Annual Report 2024-25
Annual Report 2024-25 (PDF, 16.5 MB)
Annual Report, 2024-25, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales
What we found
The Chief Inspector of Prisons has called for the government to take far more seriously the widespread ingress of illegal drugs into prisons. In his Annual Report, published today, Charlie Taylor said the prison service, police and security services must work closely together to tackle the threat from organised criminals, which is destabilising jails and preventing many from delivering essential rehabilitative work that will help people to stop offending.
The supply and use of illicit drugs are the overriding themes of his report, undermining every aspect of prison life. Far too little was being done to keep drugs out of jails, too many prisoners said it was easy to get hold of them, and the rate of positive random tests frequently reached more than 30%.
Overcrowding, coupled with a lack of activity, caused boredom and frustration among prisoners, which heightened the demand for drugs. Many spent most of the day in cramped, shared cells, where broken furniture and windows, and infestations of vermin, were common. Of the 38 men’s and women’s prisons inspected, 28 were delivering poor or not sufficiently good outcomes in purposeful activity.
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