Prison
Cat B, C, D, local, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Norwich
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 7 October 2025
HMP/YOI Norwich continues to face significant challenges with persistent violence, self-harm, and the dilapidated state of its infrastructure, particularly the segregation unit. While staff are commended for their care and some improvements are noted in reception processes and family contact, systemic issues like overcrowding, delays in mental health transfers, and lack of purposeful activity for vulnerable groups undermine progress. The Board raises critical questions about policy, resourcing, and equitable treatment, highlighting a pressing need for a safer and more humane environment.
Positive Findings
The Board acknowledges staff's commitment to maintaining safety despite challenges, with improvements in reception and induction processes to support vulnerable prisoners. A zero-tolerance policy on violent behaviour and a violence reduction landing have shown a deterrent effect, leading to a decline in assaults. Healthcare provision is generally in line with the community, with mental health services deemed equivalent and the Platinum Suite enhancing wellbeing. Significant progress has been made in maintaining family contact, supported by Ormiston Families, and the category D site successfully secures employment for most eligible prisoners upon release.
Key Concerns
Safety
Violence in the prison continues to be a concern for the Board and the presence of alcohol, drugs and other prohibited items creates a potentially dangerous environment for both prisoners and prison staff.
Safety
A lack of effective perimeter prison security measures makes this a challenging issue to resolve.
Safety
Self-harm continues to be a concern.
Safety
Assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) documents (used to support prisoners who are at risk of self-harm and suicide) continue to be of variable quality with observations missing, conversations not meaningful and supervisors’ checks not taking place.
Estate/Conditions
From the Board’s observations, dilapidated buildings with leaking roofs, broken heating, faulty lighting, and washing machine failures have continued to undermine the efforts of staff and management to make the prison a place of safety and reform.
Segregation
The segregation building is not up to standard. The Board feels that it would be inappropriate to refer to it as a care and separation unit.
Equality/Diversity
Some prisoners with mobility issues are housed in inappropriate accommodation, making it difficult for them to access showers and serveries
Other
There are several foreign national men detained at HMP/YOI Norwich beyond the expiry of their sentence.
Mental Health
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum condition (autism) referrals were being rejected by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust as the environment was unstable.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Although weekly payments to prisoners for work or education have been increased, the increase was not in line with inflation, resulting in some prisoners having a disproportionately lower income as a result.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The location of the centralised library within category B prison means that prisoners’ attendance at the library is heavily dependent on the availability of officers to accompany them. It is not always possible for prisoners with mobility issues to leave their wings to reach it.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Prisoners not proficient in English and maths are prevented from working towards any vocational qualifications.
Resettlement/Release
25% of prisoners released in January 2025 were homeless.
Other
Repeated
Will the Minister please explain why foreign national men continue to be detained in prison beyond the expiry of their sentence instead of being transferred to an immigration removal centre?
Education/Purposeful Activity
Will the Minister please explain why neither offending behaviour programmes nor accredited interventions to allow progression to release from prison are provided within HMP/YOI Norwich?
Safety
Will the Minister please explain why assaults on prison officers are not treated as seriously as those on other emergency workers?
Safety
Will the Minister explain why serious offences such as possession of a mobile phone, supplying, or intent to supply drugs or alcohol within the prison are not acted upon by the Norfolk Police/CPS?
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Will the Prison Service please explain why there will not be a full overhaul of the boilers and heating systems in HMP/YOI Norwich until ongoing projects have been completed?
Segregation
Repeated
Will the Prison Service explain why there are currently no plans to improve the Segregation Unit?
Safety
Will the Prison Service please advise when a complete overhaul of the current perimeter security surveillance equipment will take place?
Equality/Diversity
What action will the Governor take to ensure that prisoners with disabilities and older prisoners have the same access to jobs, education and gym as the other prisoners?
Equality/Diversity
Please may the Governor explain why other groups are not represented at the Diversity and Inclusion Action Team (DIAT) meeting?
Equality/Diversity
Would the Governor please explain why statistics for prisoners identifying as having a disability are not analysed within use of force reports?
Safety
Repeated
The Board still has concerns about ACCT documents. What action will the Governor take to ensure further improvements in the management of the ACCT process and completion of documents by staff?
Equality/Diversity
ACCT reviews involving prisoners who do not speak English are difficult. Although a phone translation service, The Big Word, is used, reviews are conducted in busy offices and constantly disturbed. What action will be taken to improve the quality of such reviews?
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board is concerned about the lack of process reintegrating prisoners who self-isolate back into the normal prison regime. What action will the Governor take to rectify the situation?
Other
There are currently no ‘baby bonding’ sessions (aimed at introducing prisoners to newborn babies) for prisoners on the category B site, following the removal of facilities in 2023. When will these important sessions be reinstated?
Regime/Time Out of Cell
What action will the Governor take to ensure that all prisoners are offered at least one hour of gym a week? Sessions are regularly cancelled due to shortages of staff.
Healthcare
To assist the Board monitor health and wellbeing in the prison, could the Governor please ensure that copies of the following reports are provided: HCRG quality reports and clinical governance reports. Minutes from Norfolk Prison Health and Partnership board meetings. Social care reports. Minutes from medicines management meeting.
Mental Health
Repeated
Why are prisoners with severe mental health issues or learning difficulties still being held in custody?
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
When will a realistic minimum rate for prisoners’ pay be set under Prison Service Order (PSO) 4460, with corresponding increases made to prison budgets?
Segregation
Repeated
When will the new policy framework relating to prisoners in segregation be published?
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Why are there are no adequate local laundry facilities in HMP/YOI Norwich?
Segregation
No plans have been presented to improve and expand the segregation unit, particularly given the expansion of HMP/YOI Norwich in 2025/26.
Segregation
There is only one operational shower in segregation. If it is contaminated or out of order, prisoners cannot have a shower until repairs are completed.
Mental Health
Repeated
The Board is concerned that prisoners with mental health issues continue to be held in the segregation unit, as there is no other suitable place of safety should they be violent and disruptive. Prisoners due to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act were also held there for some time because there were delays in them being sectioned.
Segregation
Repeated
There is little to occupy the segregated prisoners except for limited in-cell education packs, access to a radio, and regular access to the library trolley at mealtimes and distraction packs.
Segregation
Some prisoners are deliberately disruptive because they prefer to be segregated rather than be on the main wings. This makes the unit a preferred location rather than a deterrent.
Segregation
There are not enough hours under the library contract with Suffolk Libraries to include the segregation unit. It is totally reliant on donations of reading material.
Segregation
Prisoners are still complaining that there is a delay in their property moving with them to their new location and that it is frequently lost in transit.
Segregation
Phone sets (handset and cable) are available to prisoners when required to make personal and legal calls. Due to the phone connection points being outside of the cells, cables must be connected between the cell door and door frame. As the length of the cable is too short, calls may only be made or taken by the prisoner standing close to the door. This presents issues with confidentiality and problems when documents need to be accessed or notes taken. Cables are frequently damaged when caught between the door and door frame. Because the phone sets only come as a single unit, frequently there is not enough spare cables. This has prevented prisoners from having timely access to their phone calls leading to the potential for an escalation in unreasonable behaviour.
Staffing
Despite its relaunch, the key worker process in HMP/YOI Norwich has still not functioned as it should in the Board’s view.
Staffing
Prisoners knowing who their personal officer is has dropped significantly to 27% in the most recent questionnaire (48% 2023/24).
Other
Only 37% of prisoners who responded to the IMB questionnaire had easy access to Governor’s notices.
Equality/Diversity
There are continuing inequities regarding access to work opportunities. For example, prisoners with disabilities and older prisoners who don’t have adjustments made for them to be able to work.
Equality/Diversity
Statistics are not analysed for those with disabilities. The Board has been informed that this is because there are low numbers of prisoners with disabilities. This does not appear to be the case as illustrated by figures provided earlier in this section.
Equality/Diversity
Prisoners with reduced mobility on the wings struggle to get their meals and with other daily activities. There are no lifts on B and C wings and the only lift on A wing remains out of action.
Equality/Diversity
The healthcare wing remains without a specially adapted shower for prisoners with disabilities.
Equality/Diversity
Dedicated gym sessions are not available for prisoners with disabilities.
Equality/Diversity
Foreign national prisoners do not always understand prisoner correspondence, relying on other prisoners to translate for them.
Equality/Diversity
The Big Word is used by staff for ACCT reviews, however, it is not generally used for other interactions with prisoners, such as routine conversations, or when the prisoner is interacting with listeners.
Healthcare
Patient confidentiality, the removal of prisoner complaints from the prison complaints system and difficulty accessing performance data from the providers HCRG Care Group (HCRG) and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (the trust) have resulted in the Board having limited insight into the standard of care within the prison.
Healthcare
The February 2025 clinical governance report states that safety audits for the second year running showed inconsistency in checking, and the absence of some emergency equipment and drugs in the emergency bags particularly in A, B and C wings.
Healthcare
In the June 2024, clinical governance report, concerns raised by health care staff regarding access to prisoners at night were noted.
Healthcare
There are complaints from prisoners regarding access to appointments with healthcare professionals due to delays, cancellations and the lack of availability of officers to escort prisoners to their appointment within the prison.
Healthcare
Prisoners requiring occupational therapy as part of primary care are unable to access it within the prison estate.
Mental Health
Self-isolation is having a detrimental effect on the mental health of prisoners.
Mental Health
Despite significant prison expansion, anticipated funding for only one more mental health nurse has been agreed. Two other posts have been rejected.
Mental Health
In the IMB questionnaire, only 44% of prisoners who responded found it easy to access mental health support.
Healthcare
Applications have been received during the year, with prisoners complaining either about the complete lack of access to social care assessments or significant waiting times before these take place.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The category B site gym was closed for several months until April 2025, contravening Prison Rule 29, which states that prisoners over the age of 21 should be given the opportunity to participate in one hour of physical education each week.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Prisoners working in kitchens and the market garden state that they do not get enough time out of cell for domestics (showers, etc). They must shower immediately upon their return to the wings making them late collecting their meals from the servery because there is insufficient time for showers afterward.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
59% of prisoners responding to the IMB questionnaire felt that they got enough time out of their cell for domestic chores and exercise, down from 63% in 2023/24.
Substance Misuse
Resumption of drug testing has statistically shown an increase in drug usage and a wider variation of new types of drugs, not all of which can be detected successfully.
Education/Purposeful Activity
On the main site there are few opportunities to gain qualifications which would increase employability on release. The warehousing qualification offered in the printshop has been cancelled. There are a number of in-house qualifications, but these are not recognised outside the establishment.
Other
Prisoners transferred in from other prisons do not get emergency credit. They are required to be reassessed for literacy and numeracy before being eligible for employment. This can take some time which restricts their ability to work. If they have no other access to funds, they are unable to buy canteen or speak with family using the phone.
Resettlement/Release
With prison places at a premium, the ability to transfer out of a local prison for sentenced prisoners is now more difficult. This results in delays in accessing important courses needed for their sentence management plans because there are no courses to assist offenders in their rehabilitation in HMP/YOI Norwich.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Prison staff are generally committed to maintaining prisoner safety and operate professionally, demonstrating care. Relationships between staff and prisoners have improved significantly, with 63% reporting fair treatment. Recruitment for pharmacy staff has improved, and HCRG Care Group is experiencing a downwards trend in staff sickness. However, there are concerns regarding assaults on staff, the impact of staff shortages on gym access, and insufficient funding for mental health nurse posts.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision generally aligns with community standards, with mental health services by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust being equivalent. Co-working with HCRG Care Group has led to a new virtual ward and intravenous antibiotics being administered in prison. However, the Board has limited insight due to issues with confidentiality and access to performance data. Concerns persist regarding inconsistent checking of emergency equipment, delays in accessing appointments, the lack of occupational therapy, and the rejection of ADHD and autism referrals due to an unstable environment.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime faces significant challenges due to dilapidated buildings, including leaking roofs, broken heating, and frequent washing machine failures. The segregation unit is not fit for purpose and offers little meaningful activity. Time out of cell is insufficient for many, especially those not working, with the category B gym being closed for several months and limited library access due to officer availability. Additionally, the Board notes the lack of 'baby bonding' sessions for Category B prisoners and issues with prisoners choosing to self-isolate without a clear reintegration process.
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) | 45 | 38 | |
| Activities and work (including education and visits) | 118 | 128 | |
| Discipline, adjudications and incentives | 29 | 33 | |
| Discrimination | 5 | 4 | |
| General welfare (including food, clothing and hygiene) | 24 | 29 | |
| Healthcare | 39 | 41 | |
| Property | 30 | 47 | |
| Requests for information, policies and other matters | 29 | 24 | |
| Staff conduct and treatment | 10 | 11 |
Recommendations (20)
Ministry of Justice: 6
HMPPS: 5
Governor / Director: 9
8 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Minister please explain why foreign national men continue to be detained in prison beyond the expiry of their sentence instead of being transferred to an immigration removal centre?
Ministry of Justice
Fair Treatment
Response
In his reply to the same issue in the 2022/23 report, the Minister advised that risk assessments were conducted by the Home Office to determine whether those detained were suitable for transfer to an immigration removal centre. If not, they continued to be detained in prison.
Recommendation 2
Will the Minister please explain why neither offending behaviour programmes nor accredited interventions to allow progression to release from prison are provided within HMP/YOI Norwich?
Ministry of Justice
Progression
Recommendation 3
Will the Minister please explain why assaults on prison officers are not treated as seriously as those on other emergency workers?
Ministry of Justice
Safety
Recommendation 4
Will the Minister explain why serious offences such as possession of a mobile phone, supplying, or intent to supply drugs or alcohol within the prison are not acted upon by the Norfolk Police/CPS?
Ministry of Justice
Safety
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Prison Service please explain why there will not be a full overhaul of the boilers and heating systems in HMP/YOI Norwich until ongoing projects have been completed?
HMPPS
Estate
Response
Completion dates for ongoing projects within the prison has now been put back until 2026. The boiler within the segregation unit broke down on several occasions, leaving prisoners and staff without heating or hot water. Boilers within the rest of the prison have continued to breakdown. Despite a relatively mild winter, many of the cells in A and B wings were cold, with prisoners requiring extra blankets and sleeping in their bunks fully dressed. The Board finds it unacceptable for prisoners to live in these conditions.
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Prison Service explain why there are currently no plans to improve the Segregation Unit?
HMPPS
Segregation
Response
As mentioned in many previous reports, the current unit is not up to standard.
Recommendation 7
Will the Prison Service please advise when a complete overhaul of the current perimeter security surveillance equipment will take place?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 8
What action will the Governor take to ensure that prisoners with disabilities and older prisoners have the same access to jobs, education and gym as the other prisoners?
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 9
The Board observes that only prisoner representatives from the black, Asian and minority ethnic group attend the diversity and inclusion action team (DIAT) meeting. In February 2025, 13% of the population identified as black, Asian and minority ethnic, 33% of prisoners identified as having a disability, and 15% of prisoners were over 50 years old. Please may the Governor explain why other groups are not represented at the meeting?
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 10
Would the Governor please explain why statistics for prisoners identifying as having a disability are not analysed within use of force reports? 33% of prisoners within HMP/YOI Norwich identify as having a disability.
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 11
Repeated
The Board still has concerns about ACCT documents. What action will the Governor take to ensure further improvements in the management of the ACCT process and completion of documents by staff?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 12
ACCT reviews involving prisoners who do not speak English are difficult. Although a phone translation service, The Big Word, is used, reviews are conducted in busy offices and constantly disturbed. What action will be taken to improve the quality of such reviews?
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 13
The Board is concerned about the lack of process reintegrating prisoners who self-isolate back into the normal prison regime. What action will the Governor take to rectify the situation?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 14
There are currently no ‘baby bonding’ sessions (aimed at introducing prisoners to newborn babies) for prisoners on the category B site, following the removal of facilities in 2023. When will these important sessions be reinstated?
Governor / Director
Family Contact
Recommendation 15
What action will the Governor take to ensure that all prisoners are offered at least one hour of gym a week? Sessions are regularly cancelled due to shortages of staff.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 16
To assist the Board monitor health and wellbeing in the prison, could the Governor please ensure that copies of the following reports are provided: • HCRG quality reports and clinical governance reports. • Minutes from Norfolk Prison Health and Partnership board meetings. • Social care reports. • Minutes from medicines management meeting.
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 17
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Why are prisoners with severe mental health issues or learning difficulties still being held in custody?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Response
At the time of writing, the Bill had reached its second reading in the House of Commons. Prisoners with severe mental health difficulties continue to be held in custody.
Recommendation 18
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
When will a realistic minimum rate for prisoners’ pay be set under Prison Service Order (PSO) 4460, with corresponding increases made to prison budgets?
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Response
A pay rise was given to prisoners in October 2024 funded by Ministry of Justice. However, the minimum rate of pay for prisoners under PSO 4460 remains unaltered since 2020 and the Board cannot understand why.
Recommendation 19
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
When will the new policy framework relating to prisoners in segregation be published?
HMPPS
Segregation
Response
At the time of writing this report, the new policy had not been issued.
Recommendation 20
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Why are there are no adequate local laundry facilities in HMP/YOI Norwich?
HMPPS
Regime
Response
The situation remains unsatisfactory.
Other IMB Reports for Norwich
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.