HMI Prisons

@hmiprisonsnews

Independent inspectorate reporting on conditions for and treatment of those in prisons, young offender institutions and immigration detention facilities. Learn more at:

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HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 17d

Our researchers are conducting a survey at HMP Bedford at the start of an inspection. If you have information about the establishment, please email: hmiprisons.enquiries@hmiprisons.gov.uk

Photograph of a prison visits hall, with the HMI Prisons email address overlaid on top.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 17d

HMP & YOI New Hall: calm atmosphere, strong relationships and good support under respected new governor. Read the inspection report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And the press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/reports... See the healthy prison scores:

Bar chart showing the healthy prison outcomes at New Hall in 2026 compared with 2022. Safety had remained good, respect and preparation for release had both risen from reasonably good to good, and purposeful activity had remained not sufficiently good.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 17d

HMP & YOI Brinsford: Violence and drug use among serious problems Read the inspection report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=hm... And the press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=ne...

Bar chart visualising the healthy prison scores for HMP & YOI Brinsford when it was inspected in 2023 and 2026. It shows that the score for Safety declined from not sufficiently good to poor, the score for Respect remained not sufficiently good, the score for Purposeful Activity improved from poor to not sufficiently good, and the score for Preparation for release declined from reasonably good to not sufficiently good.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 20d

Infographic headed “Our reports and survey data shows prisoners’ access to Listeners varies”. It highlights concerns identified during inspections. Text states that at HMP Woodhill, Listeners reported they were not always unlocked to support prisoners in crisis, despite access to the Samaritans phone line. It also states that at HMP and YOI Norwich, face-to-face contact with Listeners was not available at night and an incorrect Samaritans telephone number had been advertised, contributing to a substantial reduction in calls.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 20d

Infographic headed “Our reports and survey data shows prisoners’ access to Listeners varies”. It highlights positive examples from inspections. Text states that at HMP Liverpool, the Listener scheme functioned effectively and supported prisoners in distress, including new arrivals. It also notes that at HMP Aylesbury, a team of 11 Listeners was supported by the safer custody team and the Samaritans. A survey result shows 61% of prisoners said it was very or quite easy to speak to a Listener if needed.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 20d

Today is #SamaritansAwarenessDay. Samaritans-trained prison “Listeners” can provide vital support to people in crisis, but our inspections show access is not always consistent. Find out more below ⬇️

Graphic marking Samaritans Awareness Day on 24 July. The HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Samaritans logos appear at the top. Text explains that Samaritans train prisoners to provide emotional support to their peers through the Listener scheme and that prison Expectations require prisoners to be made aware of the Samaritans phone number and the Listener scheme. A photograph shows a person walking along a prison corridor wearing a green T-shirt with “Listener” printed on the back.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 21d

Today we publish a special episode of The Prison Inspectors bringing you the audio from our 2025-26 Annual Report launch, where Charlie speaks to @russellwebster.com about the challenges facing prisons. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/2025-26...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· 24d

HMP Ashfield: A well-run prison with committed leaders and staff Read the inspection report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=hm... And the press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=ne... See the healthy prison scores:

Bar chart visualising the healthy prison scores for HMP Ashfield when it was inspected in 2023 and 2026. It shows that the scores for Safety, Respect and Preparation for Release had all remained good. The score for purposeful activity had improved from poor to not sufficiently good.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 14

Today we publish 'Women’s experience of immigration detention', a thematic highlighting how positive treatment is often undermined by gaps in support. Read the thematic: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And press release: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/positiv...

HM Inspectorate of Prisons graphic about women in immigration detention. The image shows an immigration detention centre building on the left and a map of the UK on the right marking immigration detention locations. The headline reads: “Positive treatment of women in immigration detention undermined by gaps in support.” The map highlights women held at Dungavel (12 women), Derwentside (55 women) and Yarl’s Wood (45 women), alongside other detention and short-term holding facilities across the UK.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 13

Border Force short-term holding facilities: some progress, but significant weaknesses remained. Read the report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/reports...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 13

HMP Featherstone: fall in violence and self-harm, but illicit drugs remained a major challenge. Read the report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/reports...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 9

In our 2025-26 Annual Report launch Charlie also spoke about how the best prisons understand the rehabilitative importance of families. Watch the full launch here: youtu.be/otavuoOhYYY?... Read the 2025-26 Annual Report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 9

In our 2025-26 Annual Report launch Charlie Taylor spoke about his admiration for, and the dedication of, prison governors and the difficulties they face. Watch the full launch here: youtu.be/otavuoOhYYY?...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 7

Earlier today we hosted our 2025-26 Annual Report launch, where Chief Inspector, Charlie Taylor, discussed the report's findings with @russellwebster.com! Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=otav... Read the report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 7

In court custody we found weak coordination between agencies, poor release planning, lengthy stays in unsuitable facilities and inconsistent care for vulnerable people. Read the 2025-26 Annual Report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 7

In children’s custody, we found ongoing violence, weaknesses in keep-apart arrangements and poor access to education and purposeful activity, including serious concerns at Oakhill Secure Training Centre. Read the 2025-26 Annual Report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 7

In two immigration removal centres, investment in infrastructure and staffing drove improvements. However, we saw weaknesses in vulnerability screening and excessive periods of detention. Read the 2025-26 Annual Report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 7

In the women's estate, high levels of self-harm, mental health need and poor resettlement support remained significant concerns, but strong staff-prisoner relationships and family work provided important support. Read the 2025-26 Annual Report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 7

In men's prisons, drugs, violence, overcrowding and poor access to education and work continued to undermine safety and rehabilitation. Read the report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And press release: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/chief-i... Find out more ⬇️

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 7

Today we publish our 2025-26 Annual Report. Chief Inspector, Charlie Taylor, says act now to improve poor levels of activity in prisons and reduce demand for drugs. Report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... Press release: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/chief-i...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jul 6

HMYOI Feltham: persistent staffing shortfalls limiting time out of cell and meaningful progress. Read our inspection report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And the press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/report-...

Report on an independent review of progress at HMYOI Feltham by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 26-28 May 2026

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jun 30

Our 2022 thematic on the experiences of black prisoners and staff highlighted inequalities, and our surveys still show poorer experiences for minority ethnic prisoners. Published today, our blog shows how Wayland is driving change. Read here: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/how-one...

How one prison is leading the way on equality and inclusion.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jun 29

HMP Liverpool: some progress, but continued problems with drugs, living conditions and inactivity. Read our inspection report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And the press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/reports...

Report on an independent review of progress at HMP Liverpool by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, 16-26 March 2026.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jun 29

HMP Isle of Wight: Lack of investment to address infrastructure issues among problems Read the inspection report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=hm... And the press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=ne... See the healthy prison scores:

Bar chart visualising the healthy prison scores for HMP Isle of Wight when it was inspected in 2022 and 2026. It shows that the scores for Safety and Respect had remained not sufficiently good, the score for Purposeful Activity had improved from poor to not sufficiently good, and the score for Preparation for Release had improved from poor to reasonably good.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jun 24

What’s going wrong in secure prisons? In our latest episode, Chief Inspector Charlie Taylor and Deputy Chief Inspector Martin Lomas discuss rising drugs and disorder and the impact on staff and prisoners. Listen wherever you get your podcasts: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/drugs-a...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jun 22

HMP Lowdham Grange: Considerable progress since critical 2025 inspection, but longstanding problems will take time to resolve Read our inspection report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=hm... And the press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk?post_type=ne...

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews· Jun 19

This Sunday is Father's Day. Family contact is a vital element in keeping prisoners safe and well, and giving them hope for the future. Some prisons were working hard to maintain this contact. Read our thematic review and examples below: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...