CONDITIONS at a prison which has attracted criticism in the past for its dirty cells and lack of education, has been praised by inspectors.

Northallerton Community Prison, in North Yorkshire, was described as “an impressively safe and respectful establishment, with plenty of activity and a sound focus on resettlement”, in a report published yesterday by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons.

The comments were welcomed by prison governor Norman Griffins. He said: “We’ve had a complete turnaround in the last few years which is a result of a lot of hard work.

“At the time of the inspection in January, we were going through a lot of changes and I’m confident that if we had an inspection today then we would get an even better result.”

The prison had attracted mixed reports following inspections in 2005 and 2008 which, as well as the criticism for its dirty cells and a lack of educational provision, also highlighted “superficial” relationships between staff and inmates.

Mr Griffin said that the positive report was down to the prison’s dedicated staff.

He said: “All the staff like coming into work because they want to help inmates get their lives back on track.

Sharon Carter, for example, is one of our four residential managers and has had a big impact on the place.”

Mrs Carter, nominated for the title of prison officer of the year, said: “We try to make it a happy environment.

There was previously graffiti and a lack of respect for the place but, after a refurbishment of the cells, the graffiti has disappeared.”

The report also said safety had been improved and there was less violence and bullying among inmates.

Inspectors found little evidence of drug abuse, accommodation was clean and well maintained and staff-prisoner relationships were positive.

Chief Inspector Nick Hardwick said: “Northallerton is a case study of the benefits of having a small prison, with a population drawn mostly from the local area.

“Staff and manager should be rightly pleased by what has been achieved in a relatively short period of time.”