Chelmsford

Overcrowding is the root cause of many issues in our prisons. Urgent action is needed to address this serious problem.

Many prisoners entering prison have mental health problems - some of them severe - and they urgently need care in a specialist unit. However, there are not enough secure places to meet the needs of the prison population, creating a ‘log-jam’ in local healthcare units, where facilities are taken up by prisoners who should be elsewhere.

The Board has serious concerns about the processes for safeguarding prisoners’ property (particularly during intra-Chelmsford moves).

The number of complaints about staff is too high. Most generally related to verbal abuse and poor attitude.

gang culture continued to be an issue at HMP Chelmsford. The prison’s proximity to London exacerbates the problem. C and F wings are the most affected.

HMP Chelmsford continues to have one of the highest rates nationally for use of force incidents when prisoners fail to follow instructions.

While the Board understands that HMP Chelmsford’s management has little choice in the matter, we remain frustrated by the practice of forcibly transferring prisoners to other establishments just days before their release. This is done to create space for new arrivals from local courts. Such moves can be highly disruptive and distressing, especially for prisoners who have mental health issues.

Accommodation in E, F and G wings remained reasonable, but the old Victorian wings - A, B, C and D - continued to be a cause for concern.

main central laundry, where the ongoing issues can be traced to one overriding factor - the unreliability of the boiler.

The Board believes that many prisoners who ended up in the CSU should not have even been in prison, suffering, as they were, from severe mental issues.

From November 2024, the Board had no complaints from prisoners or officers about the key worker process. That said, we are disappointed that the target was to see these ‘most vulnerable’ prisoners only once per month.

During December 2024 and January 2025, there was a marked uptick in problems around the prison, with prisoners complaining about officers using inappropriate and potentially racist language, and bullying.

There was, generally, a shortage of cells suitable for wheelchair users.

One anomaly noted by the Board happens when a man gets a ‘nicking’ and is slated for an adjudication. Part of that process sees him downgraded to the basic level. However, if it is subsequently decided not to proceed with the adjudication, the man does not return to his earlier status but stays on basic status, even though, officially, he has done nothing wrong. The Board understands that this process was established in 2013, after government intervention, and we believe it should be re-examined.

The Comp 1 (ordinary) complaints system involved a prisoner completing a complaint form and relying on the ‘complaints clerk’ to process it in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, this often did not happen, causing issues. Some prisoners told the IMB that they had no idea whether prison managers had received their complaint. So, after, say, a month with no word, the prisoner would send in a repeat complaint, only to be told that ‘repeats’ were not allowed. This anomaly needs addressing, as prisoners have no way of knowing that their original Comp 1 form has been received and are bound to assume the worst if they hear nothing back.

The Board noted that healthcare complaint forms were less readily available than other types of complaint form. This has been a consistent issue over recent years and the Board believes it’s time to take action. We have resorted to carrying the forms on our monitoring visits to the wings.

The optician visited the prison once a month and, on average, there were 30 prisoners waiting to see him. This suggests an increase in the optician’s capacity would be extremely welcome.

However, we were concerned that, at times, the dispensing of some medicines at was severely restricted by the fact that the healthcare centre/pharmacy unit did not operate 24 hours a day.

As explained in the latest HMIP inspection report (published in May 2024), illicit drugs were a growing concern and HMP Chelmsford was not immune.

In May 2025, the library manager was frustrated that staff shortages meant fewer prisoners were able to visit the library.

With that in mind, it was extremely disappointing to discover that huge cuts to the education budgets of prisons across the UK are on their way.

Full-time workers on G wing did not have enough time to shower on returning to the wing in the afternoon. G wing had more full-time workers than other wings and is located furthest from places of employment.

Prisoners undertaking the multi-skills training course (the highest priority training in the prison) were required to give up two gym sessions per week. This was enough for many prisoners to decline the training outright, as they seemed to choose short-term enjoyment over future societal and personal benefits.

Prisoners working on A wing felt they were poorly treated, citing lack of gym access, limited time in the fresh air and only one weekly exercise session (often in the punishment yard).

Recommendation 1

Overcrowding is the root cause of many issues in our prisons. Urgent action is needed to address this serious problem. What specific and immediate action will the Minister take to tackle this serious problem and make it your highest priority?

Ministry of Justice Overcrowding

Recommendation 1

Launchpad has been a great success in allowing prisoners to check and verify personal information. Will the Prison Service commit to adding a feature so prisoners can book and manage their medical appointments? If so, what timeline do you anticipate for implementation?

HMPPS Healthcare

Recommendation 2

Many prisoners entering prison have mental health problems - some of them severe - and they urgently need care in a specialist unit. However, there are not enough secure places to meet the needs of the prison population, creating a ‘log-jam’ in local healthcare units, where facilities are taken up by prisoners who should be elsewhere. This obviously impacts on prison staff - especially those in the CSU - who are forced to deal with very mentally unwell individuals daily. What immediate steps will the Minister take to increase the availability of secure specialist mental health units, reduce the pressure on local healthcare facilities, and ensure prison staff are not left managing severely unwell individuals without adequate support?

Ministry of Justice Mental Health

Recommendation 2

Body worn video camera (BWVC) footage (video and audio) is a huge benefit to internal investigations, but it is only evidential when continuous. If video cannot be shown, such as, for example, for modesty reasons, the audio must remain uninterrupted to be used as proof. Will the Prison Service make this standard practice for all departments, functions, and all officers? And, if so, when?

HMPPS Safety