HMI Prisons
@hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social
Independent inspectorate reporting on conditions for and treatment of those in prisons, young offender institutions and immigration detention facilities.
Learn more at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/
Learn more at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/
Points to note:
- Violence had reduced
- Regime was more consistent
- Better staff-prisoner relationships
- Revised drug strategy, new testing arrangements and recovery initiatives
- Attendance in education and work was too low
- Tailored workshops improved employability.
- Violence had reduced
- Regime was more consistent
- Better staff-prisoner relationships
- Revised drug strategy, new testing arrangements and recovery initiatives
- Attendance in education and work was too low
- Tailored workshops improved employability.
December 8, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Points to note:
- Violence had reduced
- Regime was more consistent
- Better staff-prisoner relationships
- Revised drug strategy, new testing arrangements and recovery initiatives
- Attendance in education and work was too low
- Tailored workshops improved employability.
- Violence had reduced
- Regime was more consistent
- Better staff-prisoner relationships
- Revised drug strategy, new testing arrangements and recovery initiatives
- Attendance in education and work was too low
- Tailored workshops improved employability.
Points to note:
- Former drug user appointed as drug and alcohol recovery specialist
- Opportunities to help fathers bond with their children
- Issues included overcrowding, lack of care for those who might self-harm, and insufficient education, skills and work places.
- Former drug user appointed as drug and alcohol recovery specialist
- Opportunities to help fathers bond with their children
- Issues included overcrowding, lack of care for those who might self-harm, and insufficient education, skills and work places.
December 8, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Points to note:
- Former drug user appointed as drug and alcohol recovery specialist
- Opportunities to help fathers bond with their children
- Issues included overcrowding, lack of care for those who might self-harm, and insufficient education, skills and work places.
- Former drug user appointed as drug and alcohol recovery specialist
- Opportunities to help fathers bond with their children
- Issues included overcrowding, lack of care for those who might self-harm, and insufficient education, skills and work places.
Points to note:
- Conditions reasonably good in all areas
- Impressive provision in education and other purposeful activity
- Work to prepare prisoners for release had improved
- Innovative work across health care provision
- Availability of drugs becoming more of a concern.
- Conditions reasonably good in all areas
- Impressive provision in education and other purposeful activity
- Work to prepare prisoners for release had improved
- Innovative work across health care provision
- Availability of drugs becoming more of a concern.
December 2, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Points to note:
- Conditions reasonably good in all areas
- Impressive provision in education and other purposeful activity
- Work to prepare prisoners for release had improved
- Innovative work across health care provision
- Availability of drugs becoming more of a concern.
- Conditions reasonably good in all areas
- Impressive provision in education and other purposeful activity
- Work to prepare prisoners for release had improved
- Innovative work across health care provision
- Availability of drugs becoming more of a concern.
Points to note:
- Culture of care.
- Staff levels increased.
- Arrangements for onward journeys good.
- Improvements in condition of centre noteworthy
- Women had restricted access to facilities and activities.
- Culture of care.
- Staff levels increased.
- Arrangements for onward journeys good.
- Improvements in condition of centre noteworthy
- Women had restricted access to facilities and activities.
December 1, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Points to note:
- Culture of care.
- Staff levels increased.
- Arrangements for onward journeys good.
- Improvements in condition of centre noteworthy
- Women had restricted access to facilities and activities.
- Culture of care.
- Staff levels increased.
- Arrangements for onward journeys good.
- Improvements in condition of centre noteworthy
- Women had restricted access to facilities and activities.
Points to note:
- Positive mandatory drug test rate among highest in category C prisons
- Use of PAVA incapacitant spray high
- Too few prisoners in education, work and training
- Inconsistent support for neurodivergent prisoners
- Weapons searches and improved incentives.
- Positive mandatory drug test rate among highest in category C prisons
- Use of PAVA incapacitant spray high
- Too few prisoners in education, work and training
- Inconsistent support for neurodivergent prisoners
- Weapons searches and improved incentives.
December 1, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Points to note:
- Positive mandatory drug test rate among highest in category C prisons
- Use of PAVA incapacitant spray high
- Too few prisoners in education, work and training
- Inconsistent support for neurodivergent prisoners
- Weapons searches and improved incentives.
- Positive mandatory drug test rate among highest in category C prisons
- Use of PAVA incapacitant spray high
- Too few prisoners in education, work and training
- Inconsistent support for neurodivergent prisoners
- Weapons searches and improved incentives.
![Almost 60% of women who offend have experienced domestic violence.
We found some positive work in women’s prisons. In our report, ‘Time to care: what helps women cope in prison?’, one woman at HMP & YOI New Hall spoke about the charity ‘Together women’:
“[They] are fantastic, they have over 400 women that email them constantly every day and they make you feel that you are number one on their list. They are a group of women that deal with street work, domestic violence… anything to do with women.”
At HMP & YOI Drake Hall, we saw a dedicated domestic abuse support officer, who delivered one-to-one intervention to women and developed peer workers to support others. At HMP Send, prison staff had training sessions delivered by Brainkind, a national charity, about the impact of brain injury on behaviour, which affects a high proportion of women who had experienced physical abuse.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:leyxz4xruxylv4trzvqfp5va/bafkreib6hu4ctugcpgxxxf3idqqoi4nqk2ll7m4t2usc7faymkshimrraq@jpeg)
Points to note:
- Living conditions better overall but larger houseblocks still in a poor state
- ‘Longer working week’ trial in workshops a promising early sign of better access to purposeful activity
- HMPPS investment in physical security needed to limit drone deliveries.
- Living conditions better overall but larger houseblocks still in a poor state
- ‘Longer working week’ trial in workshops a promising early sign of better access to purposeful activity
- HMPPS investment in physical security needed to limit drone deliveries.
November 24, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Points to note:
- Living conditions better overall but larger houseblocks still in a poor state
- ‘Longer working week’ trial in workshops a promising early sign of better access to purposeful activity
- HMPPS investment in physical security needed to limit drone deliveries.
- Living conditions better overall but larger houseblocks still in a poor state
- ‘Longer working week’ trial in workshops a promising early sign of better access to purposeful activity
- HMPPS investment in physical security needed to limit drone deliveries.
