Time to care – one year on

Since then, we have inspected four women’s prisons (Send, Eastwood Park, Bronzefield, and Low Newton) and have returned to Foston Hall for a review of progress. What we have found during these visits has been encouraging: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has taken our concerns seriously. We have seen clear signs of improving practice and important cultural change.

Improved staff-prisoner relationships

Positive staff-prisoner relationships are the foundation of a safe environment for women in prison. Specific training had been introduced for new officers allocated to women’s prisons, and the ongoing rollout of ‘Behind the Behaviour’ training was helping them to better understand how life experiences can shape behaviour. HMPPS had appointed two new forensic psychologists to speed up the rollout of this training.  

• At Eastwood Park, we noted that relationships were becoming a real strength, supported by a sharper focus on supporting women with mental health and substance misuse problems.
• We also observed patient and compassionate interactions at Send, where the range of training and awareness sessions exceeded what we normally see. At Low Newton, 81% of women we surveyed said staff treated them with respect and compared with similar prisons, more women said staff showed interest in their personal welfare and understood their circumstances. One woman told us: ‘I’ve been vile and then the next day they’ve been amazing, they don’t give up on me’.
• At the Foston Hall review of progress, women were more positive than during our last inspection about the level of decency and respect shown to them by staff.
• HMPPS women’s group were focused on improving the quality and quantity of key work. At Low Newton we found that most women had regular, meaningful contact with their key worker, who had good knowledge of their individual circumstances and helped to resolve practical issues.

Good progress in reducing restrictive practices

Positive leadership, including refreshed guidance and improved oversight, had promoted an important cultural shift away from using restrictive measures.

• HMPPS had introduced a use-of-force specialist to update training for officers in women’s prisons using relevant scenarios, appropriate techniques and a better focus on communication to avoid force being used. At Foston Hall, staff provided good support for the most challenging women and leaders were promoting the use of positive communication to prevent self-harm.
• The use of anti-rip clothing across the women’s estate had declined dramatically from 493 instances in 2024 to 88 in 2025.
• At Eastwood Park, there was a big fall in the use of force to place women in anti-rip clothing – from 63 times in 2024 to just twice on one woman in 2025. Body-worn camera footage showed some excellent use of de-escalation techniques.

Keeping families connected

Our thematic identified that maintaining family ties was a top priority for women. Although there was some inconsistency in delivery, for example in social visits, there was encouraging progress.

• Low Newton had a dedicated early days in custody family worker who provided valuable guidance in the first two weeks. A new substance misuse family worker was offering support to those with drug and alcohol needs.
• Send offered a ‘Relationship Matters’ course to help women reflect on addiction and childhood experiences in parenting.
• Eastwood Park engaged with schools and used video calling to help women attend their children’s parents evenings.
• Bronzefield, Send and Eastwood Park each had an on-site social worker to help women navigate crucial family contact issues.

Peer support on the rise  

Peer-led initiatives were developing, with the aim of helping women cope and contribute meaningfully to prison life.

• Bronzefield had an impressive range of peer workers, and Send and Low Newton had expanded these roles to include problem-solving mentors and others to support women through trauma.
• Eastwood Park had introduced a peer-led group for women new to custody, to help them adjust to being in prison and provide valuable support and advice.
• Foston Hall had recently introduced ‘peacekeeper’ peer workers to reduce violence and anti-social behaviour.

Creating decent environments and building communities

Simple but significant changes had been made.

• Women could now wash their underwear in washing machines and sanitary and hygiene products were readily available on wings at Eastwood Park, Low Newton, and Send.
• Send, Eastwood Park, Bronzefield and Low Newton all provided a variety of social and recreational activities that helped to build a sense of community and normality for women.
• All women’s prisons inspected last year provided prisoners with access to well-maintained grounds. The Oasis at Low Newton had seating areas next to two aviaries which could be used for key work sessions or ACCT reviews (case management for those at risk of suicide or self-harm). Bronzefield also had a ‘calm room’ which women could use to help lower their stress levels away from the main wings.

Looking ahead

Although leaders, particularly those in HMPPS’s Women’s Group, have taken important steps to help women in prison cope on a day-to-day basis, there is still more to do. The rate of self-harm incidents in women’s prisons continues to be more than eight times higher than in men’s[1] and we still see force used inappropriately on women in crisis too often. We remain concerned about:

• the number of women who are sent to prison due to the lack of spaces in mental health hospitals, and delays in transfers once sectioned under the Mental Health Act
• last minute cancellation of planned accommodation on release, including places in approved premises for vulnerable, high-risk women
• the supply of illicit drugs and the lack of enhanced gate security
• limited time out of cell
• lack of technology, such as in-cell laptops to help women to get basic things done.

Addressing these concerns will help to reduce women’s frustrations, improve their chances of coping in prison, and better prepare them for life in the community.

[1] Safety in Custody Statistics Bulletin, England and Wales, Deaths in prison custody to September 2025, Assaults and Self-Harm to June 2025, p.9