being a team, working together to improve our community and at the heart of the trust we had for each other.
Since then, I have seen some amazing work done, relationships change and life skills be developed. But we have faced challenges, loss of funding, staff not sticking to process and changes with governors. But Conflict Resolution has reminded important to us a team, with some very serious incidents avoided because of the great work done.
For me personally, some of our younger staff really need the skills taught on the case now more than ever, but it also needs senior leaders to recognise that peaceful prisons need peace to be promoted, and invested if they really want to see the difference.
I will be leaving the prison service soon after a long career, leaving the keys at the door, and I can say that Conflict Resolution is one the best things any prison could do if they are serious about retaining staff, addressing violence, skilling prisoners and promoting peace.

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