Desperate times for prisons
Against the backdrop of the growing prison population crisis, the 2023-24 annual report of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons paints a devastating picture of what is happening inside our jails.
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It is a rarity at the moment to publish an inspection report that notes strong leadership, low levels of self-harm, excellent time out of cell and calm and clean wings where prisoners are trusted to cook for themselves.
Perhaps surprisingly, this isn’t a report on an open prison… Rather, this is the reality of the units holding the most dangerous prisoners in England and Wales.
Improving behaviour in prisons
These are challenging times for prisons, but some have created cultures that encourage prisoners to take part in employment and education that should help them to secure employment on their release.
Find out more about the different areas of our work
Men’s prisons
We inspect every type of men’s prison in England and Wales, from high security to open prisons, private and public sector. Find out about how we inspect and read our reports on men’s prisons.
Women’s prisons
Women make up less than 4% of the prison population. Read our Expectations for the treatment of and conditions for women, and our reports on women’s prisons.
Children’s detention
We inspect each establishment in which children are detained every year either for a full inspection or an independent review of progress. Read our reports on detention for children.
Immigration detention
Read reports on our inspections of different types of immigration detention: immigration removal centres, short-term holding facilities and escorted flights removing people from the country.