Aylesbury prison: substantial improvement in response to a worrying earlier inspection
Inspectors returning to HMP/YOI Aylesbury for an independent review of progress were impressed by the substantial improvements that the governor and his team had made in response to a concerning inspection at the end of 2022.
Aylesbury had been re-roled as a category C prison with very little warning. At the time of the original inspection, the prison was struggling with a lack of staff, almost no health care provision and men spending far too long locked in their cells.
The prison remained short-staffed, but in just nine months the governor had transformed the regime through more effective use of those staff available, meaning 75% of men now spent more than eight hours out of their cells on a weekday. At the time of the 2022 inspection, 40% of men had less than one hour out of their cells each day; now prisoners were no longer locked up between activities and had more opportunities for time in the open air. There were still not enough places for all prisoners to attend education, training or work full time, but the number of unemployed prisoners had reduced from 40% at the time of our last inspection to 25% and there were plans to improve this further.
Health care remained frail, but the provider had taken the brave decision to continue to recruit at their own risk while a decision on a new model that met the needs of the older category C population was being agreed. This meant that 50% of vacancies had been filled by the time of the review.
We were worried about Aylesbury after the last inspection, but the amount of change the governor and his team have achieved in such a short time is remarkable. Many prisons are grappling with the same issues that Aylesbury faces, and this should give hope that real, tangible improvement is possible when a team is really determined to succeed. The challenge now will be for them to stay on this path. Many of the prisoners I spoke to were appreciative of the improvements to the jail.”
Notes to editors
- Read the HMP/YOI Aylesbury report, published on 3 October 2023.
- 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.
- This independent review of progress took place between 29 and 31 August 2023.
- HMP/YOI Aylesbury became a category C training prison on 1 October 2022. It was previously a long-term young offender institution.
- Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.