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.
Chelmsford
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 848
Assaults: 203
Staff assaults: 143
HMP Chelmsford, a Category B local prison, reported three deaths in custody and a 4% reduction in self-harm incidents, though the total of 848 remains high. Operational capacity was 660, with 71% of the population being unsentenced, and overcrowding remains a significant concern, especially in the older Victorian wings. The prison saw a decrease in prisoner-on-staff violence but an increase in prisoner-on-prisoner violence and consistently high use of force incidents. Challenges persist with mental health provision due to a lack of specialist beds, property safeguarding, and staff conduct, while the Launchpad platform and improved dentistry services were positive developments.
Key concerns identified
- Overcrowding: The root cause of many issues, with prisoners sharing cells designed for one.
- Mental Health Care: Lack of secure specialist unit beds leads to severely unwell prisoners remaining in local healthcare units, impacting staff and the general population.
- Property Safeguarding: Serious concerns about processes for safeguarding prisoners' property, particularly during internal moves, often leading to items being misplaced or lost.
- Staff Conduct: A high number of complaints about staff, mainly concerning verbal abuse, poor attitude, harassment, bullying, and inappropriate language, including potentially racist language.
- Use of Force: HMP Chelmsford has one of the highest national rates for use of force incidents when prisoners fail to follow instructions, with an increase in incidents not involving full control and restraint.
- Regime and Activity Access: Inconsistent access to purposeful activity, including education and gym, due to staff shortages, roll-call issues, and the need for training participants to sacrifice gym time, contradicting the focus on positive outcomes.
- Estate and Maintenance: Persistent issues with the old Victorian wings, damp cells, and chronic unreliability of the central laundry boiler, leading to unhygienic conditions and operational disruptions.
- Transfer Disruptions: The practice of forcibly transferring prisoners to other establishments just days before release, to create space for new arrivals, is highly disruptive and distressing.
- Internal Complaints System: Anomalies in the Comp 1 complaints system mean prisoners often don't know if their complaint has been received, and healthcare complaint forms are not consistently available.
- Mental Health Care: Lack of secure specialist unit beds leads to severely unwell prisoners remaining in local healthcare units, impacting staff and the general population.
- Property Safeguarding: Serious concerns about processes for safeguarding prisoners' property, particularly during internal moves, often leading to items being misplaced or lost.
- Staff Conduct: A high number of complaints about staff, mainly concerning verbal abuse, poor attitude, harassment, bullying, and inappropriate language, including potentially racist language.
- Use of Force: HMP Chelmsford has one of the highest national rates for use of force incidents when prisoners fail to follow instructions, with an increase in incidents not involving full control and restraint.
- Regime and Activity Access: Inconsistent access to purposeful activity, including education and gym, due to staff shortages, roll-call issues, and the need for training participants to sacrifice gym time, contradicting the focus on positive outcomes.
- Estate and Maintenance: Persistent issues with the old Victorian wings, damp cells, and chronic unreliability of the central laundry boiler, leading to unhygienic conditions and operational disruptions.
- Transfer Disruptions: The practice of forcibly transferring prisoners to other establishments just days before release, to create space for new arrivals, is highly disruptive and distressing.
- Internal Complaints System: Anomalies in the Comp 1 complaints system mean prisoners often don't know if their complaint has been received, and healthcare complaint forms are not consistently available.
Chelmsford
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 884
Assaults: 195
Staff assaults: 167
HMP Chelmsford, a category B local prison, faced significant challenges during the reporting year ending August 2024, particularly with overcrowding affecting 69% of its population and leading to poor conditions in older wings. While the prison saw a reduction in self-harm incidents towards the end of the year and staff were commended for managing gym facilities, use of force incidents increased, and access to healthcare remained a major concern with substantial waiting times. Processes for safeguarding prisoner property and approving telephone PINs were consistently problematic, hindering rehabilitation and family contact, although the introduction of the Launchpad system was a notable success.
Key concerns identified
- Overcrowding, with 69% of prisoners sharing single cells, contributing to damp and mouldy conditions in the Victorian wings.
- Poor processes for safeguarding prisoners' property, particularly during internal transfers, leading to significant losses and lack of accountability.
- Significant challenges in accessing healthcare, including lengthy waiting lists for opticians and general practitioners, and delays in mental health transfers.
- The continued high level and increase in use of force incidents.
- Haphazard and delayed awarding of educational and work qualifications, alongside limited meaningful activity for some prisoners.
- Slow and unsatisfactory telephone PIN approval processes, hindering essential family contact.
- Poor processes for safeguarding prisoners' property, particularly during internal transfers, leading to significant losses and lack of accountability.
- Significant challenges in accessing healthcare, including lengthy waiting lists for opticians and general practitioners, and delays in mental health transfers.
- The continued high level and increase in use of force incidents.
- Haphazard and delayed awarding of educational and work qualifications, alongside limited meaningful activity for some prisoners.
- Slow and unsatisfactory telephone PIN approval processes, hindering essential family contact.
Chelmsford
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 980
Assaults: 227
Staff assaults: 169
HMP Chelmsford is a Category B local prison that faces significant challenges, particularly with overcrowding where 49% of prisoners share single cells, and an increasing use of force attributed to inexperienced staff. While positive developments include improved staff-prisoner interactions and an increase in key worker sessions, persistent issues like inadequate property safeguarding, frequent missed healthcare appointments due to officer shortages, and difficulties in transferring mentally ill prisoners require urgent attention. The IMB highlights these concerns and makes recommendations to the Minister, Prison Service, and Governor to address systemic failings.
Key concerns identified
- Overcrowding, with 49% of prisoners sharing single cells, contravening decency standards.
- Inadequate safeguarding processes for prisoners’ property, especially during internal transfers.
- A high level of use of force, attributed to inexperienced staff and rigid-bar handcuffs.
- Significant difficulty transferring prisoners with serious mental health issues to appropriate community facilities due to a lack of beds.
- Frequent missed healthcare appointments due to a shortage of movement officers.
- Patchy availability of complaint forms, with officers sometimes showing little interest in replenishing them.
- Challenges in maintaining separation between vulnerable and non-vulnerable prisoners on B wing.
- A library photocopier remaining broken for a year, impacting services.
- The unsatisfactory handling of Prisoner P's release by the Home Office, leaving him with no support.
- Inadequate safeguarding processes for prisoners’ property, especially during internal transfers.
- A high level of use of force, attributed to inexperienced staff and rigid-bar handcuffs.
- Significant difficulty transferring prisoners with serious mental health issues to appropriate community facilities due to a lack of beds.
- Frequent missed healthcare appointments due to a shortage of movement officers.
- Patchy availability of complaint forms, with officers sometimes showing little interest in replenishing them.
- Challenges in maintaining separation between vulnerable and non-vulnerable prisoners on B wing.
- A library photocopier remaining broken for a year, impacting services.
- The unsatisfactory handling of Prisoner P's release by the Home Office, leaving him with no support.
Chelmsford
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 836
Assaults: 241
Staff assaults: 177
HMP Chelmsford, a category B local prison, showed mixed performance in the reporting year ending August 2022. While levels of violence and self-harm decreased, and there were no deaths in custody, significant concerns persist regarding overcrowding (49% of prisoners sharing single cells) and long-standing issues with lost prisoner property. Staff shortages heavily impacted healthcare appointments, purposeful activity, and key worker effectiveness, contributing to many prisoners spending extended periods locked in cells.
Key concerns identified
- Overcrowding, with 49% of prisoners sharing single cells designed for one.
- Persistent issues with prisoners' property being lost or delayed, a concern voiced over many years.
- High levels of self-harm incidents (836 cases) and violence remain, exacerbated by insufficient time out of cell and intermittent security searches.
- Frequent missed healthcare appointments (dentistry, GPs) due to staff shortages, compounded by a non-operational lift in healthcare restricting access for mobility-impaired prisoners.
- Low uptake and attendance at education, work, and activities due to staff shortages and lack of escorting officers, leading to many prisoners spending excessive time in cells.
- Poor key worker compliance (3%) due to low staffing levels and staff being diverted to other duties.
- Persistent issues with prisoners' property being lost or delayed, a concern voiced over many years.
- High levels of self-harm incidents (836 cases) and violence remain, exacerbated by insufficient time out of cell and intermittent security searches.
- Frequent missed healthcare appointments (dentistry, GPs) due to staff shortages, compounded by a non-operational lift in healthcare restricting access for mobility-impaired prisoners.
- Low uptake and attendance at education, work, and activities due to staff shortages and lack of escorting officers, leading to many prisoners spending excessive time in cells.
- Poor key worker compliance (3%) due to low staffing levels and staff being diverted to other duties.
Chelmsford
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 787
Assaults: 259
Staff assaults: 246
HMP/YOI Chelmsford, a Category B local prison, faced significant challenges during a reporting year heavily impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, leading to a restricted regime with limited purposeful activity and prolonged cell confinement. Key concerns included persistent overcrowding, a severe rat infestation, and substantial delays in handling prisoner complaints and property issues. The prison also struggled with staffing shortages, particularly affecting the key worker scheme and healthcare provision, alongside high self-harm rates and increased assaults on staff.
Key concerns identified
- Four deaths in custody and a high number of self-harm incidents, with criticisms regarding support for at-risk prisoners.
- Persistent bullying, debt, and gang activity as underlying causes of much of the violence.
- An unacceptable infestation of rats in the older parts of the prison (A-D wings).
- Excessive time taken for the prison to deal with complaints and issues with safeguarding prisoners’ property.
- Overcrowding, with over 70% of prisoners sharing cells designed for one person, contravening decency standards.
- Long waiting times for dental appointments, insufficient psychiatric support, and difficulties in transferring mental health prisoners to appropriate establishments.
- Fewer opportunities for purposeful activity and often understaffed areas due to lockdowns.
- Persistent bullying, debt, and gang activity as underlying causes of much of the violence.
- An unacceptable infestation of rats in the older parts of the prison (A-D wings).
- Excessive time taken for the prison to deal with complaints and issues with safeguarding prisoners’ property.
- Overcrowding, with over 70% of prisoners sharing cells designed for one person, contravening decency standards.
- Long waiting times for dental appointments, insufficient psychiatric support, and difficulties in transferring mental health prisoners to appropriate establishments.
- Fewer opportunities for purposeful activity and often understaffed areas due to lockdowns.
Chelmsford
PRISON
Concerns
Assaults: 305
Staff assaults: 163
HMP/YOI Chelmsford experienced a challenging year, with the latter half dominated by a restrictive COVID-19 lockdown which successfully prevented prisoner infections but curtailed regime activities. The Board raised significant concerns including overcrowding, the poor condition of A-wing, insufficient post-release accommodation, and issues with equality and mental health provision. Despite these failings, often attributed to government policy, the Board commended staff dedication and professionalism.
Key concerns identified
- The poor condition of A-wing, particularly the segregation unit, which needs major refurbishment.
- Overcrowding, with 288 of 690 prisoners in shared cells, contravening decency and UN minimum standards.
- The lack of permanent accommodation for prisoners on release, with only 28% having an offer by year-end.
- Insufficiently proactive maintenance by Gov Facility Services Limited (GFSL) for essential equipment.
- Equality not being given a sufficiently high priority, with the equalities sub-group not meeting regularly.
- The use of healthcare beds to house prisoners with significant mental health problems better suited for other institutions.
- Three deaths in custody, with a repeated PPO criticism regarding ACCT assessments focusing too much on presentation over known risk factors.
- Overcrowding, with 288 of 690 prisoners in shared cells, contravening decency and UN minimum standards.
- The lack of permanent accommodation for prisoners on release, with only 28% having an offer by year-end.
- Insufficiently proactive maintenance by Gov Facility Services Limited (GFSL) for essential equipment.
- Equality not being given a sufficiently high priority, with the equalities sub-group not meeting regularly.
- The use of healthcare beds to house prisoners with significant mental health problems better suited for other institutions.
- Three deaths in custody, with a repeated PPO criticism regarding ACCT assessments focusing too much on presentation over known risk factors.