Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Maidstone
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 29 May 2020
HMP Maidstone, a foreign national category C prison, faces significant challenges with its aging estate, staffing shortages leading to frequent lockdowns, and delays in critical projects like the segregation unit move and sports hall replacement. Despite these issues, staff commitment during COVID-19, improvements in communication via the community council, and good educational attendance are noted. Key concerns include the treatment of foreign nationals post-sentence, the state of the estate, and the need to improve complaints handling and staff retention.
Positive Findings
The Board acknowledges the remarkable commitment of staff in implementing COVID-19 regimes and their continuous monitoring to balance nationalities on wings. Improvements have been made to the community council, communication channels, and the Listeners system. The new on-site laundry has positively impacted prisoner life, and the kitchen continues to provide good quality food with new menus. The virtual learning centre offers valuable independent learning opportunities, and the gardens and maintenance teams are highly commended for their hard work. Additionally, a tuberculosis screening pilot achieved an 82% participation rate, and Spurgeons charity has been praised for supporting prisoners' families.
Key Concerns
Segregation
Repeated
The continued failure to move the segregation unit from unsuitable accommodation, despite promises from the Minister (6.1).
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
A persistent lack of ring-fenced funds for specific projects and failure to complete these within realistic timescales – for example, the sports hall and showers (7.7).
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Poor processes surrounding the outcomes for foreign national prisoners, with little information as to the timescales of their release or deportation (11.1).
Staffing
Repeated
High levels of staff absence (15% and above), leading to increased pressure on staff and frequent periods of lockdown (3.7).
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The establishment continues into a third year without a sports hall, with only a small gym available for over 600 prisoners (7.5).
Other
Repeated
Problems with property not being delivered from other prisons and lost property, particularly stressful for foreign national prisoners being deported (7.9).
Equality/Diversity
Unresolved issues surrounding Muslim prayer facilities due to increased numbers of worshippers and inability to accommodate them in one group (5.3).
Complaints/Property
Repeated
The prison complaints system needs further improvement in quality of responses, timeliness, and effective delivery of receipt slips (7.13, 8.5).
Equality/Diversity
The continued holding, under normal prison rules and regulations, of foreign nationals who have served their sentence but are still of interest to HOIE, is discriminatory (11.1).
Segregation
Repeated
The siting of the care and separation cells in the segregation unit is unacceptable and has a huge impact on those individuals with severe mental health problems or in crisis (6.1).
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The poor fabric of the buildings and sports facilities has a huge impact on the day-to-day life of the prisoners and staff, and the general state of repair continues to give serious cause for concern (2, 3.5).
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Confinement to cells and the slow implementation of the Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model (2, 7.4).
Staffing
Low levels of healthcare staffing and the impact of this on healthcare provision (8.6).
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
The 2018 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted inspection rated education as ‘inadequate’, and further development is required (9.2).
Resettlement/Release
The bank that used to provide bank accounts for released prisoners is no longer doing so (11.10).
Board Commentary
Staffing
Low levels of staffing continue to impact all areas of prison life, leading to delays in complaint handling and meetings. Staff absences persistently run at 15% and above, a situation that has not improved since the previous report. This high absence rate causes increased pressure on staff, frequent lockdowns, and hinders the effective implementation of the Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) key worker scheme, making it difficult to achieve target session numbers.
Healthcare
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is the main healthcare provider, now with an effective working relationship between primary care and mental health services. The waiting time to see a GP is seven days, while routine dental appointments have a 12-week wait. Urgent mental health referrals are seen within two days, and routine referrals within 10 days, though inpatient transfer times vary from 2-3 days to several weeks. The Board remains concerned about low healthcare staffing levels and patchy responses to healthcare complaints, including issues with timely prescription dispensing and incorrect medication deliveries.
Regime & Daily Life
The daily regime is significantly impacted by the poor fabric of the buildings and condemned sports facilities, forcing the prison to operate without a sports hall for a third year. Confinement to cells is a concern, partly due to staff shortages and the slow implementation of the OMiC key worker scheme. Lockdowns occur one evening per week. Despite these challenges, overall attendance at education courses is good at 86%, and 70% of prisoners are engaged in full-time activity.
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 laundry, clothing, ablutions | 4 | 10 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 6 | 9 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives and earned privileges, sanctions | 24 | 18 | |
| Equality | 5 | 9 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 9 | 18 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 5 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 20 | 34 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 13 | 20 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 28 | 37 | |
| Property within this establishment | 12 | 26 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 14 | 9 | |
| Sentence management including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 37 | 53 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 26 | 14 | |
| Transfers | 9 | 20 |
Recommendations (13)
Other: 3
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 6
9 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Deliver on the promise made in the reply to last year’s annual report, to move the segregation unit (see paragraph 6.1).
Other
(minister)
Segregation
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Linked to the above point, make ring-fenced funds available for specific projects and complete these within realistic timescales – for example, the sports hall and showers (see paragraph 7.7).
Other
(minister)
Estate
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Work with HOIE to improve the process surrounding the outcomes for foreign national prisoners by improving communication and timescales (see paragraph 11.1).
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Implement the move of the segregation unit cells (see paragraph 6.1).
HMPPS
Segregation
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Support local managers to reduce staff absence (see paragraph 3.7).
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Publish a firm plan to offer more sports facilities while there is no sports hall (see paragraph 7.5).
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Improve the system and process for a reduction in prisoner lost property (see paragraph 7.9).
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 8
Resolve the issues surrounding Muslim prayer facilities (see paragraph 5.3).
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 9
Consolidate relationships with prisoners through the community council and wing surgeries (see paragraph 7.2).
Governor / Director
Respect
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Work to reduce staff absence and implement OMiC effectively (see paragraphs 3.7 and 7.4).
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Review and improve the prison complaints system (see paragraphs 7.13 and 8.5).
Governor / Director
Complaints
Recommendation 12
Work with the new senior management team to maintain support to staff, and acknowledge, implement and maintain good working practices throughout the establishment (see paragraph 3.8).
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 13
Introduce and implement educational packs (see paragraph 9.3).
Governor / Director
Education
Other IMB Reports for Maidstone
2025
Published 3 Dec 2025
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
20 Nov 2023
IRP
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.