Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Brinsford
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 15 July 2025
HMP Brinsford, a resettlement prison for young men (18-22 with temporary extension to 29), operates at full capacity of 577, with an average population of 529. The report highlights improvements in self-harm reduction and healthcare provision, but raises significant concerns about low staffing levels impacting safety, the ongoing increase in violence, and the critical lack of purposeful activity places. There are also persistent issues with infrastructure, property management, and delays in transferring prisoners with severe mental health needs.
Positive Findings
HMP Brinsford has seen a reduction in self-harm due to effective staff teamwork and offers a good healthcare service. Improvements have been noted in prisoner movement, reception, and induction processes. The social visitors' room provides a welcoming environment, and the new care leavers' flat offers valuable support. The prison has made progress in preventing drugs from entering the establishment and has established strong links with employers, leading to successful employment events.
Key Concerns
Staffing
Repeated
Staffing levels at times are very low, which can affect the safety of the prisoners and staff.
Safety
Repeated
Incidents of violence have continued to increase, with not enough being done to combat gang-related violence.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
There are insufficient purposeful activity places available and prisoners are reluctant to attend them, causing frustration.
Mental Health
Repeated
Ongoing care for prisoners with severe mental health needs is a concern, as they are staying in the establishment too long and need dedicated mental health care due to delays in transfer to secure hospitals.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
Prisoner property is still a cause for concern due to the transient nature of arrivals and moves, and loss of property on transfer remains slow and unreliable to resolve.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Investment in infrastructure of residential wings is needed, including flexible heating systems, refurbishment of cells, and repair of faulty windows.
Safety
The Crown Prosecution Service does not follow up and prosecute sufficiently on assaults reported by the prison.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Delays in the court system mean prisoners are on remand for longer.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels at HMP Brinsford are frequently low, impacting both prisoner and staff safety and leading to reduced key worker sessions. Recruitment and retention across the Prison Service remain a significant challenge, with staff absences directly affecting the frequency of key worker interactions. Additionally, community study days and increased workload on the Offender Management Unit due to the ECSL scheme divert staff from regular duties, sometimes resulting in extended lockdowns and delays in updating prisoners about their release.
Healthcare
Practice Plus Group provides a good healthcare service at HMP Brinsford, with 24/7 nursing and weekly psychiatric support. While general healthcare provision, triage, and response to urgent matters are efficient, significant concerns persist regarding ongoing care for prisoners with severe mental health needs. These individuals often experience long waits for transfers to secure hospitals due to a national shortage of acute beds, leading to prolonged stays within the establishment and delays in accessing appropriate specialist care. Despite these challenges, staff and healthcare teams demonstrate commendable compassion and support for vulnerable prisoners, including those who self-harm or self-isolate.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime at HMP Brinsford is significantly hampered by insufficient purposeful activity places and a lack of full-time education or work opportunities, leaving many prisoners in their cells without meaningful engagement. Infrastructure issues, including a lack of flexible heating controls, faulty windows, and poor cell conditions, negatively impact prisoner comfort. Staff shortages frequently lead to restricted regimes and extended lockdowns, with library access often being the first activity to be stopped. While movement following unlocks has improved, the overall provision of purposeful activity remains a key concern.
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 | 11 | 10 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 3 | 1 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 8 | 4 | |
| Equality | 3 | 2 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 4 | 4 | — |
| Food and kitchens | 2 | 2 | — |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 19 | 6 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 14 | 16 | |
| Miscellaneous | 12 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 11 | 10 | |
| Property within the establishment | 23 | 5 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 5 | 6 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 24 | 9 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 13 | 11 | |
| Transfers | 14 | 6 |
Recommendations (19)
HMPPS: 4
Other: 2
Governor / Director: 13
11 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Recruitment and retention of staff across the Prison Service.
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 2
The Crown Prosecution Service does not follow up and prosecute sufficiently on assaults.
Other
(other)
Safety
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Delays in the court system mean prisoners are on remand for longer.
Other
(other)
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Investment in infrastructure of residential wings to provide flexible heating system is needed.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Improvements to dedicated mental healthcare so that prisoners can access services in a timelier way is necessary.
HMPPS
Mental Health
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Lack of investment in infrastructure – most cells need refurbishment and there are windows that don’t open.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 7
Ensure proper utilisation and maintenance of body worn video cameras.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Address the increase in violent assaults during prisoner movement.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 9
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Develop and implement effective strategies to combat gang violence.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Enhance key worker sessions to reduce reliance on peer support for self-harm prevention.
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 11
Monitor and manage levels of self-isolation to ensure adequate support.
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 12
Review the increased use of PAVA to ensure it is not being deployed as a first line of defence over other methods.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 13
Improve the quality of photocopied prisoner correspondence, including allowing for colour copies.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 14
Implement effective strategies to prevent the increase in 'hooch' finds.
Governor / Director
Substance Misuse
Recommendation 15
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Address the poor condition of beds and mattresses and ensure the consistent availability of clean bedding and towels.
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 16
Investigate and address reasons why Black and mixed ethnicity prisoners are disproportionately placed in the CSU.
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 17
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Prioritise and maintain key worker sessions despite staff shortages.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 18
Implement controls on the amount of canteen products prisoners can stockpile in cells.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 19
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Purposeful activity places reviewed to allow more opportunity to all prisoners.
Governor / Director
Education
Other IMB Reports for Brinsford
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
5 Jun 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 2
Activity: 1
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.