Prison
Cat C and D open
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Usk and Prescoed
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 19 February 2026
HMP Usk and Prescoed are generally well-managed establishments with strong leadership, where prisoners report feeling safe and experience positive staff relations. However, the Board raises significant concerns regarding the welfare and progression of specific prisoner groups, particularly IPP prisoners, and elderly/disabled individuals requiring social care. Challenges related to staffing, the impact of early release schemes on rehabilitation, and delays in Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) are highlighted as key areas needing intervention from both the Minister and HMPPS.
Positive Findings
The Board finds the prisons well managed with strong leadership. Prisoners report feeling safe, with low levels of assaults, bullying, and self-harm. Use of force is particularly low, indicating good staff-prisoner relations. Time out of cell is maximised, and a cell refurbishment programme has improved living conditions. Healthcare provision receives positive feedback, and staff-prisoner relationships are generally productive. The prisons are successful in offering work placements and a variety of training opportunities, and property-related complaints have significantly decreased. The Board commends the HMP Usk regime for its long periods of association and time out of cell, noted as one of the best in the UK. The ROTL success rate is high, and initiatives like the 'panda' scheme and visitor centre café are well-received.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The lack of recategorisation of IPP prisoners and the level of recalls, with an increase in the number of IPP prisoners from 10 to 11 across both prisons.
Healthcare
Repeated
The rising number of prisoners with limited mobility and other disabilities, and worries about access provided by HMPPS to personal social care, particularly for prisoners who are frail or face mobility and cognitive challenges.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The early release scheme risks becoming standard practice, resulting in constant turnover of prisoners in HMP Prescoed and insufficient time for meaningful rehabilitation through Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) for individuals entering category D establishments.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
An increase in the average time required to achieve Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) during the reporting period, acknowledging the involvement of several external agencies in this process.
Healthcare
The ageing population at HMP Usk presents several challenges, including increased demand for general and palliative healthcare necessitating additional resources and funding, and current infrastructure not being well suited to the needs of older individuals.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Due to strategies aimed at reducing overcrowding, the profile of prisoners at HMP Prescoed has changed, and some prisoners now lack sufficient time before release to gain ROTL, requiring an expanded offering of purposeful activities.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Insufficient phones at HMP Prescoed and a lack of privacy for the prisoners using them.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing has been impacted by an increase in hospital transfers, leading to reductions in time out of cell and additional lockdowns at HMP Usk. The mental health staffing establishment was reviewed but not increased, raising concerns. Not all prisoners at HMP Usk have a key worker due to resourcing constraints, although measures are in place to ensure support is available. Sickness has also affected staffing levels.
Healthcare
Health and wellbeing needs are generally met, with prisoners giving positive feedback and commending the non-judgemental culture of healthcare staff. However, the mental health staffing establishment was not increased after review, and a planned physiotherapist post was withdrawn. There are increasing demands on the healthcare department due to the rising age profile of the prison population and the specific needs of elderly and disabled prisoners, including cognitive decline. The provision of personal care for those with mobility or cognitive challenges is a concern, with very few men reportedly accessing such support. Hospital transfers have increased, placing additional demands on officer resources.
Regime & Daily Life
The HMP Usk regime is highly commended for maximising time out of cell, with prisoners having 10 hours during the week and 8 hours at weekends, an exemplary figure for the UK. High percentages of prisoners are engaged in purposeful activity (91.62% at Usk, 96.92% at Prescoed). However, additional lockdowns occur at HMP Usk due to officer shortages from hospital escorts. Prisoners at HMP Prescoed report a lack of recreational activity outside of gym access when not working. Issues with insufficient and non-private phones at HMP Prescoed also impact daily life.
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 | 2 | 0 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 3 | 0 | |
| Equality | 0 | 0 | |
| Food and kitchens | 2 | 1 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 2 | 1 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 1 | 2 | |
| Miscellaneous | 2 | 3 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 3 | 2 | |
| Property within the establishment | 0 | 0 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 2 | 4 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation | 3 | 5 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 4 | 1 | |
| Transfers | 0 | 1 |
Recommendations (12)
Ministry of Justice: 5
HMPPS: 7
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Minister should take specific actions to address the lack of recategorisation of IPP prisoners and the level of recalls, and improve outcomes for IPP prisoners.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
Focus on moving appropriate IPP prisoners to open conditions, with decisions made swiftly and effectively. Action plan published 15 November 2024, with a focus on effective frontline delivery and support post release. (e.g. APs, psychology services).
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Minister should ensure that prisoners with limited mobility and other disabilities, particularly those who are frail or face mobility and cognitive challenges, receive timely and adequate social care, and ensure accountability for delivery is monitored.
Ministry of Justice
Healthcare
Response
For social care provision, there is joint working between Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Monmouth County Council and 0.6 of a senior carer. Additional care and support are processed via a request to the wider local authority care at home service. Plus, prisoners have right to self-refer for an assessment.
Recommendation 3
The Minister should make specific commitments regarding the future role of category D open prisons, and safeguard the integrity of their rehabilitative purpose, which is threatened by the early release scheme leading to insufficient time for meaningful ROTL.
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Recommendation 4
The Minister should implement strategies to address challenges and reduce the time needed to secure ROTL at HMP Prescoed and other prisons in the open estate, and monitor progress to ensure measurable improvements.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 5
HMPPS should consider specific measures to address the increased demand for general and palliative healthcare, additional resources and funding (e.g., expanded weekend services, more staff for hospital escorts), and the unsuitability of HMP Usk's current infrastructure for older individuals, ensuring plans meet complex needs in the medium to long term.
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 6
HMPPS should implement specific plans and allocate resources to address the changed profile of prisoners at HMP Prescoed, who now have insufficient time for ROTL, and ensure an expanded offering of purposeful activities.
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 7
HMPPS should take steps to resolve the issues of insufficient phones at HMP Prescoed and lack of privacy for prisoners, and provide an expected timeframe for completion.
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 8
Prev. addressed
The Minister should plan to reduce the delays in holding parole boards.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
HMPPS [Prison and Probation Service] has taken several steps to reduce the pressure on listings queue. This has resulted in it decreasing by almost 40% since March 2023.
Recommendation 9
Prev. addressed
HMPPS should address the deficit in the number of probation officers.
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
Nationally, there has been a centralised recruitment campaign, which saw an increase in probation officers in Wales. The vacancies have been filled, in August 2024 and September 2024.
Recommendation 10
Prev. addressed
HMPPS should address the problem of loss of prisoners’ property when transferring from other prisons as a matter of priority.
HMPPS
Complaints
Response
HMPPS is aware of the problems in the practical application of the Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework and continues to look at what further can be done locally to improve this.
Recommendation 11
Prev. unaddressed
HMPPS should increase the staffing establishment to reflect the impact of increased hospital transfers on daily officer numbers and regime delivery.
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
HMP Usk and HMP Prescoed recognise that there has been an increase in the amount of short notice hospital escorts. These are in response to urgent medical need, which do have an impact on regime delivery and key working. However, the prisons continue to work to a regime management plan relating to their agreed staffing compliment to help mitigate the effects.
Recommendation 12
Prev. unaddressed
HMPPS should expedite the decision regarding SMT plans for escorted absence for men potentially suitable for progression to open conditions.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Response
HMPPS welcomes that the Board is supportive of HMP Usk’s proposal on escorted absences, and how this might be applied in a risk assessed way is being considered.
Other IMB Reports for Usk and Prescoed
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.