Prison
Cat B high-security training prison
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Woodhill
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 30 October 2025
HMP Woodhill faced ongoing challenges in safety, healthcare, and infrastructure during the reporting year, despite some positive developments like an improved induction unit and valued mental health services. High rates of assaults and self-harm, coupled with staffing inexperience and significant delays in mental health transfers, were prominent concerns. The Board also highlighted the deteriorating state of the prison's fabric and persistent issues with the property system, emphasizing a continued need for fundamental improvements across various operational areas.
Positive Findings
The Independent Review of Progress highlighted the prison’s peace promoters’ work as notable good practice, and the pharmacy team's processes were commended. Good progress was identified in the Offender Management Unit and induction unit. Chaplaincy services are highly regarded, and mental health services are valued by prisoners. Access to education, library, and workshops increased, and the education curriculum was overhauled with an emphasis on transferable skills, leading to Koestler 'Platinum' site status. Family contact through social visits and video calls was effective.
Key Concerns
Safety
Repeated
The Board has repeatedly reported on the lack of scrutiny and imposition of incentive scheme penalties for prisoners who block the observation panels in their cell doors.
Safety
Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults have remained among the highest in the long-term high security estate (LTHSE), with debt and gangs cited by prisoners as the main reasons.
Safety
Staff assaults are rated as third highest in the LTHSE, with a lack of regime and staff relationships cited as the main reasons.
Staffing
A critical gap in staffing throughout the year was the shortage of custodial managers and supervising officers. In the latter part of the reporting year, a high number of prison officers left Woodhill in their first two years of service.
Safety
The focus on improving the use of the ACCT process, with increased training and quality assurance checks, seems not to have had the anticipated improvement.
Staffing
Not all prisoners have a named key worker and target numbers for contact are not achieved.
Safety
A number of the prisoners transferred to Woodhill are found on arrival, to have concealed illicit items. This raises concerns about the exit searches in the prisons they transferred from.
Substance Misuse
The trade of unlawful substances creates high levels of debt, particularly the use of vulnerable prisoners to ‘test’ substances and pay off their debts by committing assaults.
Mental Health
There continued to be long delays in men with identified complex and severe mental health needs being moved to a secure hospital place. The Board maintains that segregation is not the right place for these men.
Complaints/Property
A significant number of complaints about property relate to property going missing during transfer from another prison.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
In the Board’s view, the continued failure of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to adequately maintain the infrastructure and fabric of the buildings has deprived prisoners and staff of a decent environment in which to live and work. The Board again reports that the showers in the majority of house units are of an unacceptable standard.
Segregation
A small number of men spent a very long time in the segregation unit; and those with complex and severe mental health needs experienced very slow progress in moving them to more appropriate specialist settings.
Equality/Diversity
There continued to be over-representation of prisoners with mental health issues and/or neurodiversity in adjudication panels (disciplinary hearings when a prisoner is alleged to have broken prison rules). Segregation had the most adjudications for neurodivergent prisoners, reinforcing the observation that segregation is the wrong place for these men.
Estate/Conditions
Lack of basic furniture provision, delays in repairs and lack of basic cleaning materials have been observed by the Board to have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of prisoners.
Healthcare
The care of prisoners with physical illnesses alongside those with serious mental health needs is not appropriate. On the healthcare unit in January 2025, four of the 12 cells were out of action, which increased the already long waiting list for men to transfer there from segregation.
Mental Health
Mental health services appeared to be valued and trusted by prisoners, but they struggled to cope with demand. Prisoners with severe mental health needs waited too long for formal assessment of their secure hospital suitability and transfer.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Men in the segregation unit wanting education were told they must go on a waiting list. In-cell education is only available for men on the segregation unit, special units and healthcare units. There is no in-cell education for men self-isolating on the wings.
Education/Purposeful Activity
In the Board’s view, the contract workshops need more interesting and purposeful work contracts.
Resettlement/Release
A shortage of approved premises (residential facilities that provide a controlled and supervised environment for those released from prison deemed to have a high risk of re-offending) impacted men whose parole board hearings identified them as being suitable for home detention curfew; their ongoing detention in a LTHSE prison has an impact on prisoner numbers across the overall estate.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels were supported by officers detached from other establishments, with newly appointed officers in post. However, many officers are inexperienced, with 45% having less than one year’s service and 57% less than two years. There was a critical gap in custodial managers and supervising officers, and a high number of prison officers left in their first two years. Key working is inconsistent, with not all prisoners having a named key worker and only 67% of contact targets met in March 2025. Staff shortages contributed to delays and prisoner frustration.
Healthcare
Healthcare is provided by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, sub-contracting to CNWL. A Care Quality Commission review found effective measures implemented, bringing the healthcare unit out of breach. Medical emergencies, primarily self-harm, drug use, and assaults, are frequent out-of-hours occurrences. There are significant delays and waiting lists for transfers from the Clinical Assessment Unit and Compass Unit, which struggle to cope with demand, often leading to men with severe mental health needs remaining in segregation. Non-attendance at physical healthcare appointments, including dental, is high due to both 'prison issues' and prisoner refusal, while mental health/psychology appointments have better attendance but higher 'lack of access' rates.
Regime & Daily Life
Two house units were closed at the start of the year due to an Urgent Notification action plan but were incrementally re-opened, increasing operational capacity. A revised core day, introduced in April 2025, extended time out of cells by one hour Monday to Thursday, allowing more access to showers and evening activities. However, attendance at education classes was low due to clashes with other activities, though this improved post-regime revision. The high number of men in the segregation unit caused significant problems for staff in delivering a full regime, particularly exercise.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjudications | 5 | 8 | |
| Canteen/Food | 5 | 4 | |
| Chaplaincy | 0 | 1 | |
| Complaints | 13 | 11 | |
| Disability | 2 | 2 | — |
| Discipline | 6 | 9 | |
| Equality | 2 | 0 | |
| Healthcare | 18 | 26 | |
| Legal | 2 | 2 | — |
| Other | 12 | 11 | |
| Property (including property lost on transfer) | 46 | 55 | |
| Regime | 4 | 5 | |
| Security | 1 | 0 | |
| Segregation (Rule 45) | 6 | 5 | |
| Staff behaviour/Attitude | 8 | 5 | |
| TOTAL | 139 | 159 | |
| Transfers | 5 | 10 | |
| Visits | 4 | 5 |
Recommendations (15)
Ministry of Justice: 5
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 7
3 repeated
Recommendation 1
Will the Minister work with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to proactively monitor the progress of the new Mental Health Bill through Parliament and lobby for appropriate funding?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
Will the Minister work with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to provide education and training material to address the needs of neurodiverse prisoners?
Ministry of Justice
Equality
Recommendation 3
Repeated
What steps will the Minister take to ensure the fabric and infrastructure can be raised to a decent standard and maintained thereafter?
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 4
How does the Minister intend to work with Government departments to facilitate and provide appropriate training and resettlement for prisoners?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 5
Will the Minister work with colleagues to provide more approved accommodation in order to support the parole boards’ recommendations for prisoners to be reintegrated into society?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 6
What action is underway to secure quality work contracts so that prisoners are provided with a sense of achievement alongside fulfilling employment and training?
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
When will the Prison Service radically overhaul the property system? Also, when will the Prison Service provide a digital service to replace handwritten property records, which will help reduce the current frustrating processes?
HMPPS
Other
Response
The Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework appears to have improved internal processes but not the transfer of property between establishments.
Recommendation 8
Will the Prison Service work with partners to provide better contract workshops in the prison?
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 9
Will the Governor ensure robust measures are in place so that prisoners do not enter the office in House Units and have access to confidential papers?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 10
Will the Governor take action to ensure that general supplies, deliveries and property are not held up in RIDS (the prison facility for receiving and processing items) by facilitating available transport between RIDS and the prison?
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Will the Governor respond to the PPO report and impose a more stringent incentives scheme policy for prisoners who repeatedly block their cell door observation panels?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 12
How will the Governor address the high level of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 13
How will the Governor address the conflict of prisoner debt and gang culture?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 14
Will the Governor embed and extend the existing education, vocational training and work into the regime, in order to minimise the number of sessions that are cancelled due to officer shortages?
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 15
Will the Governor support the implementation of strategies for prisoners with complex needs, integrating the neurodiversity clinical lead to work collaboratively with the neurodiversity support manager, both to raise awareness and focus on training?
Governor / Director
Equality
Other IMB Reports for Woodhill
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
17 Mar 2026
Urgent Notification
14 Aug 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 1
Respect: 2
Activity: 1
Release: 2
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.