News

Reports on an inspection of HMP/YOI Stoke Heath and an independent review of progress at HMP Wayland

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has issued an Urgent Notification to the Secretary of State for Justice, demanding immediate action to improve the conditions in which children are being held at an institution in Kent.

Inspectors returning to HMP Feltham B were impressed by the hard work of staff in a very challenging environment, which was dominated by high levels of violence between different groups of prisoners.

Two maximum security prisons are effectively discharging their duties to keep dangerous criminals behind bars, but are missing important opportunities to support prisoners in reducing their future risk of harm.

Purposeful activity in prisons – that is access to education, employment, exercise or time out of cell to take part in meaningful activity – has never been as bad as it is now, with prisons continuing to fail to return to the pre-pandemic regimes which supported the rehabilitation and well-being of prisoners. The findings of a new report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons looking at weekends in prison confirms that the high levels of lock-up reported during the week continue in the weekend and, in most cases, were much worse.

Inspectors returning to HMP Lewes for an independent review of progress in February were disappointed to find that, far from improving, conditions at the jail had deteriorated since the full inspection.

A report on an inspection on HMP Elmley

Last March, HMI Prisons and Ofsted published a report into the teaching of reading in prisons. Having previously been a teacher, I was concerned about the low levels of literacy I had seen in our prisons and our report confirmed some of my worst fears.

Reports on an inspection of HMP Hewell and independent reviews of progress at HMP The Mount and HMYOI Parc

Speech given by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons to the Governing Governors' Forum