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Strong leadership and innovation driving positive outcomes at HMP Northumberland

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Conditions at HMP Northumberland were reasonably good in all areas, and – thanks to strong leadership and a positive culture – prisoners were benefitting from impressive provision in education and other purposeful activity, according to findings from a recent inspection.

Inspectors found that education, work and training provision at the category C training prisons was a real strength, with most prisoners allocated to full-time activity and able to spend around 9.5 hours a day out of their cell during the week. Attendance at activities was better than at many prisons, the quality of teaching was high, and prisoners were enthusiastic and interested in their work.

Work to prepare prisoners for release – rated poor in 2022 – had improved markedly. Community offender managers were visiting the prison regularly to work with high-risk men, and the timeliness of housing referrals to local authorities had improved, helping to reduce the likelihood of homelessness and reoffending.

Also impressive was the innovative work across health care provision. The creation of three ‘health zones’ had improved access to doctors and nurses, access to psychological therapies was better thanks to staff recruitment, and there was more support for prisoners and their families to manage the risks of overdose following release.

Alongside the many positives, inspectors also identified priorities for improvement. The availability of drugs was becoming more of a concern, and was linked to a significant increase in violence. Not enough was being done to motivate prisoners to behave well and to help them feel they were progressing at the prison, and this was compounded by too little in the way of meaningful interaction with staff, both in one-to-one sessions and on the wing.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said:

Our inspection of HMP Northumberland found a jail making good progress. The prison had sustained its efforts to deliver a safe and respectful environment, and – commendably – improved its work delivering purposeful activity and preparing prisoners for release. The strong leadership and positive culture we saw were grounds for optimism that the prison could tackle the issues it was still facing and improve further.

Notes to editors

  1. This inspection took place between 27 August – 12 September 2025.
  2. A copy of the full report, published on 2 December 2025, can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/.
  3. 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.
  4. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.