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Our reports

Use the ‘search’ box to help you find a report, or filter by type and year of publication, type of detention and key themes by using the drop down menus and selecting ‘filter’.

If you are looking for an HMI Prisons inspection report published before 2020, you may need to visit our archived site. Please note that many of the search functions on the archived site will not work.

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If you are unable to find a report, please email us at: hmiprisons.enquiries@hmiprisons.gov.uk

Inspection reports are a record of our findings at a point in time. In exceptional circumstances reports may need to be corrected after publication. If the change is substantive, we will indicate what was amended and when the amendment was made.


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83 reports

Letter to Ministers: 10 years on from the Coates Review

Published:
Letter from HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and HM Chief Inspector of Ofsted to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, November 2026

Fit for purpose or falling apart? A review of living conditions in prison

Published:
Fit for purpose or falling apart? A review of living conditions in prison: A key findings paper by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, October 2026

Letter to Ministers: Mentally ill people in prison

Published:
Letter from the Chief Inspector of Prisons to the Secretaries of State for Home Affairs, Health and Social Care, and Justice, July 2026

HMP & YOI New Hall

Published:
Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP & YOI New Hall by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 20–30 April 2026.

Annual Report 2025-26

Published:
Annual Report, 2025-26, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales

HMP & YOI Downview

Published:
Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP & YOI Downview by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, 2-12 February 2026

Business Plan 2026-27

Published:
This business plan describes our planned work for the coming year under our strategic objectives. The plan sets out HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ mandate and values.

Hardly working out: barriers to physical education in prisons

Published:
A key findings paper by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, March 2026

‘Everything is after sentencing’: The experiences of remand prisoners

Published:
A key findings paper by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, March 2026

Safety, well-being and hope: The untapped potential of family contact in prisons

Published:
Safety, well-being and hope: The untapped potential of family contact in prisons by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, March 2026