Prison
Cat B local YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lewes
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 8 July 2025
HMP Lewes saw improvements in its regime, leading to increased time out of cell and a fall in prisoner-on-prisoner violence. Healthcare provision also improved, with reduced waiting times for routine appointments. However, significant challenges persist with the prison's heating system, gaps in mental health services, and a worrying increase in self-harm and assaults on staff. The Board highlighted ongoing concerns regarding disproportionality in the use of force and adjudications against certain prisoner groups.
Positive Findings
The Board notes improved reception and induction processes, a 16% fall in prisoner-on-prisoner violence, and refurbished, cleaner areas of the prison. Time out of cell increased, improving daily life, and there was a reduction in routine healthcare waiting times and general quality improvement. The prison increased work/education places and focused on remand prisoner support. The LAMS team's contribution saved over £350,000, and the clothing exchange was a 'gold standard'. Staff recruitment and retention improved, and staff-prisoner relationships, along with chaplaincy support, were generally positive. The percentage of prisoners on enhanced status rose, and responses to deaths in custody were compassionate.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Repeated
Will the Minister work with government colleagues to ensure that the forthcoming Mental Health Bill identifies appropriate measures to improve care for prisoners with severe mental illness, including more provision in secure units, and ensure that these measures are properly resourced and delivered with minimum delay?
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Will the service explore all options to enable the quickest possible replacement of the prison’s heating and hot water system and ensure, in the interim, that the Governor receives adequate resources to keep prisoners warm in winter?
Mental Health
Repeated
Will the service work with NHS colleagues to boost investment in mental health services in the prison and in particular review the adequacy of psychiatry provision?
Safety
Repeated
Will the governor renew efforts to reduce incidents of self-harm, which have gone up by around one third over the past two years?
Resettlement/Release
Will the governor prioritise the development and implementation of the prison’s remand strategy to better support the needs of remand prisoners?
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Will the governor act to reverse the fall in prisoner attendance at education that’s been seen since the improvement in the prison’s regime in late 2024?
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff recruitment and retention improved over the year, allowing the prison to recruit above establishment figures. This helped facilitate increased time out of cell for prisoners. The Chief Inspector noted generally positive staff-prisoner relationships, with 70% of prisoners reporting respectful treatment and 75% knowing staff members for support. However, some IMB applications suggest new staff may lack confidence in handling routine prisoner requests.
Healthcare
The Board welcomed a reduction in waiting times for routine healthcare appointments and a general improvement in the quality of healthcare. Practice Plus Group is the main provider, supported by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and Agincare for social care. However, the Board was troubled by significant gaps in psychiatry provision during 2024 and ongoing delays for prisoners needing transfers to secure mental health facilities due to national shortages. Delays also occurred in providing appropriate medication to new prisoners lacking prescribing history.
Regime & Daily Life
The daily regime improved, with average time out of cell increasing from 4.5 to 7.5 hours, positively impacting day-to-day life for most prisoners. However, out-of-cell time can still be limited in the Early Days Centre, with prisoners often locked up after morning domestics. A fall in education attendance was observed towards the end of 2024, around the time a new regime was introduced.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property | 51 | 51 | — |
Recommendations (6)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 3
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the Minister work with government colleagues to ensure that the forthcoming Mental Health Bill identifies appropriate measures to improve care for prisoners with severe mental illness, including more provision in secure units, and ensure that these measures are properly resourced and delivered with minimum delay?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Response
Increasing the provision of specialist mental health services for offenders with serious mental health problems remains a challenge. The Ministry of Justice is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to reform the Mental Health Act (1983) and introduce the Mental Health Bill in this parliamentary session. The Bill sets out vital reforms to support people with severe mental health needs in the criminal justice system with the aim of speeding up access to specialist inpatient care and ensuring that offenders and defendants with severe mental health needs are able to access timely support in the most appropriate setting.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Will the service explore all options to enable the quickest possible replacement of the prison’s heating and hot water system and ensure, in the interim, that the Governor receives adequate resources to keep prisoners warm in winter?
HMPPS
Estate
Response
Performance measures indicate that the contractor, GFSL, has been performing to a good level and compliant in completing the planned maintenance work at HMP/YOI Lewes. However, it is recognised that reactive work is sometimes delayed. The Ministry of Justice is supporting the Governor to help improve living conditions through a Local Asset Manager team. This is a rehabilitative project initiated by the Governor which is progressing flooring and painting and decorating projects. The Lewes Assurance and Multi Skilled (LAMS) prisoner teams on each wing have also been expanded and 60% of all cells have now been refurbished and work is ongoing on the remaining 40%.
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Will the service work with NHS colleagues to boost investment in mental health services in the prison and in particular review the adequacy of psychiatry provision?
HMPPS
Mental Health
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will the governor renew efforts to reduce incidents of self-harm, which have gone up by around one third over the past two years?
Governor / Director
Safety
Response
Alongside the new regime, HMP Lewes has created more regime for enhanced prisoners. In the first 28 days of this new regime, despite us unlocking the population for longer, we have seen a positive impact on safety metrics. Use of force, prisoner on prisoner assaults and assaults on staff have declined and are the joint lowest in reported incidents against comparator prisons across HMPPS. We have seen a slight decline in self-harm, but this remains a challenge to the high volume of prisoners with significant self-harm histories and complex needs. A commissioned ‘lived experience’ expert is working with the safety team to help reduce self-harm. In January 2025 the prison will join the national pilot scheme to replace razors with electronic shavers. This aims to remove the adaption of custom weapons from prison razors and to reduce the number of prisoners using razors to self-harm by cutting.
Recommendation 5
Will the governor prioritise the development and implementation of the prison’s remand strategy to better support the needs of remand prisoners?
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Response
A new remand strategy, which includes a provision of resettlement needs and accommodation support, commenced implementation during September 2024.
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Will the governor act to reverse the fall in prisoner attendance at education that’s been seen since the improvement in the prison’s regime in late 2024?
Governor / Director
Education
Response
Education attendance has continued to improve over this reporting period.
Other IMB Reports for Lewes
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
9 Jun 2025
Unannounced
5 Feb 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 2
Activity: 1
Release: 2
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.