Reports published 16 June

HMP Elmley

Type of inspection: full inspection

Dates of inspection: 26–27 February and 10–13 March 2025

Summary of findings: Leaders struggled to stem the ingress of illicit drugs. In January 2025, mandatory drug tests had a positive rate of 29%. Of prisoners surveyed, 61% said they had felt unsafe during their time at Elmley; some because of the impact of drug availability on debt, bullying and violence. Some prisoners were held in unacceptable living conditions; many cells had broken flooring and lacked furniture. New arrivals often got to the prison late, which meant key safety processes were being postponed until the next day and prisoners were not in secured cells until after 11pm. While time out of cell was not good enough, it was better than seen in most reception jails.

Points to note: Relationships between prisoners and staff had deteriorated and prisoners from ethnic minority and Muslim backgrounds had particularly poor perceptions about their treatment.

Read the report: HMP Elmley

HMP Garth

Type of inspection: independent review of progress

Dates of inspection: 12–14 May 2025

Summary of findings: Not enough progress had been made since the full inspection in 2024. More prisoners had tested positive for drugs, with a huge increase in drones conveying them into the jail, while support for the most vulnerable prisoners had not improved. Prisoners were too often allowed to breach basic prison rules and staff did not challenge poor behaviour. More positively, time out of cell had improved thanks to a new regime and there were reduced levels of staff sickness. Standards of cleanliness and hygiene were also better, although not enforced consistently.

Points to note: Access to health services was substantially better and there had been some improvements in the education offer, although attendance and punctuality were still not good enough and too few prisoners were engaged in purposeful activity.

Read the report: HMP Garth