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HMP/YOI Foston Hall: tentative progress but too much violence, self-harm and inconsistent care

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An inspection of HMP and YOI Foston Hall has found that although there had been some progress, outcomes for women continued to be affected by high levels of violence and self-harm, the ingress of drugs and some unacceptable behaviour from staff.

The January 2025 inspection found that although violence was rarely serious and violence against staff was falling, the number of violent incidents remained the highest in the women’s estate. Self-harm was also too high, despite a fall in incidents. The availability of drugs and very high levels of mental health need were contributing to the problems with violence in the jail. Leaders were taking this seriously, but 42% of prisoners said it was easy to get drugs in the prison, and there was no body scanner or enhanced gate security to help tackle this threat.

Inconsistent care and a lack of assistance from staff were compounding the problems and causing women frustration. While inspectors observed numerous examples of helpful and caring interactions between prisoners and staff, some officers were rude and dismissive. Many lacked experience and although extra mentoring had been put in place, only a quarter of staff had completed the prison’s mental health awareness training. This was concerning, given the high levels of need among the population. The paper-based ‘applications’ system, which should have allowed women to make simple requests, did not work, with one post box in the first night centre not emptied for at least two weeks and about 150 requests unread.

Many women had too little to do. The provision of education, skills and work neither met the needs of women, nor aligned with local and national employment opportunities, and was failing to provide pathways into employment and education. A lack of helpful careers advice was a missed opportunity to provide women with some of the skills and information they would need on release.

Overall, this is a mixed report about a prison that has a way to go before it can realise its full potential, but we did see some evidence of improvement. A new governor and deputy understood the challenges faced by the prison and had brought stability, notably to daily routines, while focusing on improving outcomes in key areas of delivery. Although staff were very inexperienced and needed more training and more consistent support from middle managers, the prison was much more accountable and capable than when we last inspected. Priorities included the need to re-energise the regime and ensure a more caring and attentive ethos.
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Notes to editors

  1. The inspection of Foton Hall took place between 13 and 30 January 2025.
  2. Foston Hall opened as a women’s prison in 1997. It has a capacity of just over 300 prisoners, with 295 in residence at the time of the inspection. It fulfils many functions, from the management of unconvicted and unsentenced individuals, to holding a significant minority serving very long sentences, including life.
  3. The report, published on 28 April 2025, can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website.
  4. 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.
  5. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.