Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Stocken
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 31 October 2025
HMP Stocken, a Category C training prison, maintained a generally safe environment for prisoners and staff during the reporting year, despite an increased population. The Board highlights persistent concerns including delays in mental health transfers, the loss of prisoner property due to inconsistent volumetric controls, and an insufficient number of cells for disabled prisoners. Positive developments include improved ACCT interactions, increased staff diversity, and effective key working, though staffing challenges and drone activity impacting regime remain.
Positive Findings
HMP Stocken is generally a safe place for both prisoners and staff, with physical health provision considered as good as that in the community. The quality of interactions between staff and prisoners on ACCTs has improved, and the diligence of staff in identifying illicit drug sources is commended. Processes for self-isolating prisoners have improved, and the ethnic diversity of prison officers continues to increase. The Board acknowledges the invaluable contribution of the chaplaincy team and notes improvements in complaint responses and the introduction of a social prescribing link worker. Adjudications are conducted well, and progress with DIRFs is seen as a strength of the prison. The Minister also praised the leadership's clear vision and efforts to support prisoners nearing release.
Key Concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Prisoners’ excess personal property continues to be lost or mislaid due to 'sending prisons' not enforcing volumetric property controls.
Mental Health
Repeated
It takes too long to transfer prisoners with mental health problems to secure mental health facilities, often resulting in prolonged stays in the CSU.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
An increasing number of prisoners held out of area, coupled with the prison's rural location, makes maintaining family ties difficult.
Safety
Repeated
A lack of ‘enhanced’ gate security equipment at HMP Stocken remains a concern, despite being one of the larger public-run prisons.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
There is an insufficient number of cells suitable for prisoners with disability or mobility issues, especially given the ageing prison population, with new wings lacking such provision.
Other
Certain prisoners held in the CSU on suspicion of illicit activities are not sufficiently briefed by the security department about the reasons for their investigation.
Equality/Diversity
Some members of the SMT don’t seem to be fully committed to the aims of the equality and diversity department, particularly in regard to the implications of the wealth of data available on a monthly basis.
Other
Recruiting and maintaining prisoner representatives is difficult due to constant prisoner movements.
Healthcare
The healthcare unit experienced high staff turnover leading to long delays in responding to prisoner applications/complaints.
Healthcare
Issues have been reported with the newly opened pharmacy, particularly concerning reliance on agency staff.
Estate/Conditions
The oldest wings of the prison are showing signs of age, requiring repairs and refurbishment.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Time out of cells in the late afternoon/evening has been restricted due to increased drone activity, impacting the regime.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The healthcare unit experienced a high turnover in staff, leading to delays in responding to prisoner applications, though recruitment efforts for permanent staff are underway across nursing and pharmacy roles. Staff shortages reported last year have reduced, and new officers have shown improved interpersonal skills following increased mentoring. While the ethnic diversity of officers has grown, staffing issues within the security department occasionally lead to a lack of timely briefing for prisoners in the CSU. Staff continue to make best efforts to intercept illicit items, often relying on searches due to security gaps.
Healthcare
The healthcare unit faced challenges with high staff turnover, resulting in delays in responding to prisoner applications/complaints, though a new manager is actively recruiting permanent staff. A new pharmacy is operational, and permanent pharmacy technicians are expected. Mental health provision saw issues with a new lead appointment, requiring a restarted recruitment process, but three permanent mental nurses are in post. Two counselling services are operating, and a social prescribing link worker has been introduced. A significant concern remains the long delays in transferring mentally ill prisoners to secure facilities, with one case taking 77 days. The provision of cells for disabled prisoners also falls short of requirements for an ageing population.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison maintains a constant focus on prisoners' employment, and the regime has been reviewed to ensure all men receive time for domestics and association. However, towards the end of the reporting year, time out of cells in the late afternoon/evening was restricted due to increased drone activity, prompting staffing changes to cover outside areas. Operational capacity issues sometimes prevent new prisoners from completing their induction on F wing, requiring support on other wings. A challenge remains in integrating self-isolating prisoners into a normal regime, including a requirement to work.
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 | 19 | 12 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 1 | 11 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 20 | 19 | |
| Equality | 8 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 7 | 18 | |
| Food and kitchens | 4 | 3 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 62 | 39 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 25 | 23 | |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 5 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 53 | 52 | |
| Property within the establishment | 34 | 27 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 20 | 8 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation | 37 | 38 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 19 | 27 | |
| Transfers | 18 | 16 |
Recommendations (5)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 1
Ministry of Justice: 1
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Given that HMP Stocken is one of the larger public-run prisons in England, when is ‘enhanced’ gate security going to be improved with up-to-date equipment?
Other
(minister)
Safety
Recommendation 2
Repeated
With the ageing prison population, when are more cells suitable for those with disability or mobility issues going to be made available? Even on the new wing opened last year, there are no ‘disabled’ cells, only two ‘low mobility’ cells, which can’t accommodate a hospital bed.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Until ‘sending prisons’ are required to apply volumetric controls, property in excess of these will continue to be mislaid or lost. When will the Prison Service enforce its own restrictions on transferring prisoners?
HMPPS
Regime
Response
Prisoners frequently ignore volumetric control limits. As a result, excess property cannot be transferred with them. There is a new requirement that such excess property should follow the prisoner within four weeks. More efficient (digital) recording of prisoner property should make it easier to keep track of handovers between stakeholders. The agency responsible for property transfers has received no complaints from HMP Stocken in relation to loss of property on transfer.
Recommendation 4
The Board is concerned that certain prisoners held in the CSU on suspicion that they are involved in illicit activities within the prison are not sufficiently briefed by the security department about the reasons why they are under investigation.
Governor / Director
Fair Treatment
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
It takes too long to transfer mentally ill prisoners to secure mental health facilities. This often means that they have to be held in the care and separation unit (CSU) for their own safety for extended periods of time.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Response
The Ministry is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to introduce a Mental Health Bill as soon as possible. This will introduce reforms to improve access and support for patients in the criminal justice system, bearing in mind the pressures on such services nationally. NHS England will continue to escalate the demands for places within the prison population.
Other IMB Reports for Stocken
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
16 Jan 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.