Prison
Cat B, YOI, local
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Hull
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 22 July 2025
HMP Hull, a Category B local prison and YOI, faced significant challenges in the reporting year, including a sharp rise in self-harm and assaults, and ongoing issues with overcrowding, vermin, and property transfers. The Board commended improvements in healthcare provision and the development of the industries unit, but expressed concern over national prison capacity, communication protocols, and probation staffing shortages. The Board's own monitoring capacity was severely restricted due to a low number of active members.
Positive Findings
The Board observed officers providing exemplary care, especially in challenging circumstances, and noted positive prisoner and officer relationships. Healthcare leadership proactively worked to improve services, resulting in increased staff visibility and a successful migration to a clinician-led wellbeing unit. The establishment continued developing its industries unit to align with local employment opportunities, which the Board supports for resettlement. Improvements in lunchtime food offerings and the provision of 'family days' were also positively noted.
Key Concerns
Overcrowding
Repeated
The Board is extremely concerned regarding the inadequate capacity within the prison system, which continues to see prisoners housed in double cells that are inadequate both in size and design for this purpose and impinge upon the prisoners right to privacy and dignity.
Overcrowding
Repeated
Prisoners have regularly been sent to HMP Hull from out of area courts, due to national insufficient prison capacity and as a result, prisoners are located significant distances from family and outside support networks.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated bids by the Governor for capital funding to increase security measures (enhanced gate security and outward-facing window grills) have not led to any further funding during the reporting year.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
Prisoners’ property, particularly on transfer, remains a significant issue for prisoners.
Food/Catering
Repeated
The establishment continues to provide additional funding from other budget allocations to supplement the daily budget allocation per prisoner for catering. Furthermore, prisoners were found to subsiding their diets with their own personal funds.
Staffing
Repeated
Significant resourcing challenges within the Probation Team result in staff being unable to maintain the level of support prisoners need over the final months in prison and after release.
Complaints/Property
The Board would suggest that you reinforce and actively monitor the required protocols for how and when prison officers should proactively communicate with the Board for events such as serious incidents and segregation reviews.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The establishment leadership have applied significant focus to tackle the vermin issues within the prison. This work needs to continue to irradicate the vermin to improve the living conditions for the prisoners.
Safety
Continue to undertake trend analysis and proactive work to reduce self-harm and violent incidents (prisoner on prisoner and assaults on staff).
Board Commentary
Staffing
The Board's monitoring capacity was severely limited due to consistently low member numbers, dropping to three established members by the report's conclusion, raising concerns about long-term viability. Significant resourcing challenges within the Probation Team hindered their ability to support prisoners pre- and post-release. Operational staffing pressures, such as sickness and escorts, impacted the delivery of key worker sessions, and staffing levels and turnover in education compromised delivery.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are provided by Spectrum Healthcare and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, with the Board observing significant improvements and a proactive healthcare leadership. Improvements included increased staff visibility and a successful transition to a clinician-led wellbeing unit for complex mental health cases. However, applications to the Board regarding healthcare significantly increased, mainly concerning repeat prescriptions and access to clinicians. Concerns were also noted about the insufficient availability of accommodation suitable for physically disabled prisoners.
Regime & Daily Life
National capacity issues led to an increase in prisoners from out of area, causing late receptions that reduced the prison's ability to operate a full regime the following day. While a 'normal regime' with exercise yard and gym activities was generally in place, periods of extended time in cells could deteriorate prisoners' health. The industries unit underwent renovation, reducing workshop availability but aiming to align activities with local employment. The Board noted improved lunchtime food quality, but prisoners still felt the need to subsidise their diets with personal funds.
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 | 28 | 14 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 7 | 2 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 2 | 5 | |
| Equality | 10 | 15 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 39 | 11 | |
| Food and kitchens | 8 | 3 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 68 | 21 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 33 | 11 | |
| Miscellaneous | 115 | 50 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 40 | 7 | |
| Property within the establishment | 29 | 22 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 13 | 10 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 19 | 8 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 47 | 22 | |
| Transfers | 7 | 2 |
Recommendations (8)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 3
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board is extremely concerned regarding the inadequate capacity within the prison system, which continues to see prisoners housed in double cells that are inadequate both in size and design for this purpose and impinge upon the prisoners right to privacy and dignity. How will the Minister increase capacity within the prison estate?
Ministry of Justice
Overcrowding
Response
Despite the Ministerial response to our previous report referencing additional measures to address insufficient capacity, the Board does not consider sufficient action has been taken to address this issue.
Recommendation 2
Will the prison service directly review the capital funding needed within HMP Hull to improve security measures?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
How will the prison service put systems in place to resolve these issues? The Board note that these same concerns were raised in our 2021/22 and 2022/23 reports with limited progress continuing to be observed by the Board in this area.
HMPPS
Complaints
Response
Despite the HMPPS response to the previous report relating to delays in transferring prisoner property, the Board does not consider sufficient action has been taken to address this issue.
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Prison Service be increasing catering budget allocations in response to increased food supplier costs to ensure a healthy and balanced diet can be provided to each prisoner?
HMPPS
Food
Response
The Board recognises that establishment is continuing to provide additional funding from other budget allocations. It is also recognised that although the catering offer made to prisoners, has improved slightly during the reporting year, the view of the Board is this likely down to a change in catering leadership rather than a material change in the funds being provided. The Board does not consider sufficient action has been taken to address this issue.
Recommendation 5
Repeated
What is the Prison Service doing to address these resourcing challenges?
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
Due to the resourcing challenges of the Board during the reporting year (see section 3.1), the Board has been unable to proactively monitor this area to determine if any improvement has been since the previous reporting year.
Recommendation 6
The Board would suggest that you reinforce and actively monitor the required protocols for how and when prison officers should proactively communicate with the Board for events such as serious incidents and segregation reviews.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 7
Repeated
The establishment leadership have applied significant focus to tackle the vermin issues within the prison. This work needs to continue to irradicate the vermin to improve the living conditions for the prisoners.
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 8
Continue to undertake trend analysis and proactive work to reduce self-harm and violent incidents (prisoner on prisoner and assaults on staff).
Governor / Director
Safety
Other IMB Reports for Hull
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
14 Apr 2025
IRP
17 Jun 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 3
Respect: 3
Activity: 1
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.