HMP Elmley
HMP Elmley web 2025 (PDF, 2.3 MB)
Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Elmley by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons on 26–27 February and 10–13 March 2025.
Elmley healthy prison scores
What we found
Leaders struggled to stem the ingress of illicit drugs. In January 2025, mandatory drug tests had a positive rate of 29%. Of prisoners surveyed, 61% said they had felt unsafe during their time at Elmley; some because of the impact of drug availability on debt, bullying and violence. Some prisoners were held in unacceptable living conditions; many cells had broken flooring and lacked furniture. New arrivals often got to the prison late, which meant key safety processes were being postponed until the next day and prisoners were not in secured cells until after 11pm. While time out of cell was not good enough, it was better than seen in most reception jails.
Points to note: Relationships between prisoners and staff had deteriorated and prisoners from ethnic minority and Muslim backgrounds had particularly poor perceptions about their treatment.
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