IMB Annual Reports
768 annual reports from Independent Monitoring Boards covering 171 establishments. IMBs provide independent oversight of prisons, immigration removal centres, and secure training centres. Source: imb.org.uk.
768
Reports
171
Establishments
757
With Key Concerns
Establishment Type
Reports by Year
Key Findings
99% of IMB reports flag key concerns.
Independent monitors cover 171 establishments
across prisons, immigration removal centres and secure training centres.
Channings Wood
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 438
Assaults: 87
Staff assaults: 22
HMP Channings Wood, a Category C prison, experienced an increase in deaths in custody and persistent issues with prisoner property and outstanding infrastructure repairs during the reporting period ending August 2025. Despite improvements in education attendance and some aspects of daily regime, concerns remain regarding out-of-hours healthcare for an ageing population, insufficient purposeful activity, and the negative impact of staffing reductions on key services. The Board highlights the inhumane conditions for IPP prisoners and notes a significant rise in prisoner complaints.
Key concerns identified
- The significant increase in deaths in custody (seven this year, up from one) raises concerns about the ageing prisoner population and delays in processing Early Release on Compassionate Grounds (ERCG).
- Persistent problems with lost or damaged prisoner property continue to be the largest source of complaints and IMB applications, having worsened despite previous HMPPS attention.
- Critical infrastructure repairs, including leaking roofs in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) and a living block, remain unresolved and will not be addressed until a long-term expansion project is completed.
- The lack of 24-hour out-of-hours healthcare provision is a serious concern, particularly for the increasing number of elderly and disabled prisoners.
- Inadequate access to purposeful activity, with long waits for courses and a lack of accredited qualifications, hinders prisoner progression and resettlement.
- Staffing reductions, due to detached duty and sickness, have negatively impacted the delivery of core services, including key worker sessions and mandatory drug testing.
- Persistent problems with lost or damaged prisoner property continue to be the largest source of complaints and IMB applications, having worsened despite previous HMPPS attention.
- Critical infrastructure repairs, including leaking roofs in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) and a living block, remain unresolved and will not be addressed until a long-term expansion project is completed.
- The lack of 24-hour out-of-hours healthcare provision is a serious concern, particularly for the increasing number of elderly and disabled prisoners.
- Inadequate access to purposeful activity, with long waits for courses and a lack of accredited qualifications, hinders prisoner progression and resettlement.
- Staffing reductions, due to detached duty and sickness, have negatively impacted the delivery of core services, including key worker sessions and mandatory drug testing.
Channings Wood
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 533
Assaults: 141
Staff assaults: 12
HMP Channings Wood has navigated a challenging year following the closure of HMP Dartmoor, resulting in significant population changes and regime disruptions. While staff resilience and a downward trend in self-harm and assaults are positive, the prison faces persistent issues with property loss, inadequate infrastructure maintenance, and delays in access to purposeful activity. Concerns also remain regarding the care of an expanding ageing population and the plight of IPP prisoners.
Key concerns identified
- The disruptive effects of the HMP Dartmoor closure, including changes to the estate, redistribution of work roles, and pressure on activities and resettlement, have created a very challenging period.
- The persistent backlog in repairs to roofing, heating systems, and work-related equipment continues to adversely affect decency and purposeful activity.
- Missing property, especially on transfer, remains a significant and unresolved issue, causing distress and undermining trust.
- The long-term segregation of a prisoner on a 'dirty protest' highlights the lack of alternative solutions for managing challenging behaviour.
- Excessive waiting times for opticians and psychologists, particularly for VP group sessions (38 weeks), indicate gaps in healthcare provision.
- The absence of a national strategy for an expanding ageing prisoner population means local initiatives are insufficient to adequately meet needs, leading to unacceptable social care provision.
- Prisoners serving IPP sentences experience hopelessness, frustration, and poor mental health due to difficulties in progression and the lack of a resentencing exercise.
- Purposeful activity is undermined by instructor shortages and ageing, prone-to-failure infrastructure, preventing the 75% participation target from being met.
- The persistent backlog in repairs to roofing, heating systems, and work-related equipment continues to adversely affect decency and purposeful activity.
- Missing property, especially on transfer, remains a significant and unresolved issue, causing distress and undermining trust.
- The long-term segregation of a prisoner on a 'dirty protest' highlights the lack of alternative solutions for managing challenging behaviour.
- Excessive waiting times for opticians and psychologists, particularly for VP group sessions (38 weeks), indicate gaps in healthcare provision.
- The absence of a national strategy for an expanding ageing prisoner population means local initiatives are insufficient to adequately meet needs, leading to unacceptable social care provision.
- Prisoners serving IPP sentences experience hopelessness, frustration, and poor mental health due to difficulties in progression and the lack of a resentencing exercise.
- Purposeful activity is undermined by instructor shortages and ageing, prone-to-failure infrastructure, preventing the 75% participation target from being met.
Channings Wood
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 509
Assaults: 123
Staff assaults: 3
HMP Channings Wood, a Category C prison, faces significant challenges due to overcrowding, impacting safety, regime stability, and the delivery of purposeful activity. Self-harm and assaults have risen, and the Board remains concerned about drug availability and the inappropriate use of segregation for mental health cases. Persistent issues with property loss on transfer and delays in estate repairs further exacerbate prisoner conditions, alongside ongoing staffing shortages that hinder key work and offender management.
Key concerns identified
- The adverse consequences of overcrowding, impacting safety, purposeful activity, and regime stability.
- Increasing levels of self-harm and assaults, especially serious assaults, linked to the availability of illicit items, particularly drugs.
- The unacceptable use of the segregation unit as a place of safety for prisoners with acute mental health problems awaiting specialist transfers.
- Persistent issues with property loss during transfers, causing significant frustration and an avoidable expense despite new policies.
- Substandard and delayed repairs to the ageing prison estate and equipment, negatively affecting decency standards and access to purposeful activity.
- Insufficient provision for the increasingly ageing prisoner population, including a lack of suitable accommodation and tailored regimes.
- Increasing levels of self-harm and assaults, especially serious assaults, linked to the availability of illicit items, particularly drugs.
- The unacceptable use of the segregation unit as a place of safety for prisoners with acute mental health problems awaiting specialist transfers.
- Persistent issues with property loss during transfers, causing significant frustration and an avoidable expense despite new policies.
- Substandard and delayed repairs to the ageing prison estate and equipment, negatively affecting decency standards and access to purposeful activity.
- Insufficient provision for the increasingly ageing prisoner population, including a lack of suitable accommodation and tailored regimes.
Channings Wood
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 306
Assaults: 74
Staff assaults: 29
HMP Channings Wood reported a largely settled year (Sept 2021-Aug 2022) despite a gradual return to a near-normal regime after Covid-19 restrictions. While self-harm incidents reduced by 17% and total assaults remained similar to the previous year, the use of force increased by 27%. Key concerns highlighted include the persistent challenges in mental healthcare, specifically accessing specialist placements, the ongoing issue of lost prisoner property during transfers, and the ineffectiveness of the key worker scheme in supporting sentence progression. The Board commended efforts in E&D, chaplaincy, and health and wellbeing initiatives while noting that many cells and showers need refurbishment.
Key concerns identified
- The persistent difficulty in providing adequate care for prisoners with complex mental health needs, particularly accessing specialist secure accommodation.
- The ongoing failure of the Prison Service to ensure reliable delivery of prisoners’ property, especially during transfers.
- The insufficiency and ineffectiveness of the key worker system, hindering sentence progression and access to offender management.
- The variability and poor condition of residential services, with many cells and showers requiring refurbishment.
- The poorer induction experience for prisoners arriving late on Fridays.
- HMIP's finding that self-harm incidents are above average for comparator prisons, despite a reduction in incidents this year.
- The ongoing failure of the Prison Service to ensure reliable delivery of prisoners’ property, especially during transfers.
- The insufficiency and ineffectiveness of the key worker system, hindering sentence progression and access to offender management.
- The variability and poor condition of residential services, with many cells and showers requiring refurbishment.
- The poorer induction experience for prisoners arriving late on Fridays.
- HMIP's finding that self-harm incidents are above average for comparator prisons, despite a reduction in incidents this year.
Channings Wood
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 370
Assaults: 106
HMP Channings Wood maintained a largely settled environment during a challenging year of Covid-19 restrictions, with notable reductions in self-harm, assaults, and substance misuse. The prison adapted its healthcare and education provisions effectively, earning commendations from Ofsted and HM Inspectorate of Probation for education and resettlement services respectively. However, significant concerns persist regarding staffing shortages impacting key worker schemes and offender management, the backlog in offending behaviour programmes, and ongoing issues with property transfers and resettlement accommodation.
Key concerns identified
- Significant backlog in offending behaviour programmes impacting parole hearings.
- Persistent issues with the inefficient and insecure movement and storage of prisoners' property during transfers.
- A temporary gap in Listener provision on Mains wings due to staff shortages and lack of training.
- Delays in mental health transfers to secure accommodation and reduced availability of GP appointments.
- Staffing shortages severely hindering Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) and key worker delivery.
- Major concerns regarding the provision of suitable resettlement accommodation and the effectiveness of the new probation model for housing.
- Persistent issues with the inefficient and insecure movement and storage of prisoners' property during transfers.
- A temporary gap in Listener provision on Mains wings due to staff shortages and lack of training.
- Delays in mental health transfers to secure accommodation and reduced availability of GP appointments.
- Staffing shortages severely hindering Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) and key worker delivery.
- Major concerns regarding the provision of suitable resettlement accommodation and the effectiveness of the new probation model for housing.
Channings Wood
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 477
Assaults: 122
Staff assaults: 52
This IMB annual report for HMP Channings Wood (September 2019 – August 2020) highlights the significant impact of COVID-19 restrictions. The Board commends staff for maintaining a safe and well-run prison, noting reductions in assaults and ACCT cases, and improvements in education and complaint handling. However, key concerns persist regarding the detrimental effect of COVID-19 on prisoners' mental health and self-harm, unacceptably long delays in mental health transfers, the poor condition of the prison estate, and inefficient management of prisoners' property during transfers.
Key concerns identified
- The impact of COVID-19 on prisoners’ mental health and the continued high incidence of self-harm leading to ACCT placements.
- Significant and increasing delays in transferring prisoners with serious mental health conditions to secure psychiatric hospitals, especially when requiring placement outside the local NHS Trust area.
- The poor physical state of the accommodation, including inadequate and lacking-in-privacy showers, with remedial work being persistently delayed.
- The ongoing inability of the Prison Service and its contractors to efficiently and securely manage prisoners’ property during transfers, causing distress and costs.
- Slower than desired progress in further reducing self-harm incidents and the availability of psychoactive substances within the prison.
- The extensive hours prisoners spend locked in their cells due to regime restrictions, and the potential negative impact on their mental health.
- Significant and increasing delays in transferring prisoners with serious mental health conditions to secure psychiatric hospitals, especially when requiring placement outside the local NHS Trust area.
- The poor physical state of the accommodation, including inadequate and lacking-in-privacy showers, with remedial work being persistently delayed.
- The ongoing inability of the Prison Service and its contractors to efficiently and securely manage prisoners’ property during transfers, causing distress and costs.
- Slower than desired progress in further reducing self-harm incidents and the availability of psychoactive substances within the prison.
- The extensive hours prisoners spend locked in their cells due to regime restrictions, and the potential negative impact on their mental health.