Annual Report 2023-24

What we found

With many prisons severely overcrowded and understaffed, inspectors found men and women continued to spend far too long locked in their cells with nothing to do thanks to the woeful provision of education, training or work. Out of the 32 closed prisons the report covers, 30 were rated poor or insufficiently good in our assessment for purposeful activity. Rather than prisoners participating in activities or interventions to reduce their risk of reoffending and support their mental and physical health during their time behind bars, inspectors found a surge in illicit drug use, self-harm and violence.

The report, published today, covers the findings of 79 reports, and also notes ongoing serious concerns about the provision for children in custody characterised by “drift, decline and failures” and increasing unrest in immigration detention, compounded by Home Office delays in decision-making.