Prison
Cat B, C, D, local, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lewes
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 7 July 2022
Throughout the reporting year, HMP Lewes operated under significant Covid-19 restrictions, severely limiting the regime and leading to an overwhelmingly poor experience for prisoners. The Board identified an inhumane regime with prisoners often locked in cells for nearly 23 hours a day, alongside a concerning deterioration in healthcare provision due to staffing shortages and overreliance on agency staff. Key issues included an inadequate induction process, persistent decency issues in accommodation, and disproportionate treatment of ethnic minority prisoners in various disciplinary and incentives schemes.
Positive Findings
The Board welcomes the enhanced gate security introduced in December 2021, which must have improved safety for prisoners by reducing illicit substances. Refurbishments to many cells made them cleaner and more pleasant. The increase in prisoner forums held this year is seen as a positive step in prison management, fostering understanding of prisoners' needs. The safety team demonstrated particular care for individual prisoners, and the senior management's efforts to provide a predictable regime and open the gym regularly are acknowledged. The chaplaincy department's consistent positive contribution to prisoner wellbeing and the appointment of an occupational therapist were also welcomed. A new Migration Law Clinic is expected to positively assist foreign national prisoners.
Key Concerns
Safety
The Board does not consider that the induction process at HMP Lewes is adequate and believes that a more structured process would allow prisoners to start their sentences with a better understanding of prison life and accordingly be less vulnerable to others.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The regime during this year has not been humane, with prisoners locked up for long periods and limited time out of cells.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
The Board is again concerned that prisoners from ethnic minorities (excluding White minorities) may not be being treated fairly in some areas, specifically in use of force and the incentives and earned privileges scheme, where they are disproportionately represented.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The main residential areas are often not decent, with constant problems which seemingly take a long time to fix such as broken showers and windows, no toilet lids and pigeons flying around living areas.
Healthcare
There has been a deterioration in the delivery of physical and mental health services during this year, mainly because of inadequate staffing and an overdependence on agency staff.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The number of education and work places available to prisoners is less than 50% of the prison population, meaning opportunities to gain skills are limited, and there was no face-to-face education for parts of the year.
Resettlement/Release
There has routinely been a backlog in prisoners getting their sentence plans, without which they cannot progress. In addition, organising transfers to prisons which are better able to help prisoners progress through their sentences has often been difficult.
Estate/Conditions
Insufficient funding for capital investment in HMP Lewes’ buildings such that the basic accommodation can finally be considered uniformly decent.
Safety
Repeated
Prisoners who have been detained very many years beyond their tariff dates under indeterminate sentences for public protection are not being released as soon as possible, which the Board considers inhumane.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The importance for prisoner wellbeing of them being unlocked for unstructured association is not recognised, particularly given insufficient work and education places.
Resettlement/Release
Insufficient funding of inter-prison transfer services means prisoners get delayed moving to prisons where their rehabilitation needs can be better met.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff shortages, exacerbated by Covid, severely impacted unlock times and overall regime, including healthcare and support services. Recruitment was a major challenge, especially for mental health staff, leading to a heavy reliance on agency staff. The key worker scheme was largely ineffective, with most prisoners never meeting their assigned key worker. Many staff members are new and inexperienced with larger groups of unlocked prisoners, and relations between some prison officers and nursing staff became strained, potentially impacting health treatment.
Healthcare
Healthcare services deteriorated this year, primarily due to inadequate staffing and overdependence on agency personnel, leading to a high volume of prisoner complaints. Significant concerns included the removal of essential long-term medications from prisoners upon reception and the unavailability of specific drugs at times. Communication with prisoners was poor, and waiting lists for appointments were long, though GP waiting times reduced to three weeks by year-end. Dental services also experienced significant disruption, with waiting times reaching six weeks. Mental health services were limited by staff shortages, and the lack of specialist beds for transfers remained a problem.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime during the reporting year was deemed inhumane, with long periods of cell confinement and frequently restricted access to fresh air. At times, prisoners were unlocked for as little as half an hour daily, and even the 'best' regime only offered four hours out of cell for some, while others received only one hour. Covid 'bubble' systems and staff shortages consistently hampered efforts to provide a more open and constructive regime. For prisoners without work or education, the daily unlock time could be as low as one hour, meaning almost 23 hours a day spent in cells.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 22 | 29 | |
| Communications with family and friends | 10 | 8 | |
| Correspondence | 5 | 6 | |
| Discrimination | 2 | 0 | |
| Education and training | 6 | 2 | |
| Equality | 0 | 0 | |
| Fair treatment | 21 | 32 | |
| Food and canteen | 3 | 3 | — |
| Healthcare | 146 | 86 | |
| Incentives and privileges | 2 | 2 | — |
| Legal matters | 13 | 12 | |
| Other | 11 | 13 | |
| Personal property | 22 | 29 | |
| Regime | 10 | 3 | |
| Religious observance | 0 | 0 | |
| Staff conduct | 6 | 13 | |
| Transfers | 1 | 0 |
Recommendations (6)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 2
1 repeated
Recommendation 1
Will the Minister do everything in her power to ensure sufficient funding for capital investment in HMP Lewes’ buildings such that the basic accommodation can finally be considered uniformly decent?
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Once again the Board asks that the Minister does everything she can to ensure that prisoners who have been detained very many years beyond their tariff dates under indeterminate sentences for public protection are released as soon as is possible.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Will the Prison Service recognise the importance for prisoner wellbeing of them being unlocked for unstructured association, particularly when in a prison such as HMP Lewes there are insufficient work and education places for all prisoners?
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 4
Will the Prison Service ensure sufficient funding of inter-prison transfer services so that prisoners do not get delayed moving to prisons where their rehabilitation needs can be better met?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 5
The Board asks the Governor to do everything in her power to improve the amount of time prisoners are allowed out of their cells as quickly as possible.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 6
To ensure that as Covid restrictions are eased, remand and sentence-expired foreign national prisoners are treated appropriately and differently from the main sentenced population.
Governor / Director
Equality
Other IMB Reports for Lewes
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
9 Jun 2025
Unannounced
5 Feb 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 2
Activity: 1
Release: 2
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.