Prison
Cat B
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lincoln
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 4 November 2025
HMP Lincoln, a Category B reception and resettlement prison, held 654 prisoners at the end of the reporting period, slightly below its operational capacity of 664. The report highlights improvements in safety with the use of body scanners and a professional staff approach, yet notes significant increases in self-harm incidents (455, up from 277) and ACCTs opened (446, up from 351). Key concerns include persistent issues with building maintenance, healthcare waiting times, the management of IPP prisoners, and problems with prisoner property and cleanliness.
Positive Findings
The Board observed a high level of professionalism and care from staff and peer mentors, and notes that the use of body scanners has positively impacted safety by intercepting unauthorised items. Prisoners are generally treated fairly and with respect, with continued efforts to improve cleanliness and an emphasis on safety processes and individual care. The mental health team is available daily, and the Board views their wait times as acceptable. Significant work has also been done to reduce hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases through a successful weekly vaccine clinic.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The Board still remains concerned about the length of time taken and the subsequently poor quality of work undertaken when dealing with numerous repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment.
Healthcare
Repeated
Healthcare waiting times are unsatisfactory; some men continue to not be satisfied with the service provided. There continues to be a shortage of staff during this reporting period, for which they were working to fill the gaps.
Mental Health
Repeated
The Board still remains concerned about this issue: will the Minister speak to colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care to improve prisoners’ timely access to specialist mental health facilities, where required?
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
As referenced in our previous annual report and whilst there have been significant changes in the recall process, there continues to be little tangible progress in the situation of IPP prisoners. What further changes does the Minister plan to make to ensure positive outcomes for IPP prisoners?
Resettlement/Release
Accommodation is important for the resettlement of prisoners. For those prisoners being released with no fixed abode (NFA), how is this being addressed?
Overcrowding
In order to maintain the significant gains made in safety, decency, and culture since 2019, can the planned increases in the operational capacity be monitored closely?
Education/Purposeful Activity
Lincoln Prison has an increasing transient population, and therefore it is difficult for prisoners to access and complete training opportunities to assist with reducing reoffending. Can sufficient time be given to complete these courses prior to transfer?
Other
Repeated
There continues to be a problem with prisoners’ property not always arriving in its entirety on completion of a transfer. Prisoners can face a long wait for their property, which sometimes contain personal memorabilia and legal documents relating to their situation and on occasions this goes missing. What work is being carried to address this issue?
Estate/Conditions
The Victorian infrastructure of the prison gives rise to problems surrounding the increasing numbers of frail older people, particularly those with dementia, end of life care and disabled prisoners. What provision is in hand to deal with this?
Food/Catering
It continues to be difficult to provide nutritional meals within the daily allowance. Are there any plans to increase this amount?
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
As in previous annual reports, the Board continues to have concerns about the length of time taken and the quality of work undertaken when dealing with the repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment. This year we include the delays to project work starting and then when the work starts, there are continued delays. What action will be taken to rectify this?
Estate/Conditions
Problems continue with the heating and hot water systems on the wings. What plans are in place to address the delays in preventative maintenance and repairs?
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
There is still a large amount of food waste and debris outside of the accommodation wings, having been thrown from the windows. Members of the Board have witnessed material being thrown from the windows. This detritus attracts both pigeons and vermin. The Board acknowledge that these areas are regularly cleaned, however they soon become soiled again very quickly. What action is being taken to better address this issue?
Other
Repeated
The problem around kit collection and distribution continues, with insufficient items in reception to cover until the first change on the wing. Can provision be made to ensure that adequate amounts of kit are available. Furthermore, can a system be devised to ensure that the laundry which is sent out from the wings matches that which is returned, in both condition and numbers?
Safety
The in-cell phones in the care and separation unit (CSU) had not been working for over one month, with no indication of a completion date.
Estate/Conditions
Rats continue to be a problem during this reporting period. Amey, the maintenance contractor, continues to request the necessity to bring the food being thrown out of the windows under control, to assist the action they take. However, no records have been produced to show the number of rats reported and how promptly any increase in rats has been addressed.
Staffing
Due to the essential duties needing to be covered for staff sickness and essential duties such as constant watch or bed watch, the key worker sessions have been regularly dropped both in the morning and/or the afternoon.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff numbers at HMP Lincoln increased slightly from 373 to 376 during the reporting period. While the key worker training scheme has resumed to full operation, sessions are regularly dropped due to essential duties and staff sickness. A new key worker coordinator role was introduced in May 2024 to monitor sessions, and there are plans to increase key worker numbers to address lost sessions. The chaplaincy service is one member under compliment due to retirement, with a recruitment drive planned.
Healthcare
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has served notice, and Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust will take over healthcare and pharmacy services from January 2026. Healthcare waiting times are deemed unsatisfactory by the Board, and there is a continued shortage of staff. GP services run three half-day clinics, dentistry provides four half-day dentist sessions and two half-day dental nurse sessions, and optical services offer four half-day sessions per month. Transfers to psychiatric hospitals continue to face unsatisfactory wait times, potentially leading to extended stays in the CSU.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP Lincoln, a Victorian prison, faces ongoing maintenance issues including persistent problems with temporary boilers and a temperamental heating and hot water system that lacks temperature control. Cleanliness is generally maintained within wings, but external areas around accommodation wings suffer from significant food waste and debris thrown from windows, attracting pigeons and rats. There are also persistent issues with kit collection and distribution, leading to insufficient clothing, towels, and bedding, exacerbated by high prisoner turnover.
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) | 59 | 26 | |
| Canteen | 40 | 46 | |
| Discipline | 4 | 11 | |
| Family contact | 6 | 5 | |
| Finance | 12 | 11 | |
| Food | 1 | 0 | |
| Healthcare | 85 | 52 | |
| Other | 187 | 207 | |
| Property (including property on transfer) | 83 | 71 | |
| Staff conduct | 3 | 2 | |
| Total applications to the IMB | 491 | 491 | — |
| Work/education/activities | 11 | 11 | — |
Recommendations (12)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 7
Governor / Director: 2
6 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
The Board recommends that the Minister speaks to colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care to improve prisoners’ timely access to specialist mental health facilities, where required.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Response
I share the Board’s concerns about timely access to mental health facilities, and I can confirm that the government and we at the Ministry of Justice are working with the Department of Health and Social Care to introduce a Mental Health Bill as soon as possible. This will include a range of reforms to support and improve access to mental health care for patients in the criminal justice system so that those affected get the timely care they need. It is also acknowledged that there are pressures on mental health services nationally and in response, NHS England health and justice national team are working strategically across the systems to improve pathways.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board recommends that the Minister outlines further changes to ensure positive outcomes for IPP prisoners.
Ministry of Justice
Progression
Response
I appreciate the Board’s continued concerns about prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. On 5 September, the Lord Chancellor announced that the Government would implement reforms we supported in opposition to the IPP licence period in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. These commenced on 1 November, when the licences for 1,742 IPP offenders in the community were terminated. The remaining reforms will be implemented on 1 February 2025, when the reduced qualifying period for consideration of licence termination will see around 600 additional referrals made to the Parole Board. The Secretary of State will also have two new powers, the power to use ‘Risk Assessed Recall Review’ (RARR) for recalled IPP prisoners and the power to disapply a recall. The first enables her to rerelease people who have been recalled at any point without referring the case to the Parole Board, where safe to do so. The second enables her to not reset the two-year period after someone is re-released from a recall. The Government is determined to support the rehabilitation of IPP offenders through a refreshed Action Plan, which we published on 15 November. The refreshed Plan puts an important emphasis on effective frontline delivery in our prisons and the Probation Service, to ensure that those serving IPP sentences have robust and effective sentence plans, which they are actively engaging with, and that they are in the correct prison to access the right interventions and rehabilitative services. This is the most effective way to help them to reduce their risk so that they can progress towards safe release from custody. The refreshed Action Plan was published in our IPP Annual Report and can be accessed online at GOV.UK. I am very mindful of the specific and substantial challenges faced by those serving IPP sentences and this is an issue I feel passionately about. It is right that IPP sentences were abolished. The government is committed to working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure the appropriate course of action is taken to support those still serving IPP sentences.
Recommendation 3
The Board recommends that the Minister addresses the issue of accommodation for prisoners being released with no fixed abode (NFA).
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
The Board recommends that the planned increases in the operational capacity be monitored closely to maintain the significant gains made in safety, decency, and culture since 2019.
HMPPS
Safety
Response
The response from the prison service is contained within the response from the Minister, available at Response-to-2023-24-HMPYOI-Lincoln-IMB-annual-report.pdf
Recommendation 5
The Board recommends that sufficient time be given for prisoners, particularly those in the increasing transient population, to access and complete training opportunities to assist with reducing reoffending prior to transfer.
HMPPS
Education
Response
The response from the prison service is contained within the response from the Minister, available at Response-to-2023-24-HMPYOI-Lincoln-IMB-annual-report.pdf
Recommendation 6
Repeated
The Board recommends that work is carried out to address the problem of prisoners’ property not always arriving in its entirety on completion of a transfer, which can lead to long waits or missing personal items and legal documents.
HMPPS
Other
Response
The response from the prison service is contained within the response from the Minister, available at Response-to-2023-24-HMPYOI-Lincoln-IMB-annual-report.pdf
Recommendation 7
The Board recommends that provision is put in hand to deal with the problems arising from the Victorian infrastructure for the increasing numbers of frail older people, particularly those with dementia, end of life care and disabled prisoners.
HMPPS
Estate
Response
The response from the prison service is contained within the response from the Minister, available at Response-to-2023-24-HMPYOI-Lincoln-IMB-annual-report.pdf
Recommendation 8
The Board recommends that plans are made to increase the prisoner’s daily food allowance as providing nutritional meals is increasingly difficult.
HMPPS
Food
Response
The response from the prison service is contained within the response from the Minister, available at Response-to-2023-24-HMPYOI-Lincoln-IMB-annual-report.pdf
Recommendation 9
Repeated
The Board recommends action is taken to rectify the length of time taken and the quality of work undertaken when dealing with numerous repair and maintenance jobs across the establishment, including delays to project work starting and then continued delays when work begins.
HMPPS
Estate
Response
The response from the prison service is contained within the response from the Minister, available at Response-to-2023-24-HMPYOI-Lincoln-IMB-annual-report.pdf
Recommendation 10
The Board recommends that plans are put in place to address the ongoing problems with heating and hot water systems on the wings and to address the delays in preventative maintenance and repairs.
HMPPS
Estate
Response
The response from the prison service is contained within the response from the Minister, available at Response-to-2023-24-HMPYOI-Lincoln-IMB-annual-report.pdf
Recommendation 11
Repeated
The Board recommends that better action is taken to address the issue of a large amount of food waste and debris outside the accommodation wings, which attracts both pigeons and vermin.
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 12
Repeated
The Board recommends that provision is made to ensure adequate amounts of kit are available for those arriving in reception, and an effective system is devised to ensure the laundry sent out from the wings matches that which is returned, in both condition and numbers.
Governor / Director
Other
Other IMB Reports for Lincoln
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.