Prison
Cat Local Cat B
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Response to the 2023-24 HMP Cardiff IMB
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 23 June 2025
This document is a response to HMP Cardiff's IMB report for 2023-24. Key concerns addressed include overcrowding, a prisoner death, issues with heating and water systems, and challenges in mental health provision and transfers. The Minister and HMPPS highlighted positive findings such as visible leadership, good staff-prisoner relationships, consistent purposeful activity, and efforts to improve diversity in staff recruitment, alongside plans for estate upgrades and enhanced mental health support.
Positive Findings
The Minister welcomed the IMB's acknowledgement of the visible Governor and senior management team, positive staff-prisoner relationships fostering respect, and consistent provision of purposeful activity compared to similar prisons. The prison has strong links with charities, family support teams, and schemes promoting employer-prisoner connections. An overall positive HMIP inspection was noted, and HMP Cardiff achieved a green score for the quality of its key work. The prison also introduced a neurodiversity post and a positively evaluated 'Here 2 Help' peer support scheme.
Key Concerns
Overcrowding
Overcrowding and its impact, including issues with cell sharing.
Safety
A prisoner death occurred during the reporting year.
Estate/Conditions
Inadequacies and ongoing issues with heating and hot water systems, compounded by maintenance backlogs and funding constraints.
Equality/Diversity
Lack of accessible facilities for disabled prisoners and inadequate in-cell toilet screening.
Mental Health
Mental health prisoners being held in the Care and Segregation Unit (CSU) and experiencing delays in transfer to specialist inpatient care.
Safety
The discontinuation of funding for the 'Here 2 Help' peer support and emotional resilience training project beyond March 2025.
Board Commentary
Staffing
HMPPS is committed to improving diversity in recruitment, aiming for 15.8% of staff from Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Extensive efforts are made to attract and support diverse applicants for Prison Officer and OSG roles, including community engagement and recruitment events. Key work is a core HMPPS priority for 2025/26, with HMP Cardiff having achieved a green score for its quality.
Healthcare
The Minister expressed sadness about a prisoner death during the reporting year, assuring that all deaths in custody are taken seriously, and noted the prison's efforts to reduce recorded deaths. Concerns about mental health prisoners in the Care and Segregation Unit (CSU) and transfer delays were acknowledged, with a new 28-day statutory limit for mental health transfers being introduced. HMP Cardiff has implemented a neurodiversity post, and a health needs assessment began in January 2025. Issues regarding weekend mental health staffing, prescription complaints, and the mental health triage policy are under review.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP Cardiff is commended for providing purposeful activity out of cell more consistently than similar prisons. Improving the number and quality of regimes, including key work, is a core priority for HMPPS, with expectations for increased key work provision. New regime profiles are set to be introduced on April 1, 2025.