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Welcome to our news centre. You can filter by speeches, press releases, blogs and media briefings using the drop down menu below and selecting ‘filter’.
In contrast to many of our inspections this year, Rye Hill, a category B training prison holding men convicted of sexual offences, was providing good outcomes for prisoners in three of our four healthy prison tests. In this blog, Angus Jones, who led the inspection, discusses how the prison was achieving such impressive results.
More children in custody felt unsafe than last year, and fewer said they were getting any education, according to an annual review by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. The review, which analysed survey findings from children living in young offender institutions (YOIs) and secure training centres (STCs) in England and Wales in 2023-24, found that children spent the majority of their time locked in their cells, with little done to address their offending. When they were able to mix with other children on the wings, this was often marred by conflict and violence.
In September, a very concerning inspection of HMP Rochester led Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, to write to the Secretary of State to invoke the first Urgent Notification for improvement at a category C prison. Today, the full report from that inspection further outlines the dilapidated accommodation, rising violence and self-harm, widespread illicit drug use, and the lack of purposeful activity or risk reduction work inside the jail.
HMP Garth, part of the long-term and high security estate, is facing major security issues from the ingress of drugs and a breakdown in safety and security, with around a 45% increase in violence and many prisoners needing protection because of drug-related debt.
Inspector Jonathan Tickner reveals how our recent inspection of Drake Hall in Staffordshire was a reminder of the good work that can still be achieved with women in prison, despite the current challenges in the system.