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Too few staff and easy availability of drugs hindering care for women at Styal

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Inspectors visiting HMP Styal were disappointed to find a deterioration in safety, with positive drug test results now the highest in the women’s estate, a problem which leaders appeared ill-equipped to tackle. A lack of enhanced gate security, an X-ray machine and a body scanner undermined the prison’s efforts to stop the ingress of drugs of which 44% of surveyed women said they were easy to get hold of.

The rate of self-harm was the second highest of all 12 women’s prisons, with over 5,200 reported incidents in the past year. In the same period, 39 women had been sent to the prison due to their acute vulnerabilities and the absence of specialised support in the community. Additionally, 30 had been referred for transfer to hospital under the Mental Health Act (MHA). Some complex and mentally unwell women spent time in segregation, with dedicated officers unable to provide the specialist care they needed.

There was also much to commend at this inspection, including the Prison Advice and Care Trust’s work to support women to maintain family ties, innovative and creative activity sessions and workshops, and extra support for new arrivals. However, for some women, day-to-day frustrations undermined much of this good work, affecting their ability to cope and leading to self-harm. This included an inability to resolve basic requests through the applications system, long periods of lock up and anxiety caused by a lack of contact with their children. Low staffing levels aggravated these problems, with one officer required to supervise two or three houses at a time.

The vulnerabilities of the women were evidenced everywhere; notably in the amount of mental health need, the four self-inflicted deaths, and near doubling of the amount of self-harm recorded since we last inspected. Many other safety indicators were similarly concerning.

Access to staff was reduced considerably, a fact keenly felt by the women. This was compounded by very little key work support, which limited women’s ability to get their requests or complaints dealt with without resorting to formal systems. The lack of access to officers was arguably one of the most important issues to address at Styal.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor

Most women lived in detached houses that required urgent and significant investment to address fire safety concerns and provide basic levels of decency. Education provision needed improvement, with a weak curriculum and poorly attended classes, as did release planning, with most women released without sustainable housing or homeless, including some who presented serious risk of harm to themselves and others.

Notes to editors

  1. The inspection of Styal took place between 2 and 12 December 2024.
  2. HMP/YOI Styal receives women from courts all over the north-west of England and also Wales, either remanded or sentenced. There are facilities for mothers with babies up to 18 months. A small unit outside the main closed prison accommodates women suitable for open conditions.
  3. The report, published on 18 March 2025, can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/
  4. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
  5. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.