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.
Full Sutton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 410
Assaults: 53
Staff assaults: 42
HMP Full Sutton is a high-security dispersal prison accommodating male prisoners in category A and category B. As of 31 December 2025, the number of prisoners held was 580. The Board’s observations reflected those of the previous report, with HMP Full Sutton continuing to be a safe and generally calm prison.
Key concerns identified
bullet rising incidences of prisoners under the influence of suspected illicit substances and reduced drugs testing activity
- bullet lack of dedicated mental health provision for the segregation unit
- bullet disproportionate number of evening lockdowns that the CSC and STEP units have endured
- bullet lack of dedicated mental health provision for the segregation unit
- bullet disproportionate number of evening lockdowns that the CSC and STEP units have endured
Full Sutton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 494
Assaults: 52
Staff assaults: 80
HMP Full Sutton, a high-security prison, maintained a generally calm environment in 2024 despite significant challenges posed by daily staff shortages, which led to rotational lockdowns and impacted regime delivery. The report highlights a concerning increase in serious assaults on staff and self-harm incidents. New healthcare contracts resulted in an unacceptable deterioration in prisoner access to services, especially mental health, while insufficient work opportunities and delays in new workshops remained key issues.
Key concerns identified
- Daily staff shortages and high sickness levels led to rotational lockdowns, limiting regime delivery and impacting services.
- There was a significant increase in serious assaults on staff and an overall rise in self-harm incidents.
- The segregation unit roll remained consistently high, restricting regime provision and creating transfer challenges.
- New healthcare contracts significantly hindered prisoners' access to services, particularly impacting mental health provision in segregation.
- Insufficient work and education opportunities persisted, exacerbated by delays in opening planned workshops.
- Concerns were raised regarding the training of new staff and their confidence in communicating with prisoners.
- There was a significant increase in serious assaults on staff and an overall rise in self-harm incidents.
- The segregation unit roll remained consistently high, restricting regime provision and creating transfer challenges.
- New healthcare contracts significantly hindered prisoners' access to services, particularly impacting mental health provision in segregation.
- Insufficient work and education opportunities persisted, exacerbated by delays in opening planned workshops.
- Concerns were raised regarding the training of new staff and their confidence in communicating with prisoners.
Full Sutton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 371
Assaults: 52
Staff assaults: 67
HMP Full Sutton, a Category A and B high-security prison, operated with a population of 584 against an operational capacity of 594 at the end of 2023. The Board found it generally calm and well-managed, but tight staffing levels led to widespread rotational lockdowns, impacting purposeful activity and time out of cell. Key concerns include increased self-harm and violence, reduced drug testing capacity, and insufficient work opportunities, alongside delays in property distribution and a psychologist shortfall.
Key concerns identified
- Tight staffing levels led to continued rotational lockdowns and prisoners spending more time in cells, affecting education and work attendance.
- There was an increase in incidents of violence between prisoners and assaults on staff, particularly in the segregation unit.
- The number of self-harm incidents rose significantly, involving complex prisoners.
- Drug testing capacity remained reduced, and higher levels of testing could be achieved.
- Insufficient work opportunities led to 23% of eligible prisoners being unemployed, and long-planned woodworking workshops failed to open.
- Delays in searching and distributing new prisoners' property caused waits of up to seven weeks.
- There was a shortfall in qualified psychologists, restricting consultancy time in discrete units.
- Some cell and shower recess areas remained in poor condition.
- There was an increase in incidents of violence between prisoners and assaults on staff, particularly in the segregation unit.
- The number of self-harm incidents rose significantly, involving complex prisoners.
- Drug testing capacity remained reduced, and higher levels of testing could be achieved.
- Insufficient work opportunities led to 23% of eligible prisoners being unemployed, and long-planned woodworking workshops failed to open.
- Delays in searching and distributing new prisoners' property caused waits of up to seven weeks.
- There was a shortfall in qualified psychologists, restricting consultancy time in discrete units.
- Some cell and shower recess areas remained in poor condition.
Full Sutton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 206
Assaults: 35
Staff assaults: 38
This report for HMP Full Sutton (Jan-Dec 2022) highlights persistent staff shortages, which led to regime lockdowns and reduced time out of cell. Despite these challenges, the prison maintained a safe and humane environment, showing improvements in education and complaint handling. Key concerns include drug testing levels, inconsistent equalities meetings, and the ongoing development of the STEP unit, with a shortfall in psychological and nursing staff also noted.
Key concerns identified
- The continuing need to develop the STEP unit and clarify its role in breaking the cycle of segregation.
- Inconsistent holding of equalities meetings and a limited focus on equality matters.
- Drug testing levels remaining low, with a large proportion of expected tests not being carried out.
- A significant shortfall in qualified psychologists affecting consultancy, parole, and Category A reporting.
- A gap in suitable offending behaviour programmes, particularly for violence reduction, impacting prisoner progression.
- The failure to introduce Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous groups, initially planned for 2021.
- Inconsistent holding of equalities meetings and a limited focus on equality matters.
- Drug testing levels remaining low, with a large proportion of expected tests not being carried out.
- A significant shortfall in qualified psychologists affecting consultancy, parole, and Category A reporting.
- A gap in suitable offending behaviour programmes, particularly for violence reduction, impacting prisoner progression.
- The failure to introduce Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous groups, initially planned for 2021.
Full Sutton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 144
Assaults: 29
Staff assaults: 30
HMP Full Sutton, a high-security prison, navigated 2021 with constantly changing COVID-19 restrictions, maintaining safety and generally meeting prisoner health needs despite challenges. While the regime ensured basic provisions, purposeful activity and education were severely limited, and staffing was tight, impacting some functions like drug testing and key worker sessions. The Board noted progress in complaint handling and praised the Covid team, but highlighted ongoing concerns regarding work provision, the STEP unit's funding, equality forums, and delays in Category A reviews.
Key concerns identified
- Significant limitations in the provision of meaningful work and breadth of education due to pandemic restrictions and delays in opening new workshops.
- The STEP unit's intended role in breaking the cycle of segregation is not fully realised due to funding issues and a lack of clear referral systems.
- Equality forums and action groups have not resumed, and an advisory group for staff understanding of BAME issues is delayed, contributing to some BAME prisoners feeling treated differently.
- Inconsistent quality and fairness in responses to prisoners' complaints, with a persistent minority of unsatisfactory replies lacking respect or clarity.
- Staffing levels are insufficient to consistently carry out all forms of drug testing (random, suspicion, reception), leading to concerns about staff being deterred from reporting suspicions.
- Delays in Category A reviews due to the pandemic resulted in gaps of up to 18 months for some prisoners.
- A significant minority (43%) of prisoners reported difficulty accessing telephones, impacting family contact.
- The STEP unit's intended role in breaking the cycle of segregation is not fully realised due to funding issues and a lack of clear referral systems.
- Equality forums and action groups have not resumed, and an advisory group for staff understanding of BAME issues is delayed, contributing to some BAME prisoners feeling treated differently.
- Inconsistent quality and fairness in responses to prisoners' complaints, with a persistent minority of unsatisfactory replies lacking respect or clarity.
- Staffing levels are insufficient to consistently carry out all forms of drug testing (random, suspicion, reception), leading to concerns about staff being deterred from reporting suspicions.
- Delays in Category A reviews due to the pandemic resulted in gaps of up to 18 months for some prisoners.
- A significant minority (43%) of prisoners reported difficulty accessing telephones, impacting family contact.
Full Sutton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 125
Assaults: 10
Staff assaults: 34
HMP Full Sutton's IMB report for 2020 highlights the extensive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prison's operations, with significant regime restrictions in place. Despite these challenges, the prison successfully maintained safety, experienced reductions in self-harm and assaults, and generally treated prisoners humanely. However, opportunities for purposeful activity, education, and progression were severely curtailed, and previous recommendations on these issues remain unaddressed due to the pandemic.
Key concerns identified
- The ongoing lack of adequate and meaningful work and education provision, a concern carried forward from previous years.
- Persistent problems with the management and tracking of prisoners' property during transfers between establishments.
- The need to review and clarify the purpose and referral system of the Supporting Transition and Enabling Progression (STEP) unit, which struggled to achieve its aims.
- The unreasonably high cost of telephone calls to mobile phones, hindering prisoners' ability to maintain vital family contact.
- Persistent problems with the management and tracking of prisoners' property during transfers between establishments.
- The need to review and clarify the purpose and referral system of the Supporting Transition and Enabling Progression (STEP) unit, which struggled to achieve its aims.
- The unreasonably high cost of telephone calls to mobile phones, hindering prisoners' ability to maintain vital family contact.