Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Featherstone
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 16 January 2026
HMP Featherstone faced challenges including the dilapidated state of its facilities, persistent issues with property management, and stretched healthcare services, particularly for mental health. However, the Board observed improvements in staffing levels, education provision, and reduced waiting times for doctors and dentists. Key concerns remain around the prison's aging infrastructure, the treatment of mentally unwell prisoners in segregation, and inconsistent staff culture.
Positive Findings
The Board generally believes the prison is safe, noting decreased levels of violence and ACCT documents. Healthcare provides a good service, and improvements have been seen in staffing levels and education provision, with more prisoners attending and gaining qualifications. The induction process, chaplaincy services, incentives scheme, and resettlement clinic are also working well, along with reduced waiting times for doctors and dentists. The library is well-used and resourced, offering motivational activities like Story Book Dads.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
As previously reported over several years, Featherstone is in a dilapidated state and does not provide the facilities expected in a modern prison. Many applications received are about the quality of the food and this could be improved if the kitchen facilities were improved. The kitchen and the equipment its old and dated, it requires a high level of constant maintenance.
Mental Health
Mental illness is a serious issue within prisons. The compassionate answer appears to be to locate some of these prisoners in isolation in the CSU, where largely untrained staff attempt to deal with them in a humane way. This is not acceptable and there needs to be a way of speedily transferring these prisoners to more appropriate accommodation that can better cater for their health.
Healthcare
Repeated
Issues with low numbers of healthcare staff have, on occasion, meant that the regime has been disrupted because of delays dispensing medication. This has been an ongoing issue and consideration should be given as to whether the system can be changed to increase its reliability and consistency.
Staffing
Repeated
The culture amongst staff remains problematic in some cases.
Other
Repeated
Property, both on transfer and within the prison, remains a significant issue.
Estate/Conditions
Rodent infestation was a problem in many parts of the prison throughout the reporting year.
Food/Catering
Repeated
The quantity and quality of the food were issues for prisoners. Food portion sizes are too small, and often not very appetising.
Safety
Body worn video cameras (BWVCs) are now being drawn, however not always turned on. There was an issue with the BWVCs: it was found that over 50% were not functioning, they were all taken and serviced.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels fluctuated during the year, but improved considerably by the end of the reporting period. However, healthcare continues to face low staffing, sometimes disrupting the regime due to medication delays. There is a high churn of inexperienced staff mentoring new recruits, which can lead to inconsistencies, and key workers often have high caseloads, prioritising only the most vulnerable prisoners.
Healthcare
Healthcare faced a challenging year due to staffing shortages, which sometimes meant medication could not be dispensed without regime disruption, and correct medication was occasionally not given or ordered. While wait times for doctors and dentists reduced, mental health services remained stretched with high workloads, meaning only the most acute cases received appropriate care. The GP's withdrawal of Gabapentin without full consultation led to a spike in drug trading and violence.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime experienced ongoing disruptions caused by staff shortages and frequent medical emergencies, leading to incorrect roll counts and lockdowns of up to an hour. Purposeful activity worked well, and the abolishment of part-time work was positively received. However, difficulties with roll counts continue to affect the time available for purposeful activities.
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 | 5 | 9 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 11 | 12 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives schemes, sanctions | 5 | 6 | |
| Equality | 0 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 10 | 7 | |
| Food and kitchens | 10 | 6 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 35 | 16 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 5 | 10 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 17 | 20 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 35 | 28 | |
| Property within this establishment | 15 | 16 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 8 | 4 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorizations | 22 | 26 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 15 | 9 | |
| Transfers | 9 | 16 |
Recommendations (4)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 2
3 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
As previously reported over several years, Featherstone is in a dilapidated state and does not provide the facilities expected in a modern prison. Many applications received are about the quality of the food and this could be improved if the kitchen facilities were improved. The kitchen and the equipment its old and dated, it requires a high level of constant maintenance. How does the Minister plan to rectify the situation?
Ministry of Justice
Estate, Food
Recommendation 2
Mental illness is a serious issue within prisons. The compassionate answer appears to be to locate some of these prisoners in isolation in the CSU, where largely untrained staff attempt to deal with them in a humane way. This is not acceptable and there needs to be a way of speedily transferring these prisoners to more appropriate accommodation that can better cater for their health. Will the Prison Service commit to carrying this out
HMPPS
Mental Health
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Issues with low numbers of healthcare staff have, on occasion, meant that the regime has been disrupted because of delays dispensing medication. This has been an ongoing issue and consideration should be given as to whether the system can be changed to increase its reliability and consistency.
Governor / Director
Healthcare, Regime
Recommendation 4
Repeated
The culture amongst staff remains problematic in some cases. We believe this issue is understood by the Governor, but continued vigilance is necessary to ensure these issues continue to be addressed.
Governor / Director
Staffing, Respect
Other IMB Reports for Featherstone
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
23 Sep 2025
Unannounced
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.