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Jersey's Prison Governor is leaving her role after three-and-a-half years' service.
Susie Richardson moved to the island with her husband and three children in April 2021, to take over from Acting Governor Nick Watkins, who was retiring after 32 years' service.
She joined from HMP Winchester, where she was currently Deputy Governor with responsibility for delivering cultural change.
Her appointment came following a period of turbulence at the prison during which Governor Nick Cameron suddenly departed in 2020.
While the exact reason behind his abrupt resignation was never revealed, emails uncovered by Express at the time revealed that it followed a clash with his senior, Julian Blazeby, over covid-19 preparations at the prison.
The 188 pages of communications show how Mr Cameron made a plea for more PPE as early as February – before the first covid infection was detected in Jersey – and charted his growing unease at the level of support provided to the prison by Government. It culminated in him raising the alarm with the national Prison Governors Association.
In appointing Mrs Richardson to take over, the then-Home Affairs Minister Constable Len Norman described her as an “outstanding candidate”, who he said would provide "energy, strategic focus and strong leadership".
In a Bailiwick Podcasts interview just months into beginning the role, Mrs Richardson explained that her aim was to bring a more rehabilitative culture to the prison, following the 'Seven Pathways' model. Since then, she has also worked closely with the Probation Service on reducing reoffending.
HMP La Moye's The 'Releasing Better Neighbours' programme was last year awarded a grant as part of the Government’s ‘Connect Me: Connecting Our Communities’ scheme, which allowed them to access activities as varied as yoga and Wim Hof ice bath breathing exercises for the benefit of their physical and mental health.
Another initiative aimed at bolstering wellbeing was the prison's involvement with UK charity Finding Rhythms to write and record an album back in March.
Watch: A video exploring how the programme is helping prisoners with their rehabilitation.
A more recent focus has been looking at ADHD within offenders and how to manage the symptoms.
She told Express that staff and inmates had recently received training on working with those struggling with ADHD symptoms. The prison has also formally added "neurodiversity" as a resettlement pathway to aid rehabilitation and reduce reoffending post-release, she explained. In the fist six months of this year, three ADHD clinics were held to review and adjust treatment for diagnosed prisoners.
One former female inmate recently explained how receiving a diagnosis while in prison was "the start of my journey to a more fulfilled life".
A consistent challenge at the prison in recent years has been officer shortages – something which during the pandemic forced a number of wing 'lockdowns'. But a recent prison report explained that, due to "over-recruiting" during 2023, the amount of time prisoners were able to spend outside of their cells had improved.
In a blog post about the Releasing Better Neighbours initiative published last April, Mrs Richardson said she had achieved her "two-year target to persevere in this role of Governor of La Moye", adding: "With all that we have achieved in the last couple of years in the prison, the people I work with and environment we work in, I am not looking to go anywhere else any time soon!
"We still have a lot to achieve, but we have every opportunity to provide Jersey with the most rehabilitative and successful prison in the world."
Confirming her departure, the Government explained that the Deputy Governor "will continue to provide leadership of the Prison Service during any recruitment process that may take place".
“I and my team at Justice and Home Affairs would like to thank Susie for her loyal service as Prison Governor and for her commitment and contribution, and that of her family, to the island and its community," Justice and Home Affairs Minister Deputy Mary Le Hegarat commented.
"We wish her all the very best for the future.”
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