IMB Annual Reports

bullet The Board is seriously concerned about the cuts to the education budget, particularly in a prison serving 18-27-year-old young men, for whom access to education is critical to improving their long-term life chances.
bullet In 2025, the prison started to receive life-sentenced prisoners. The Board observed that there was little appropriate provision for education and training for prisoners starting a life sentence.
bullet Why is force used disproportionately against black prisoners and why are the numbers of black prisoners affected by Pava disproportionately high?
bullet We have continued to report that there are still serious problems with the loss of prisoner property or delays in its receipt on transfer, as shown by the number of applications we received on the issue during 2025.
bullet Prisoners frequently raise the issue that they are unable to see their family because of the distance families have to travel, and are unable to get transfers to prisons closer to home.
bullet Levels of violence on the Growth spur were consistently high throughout 2025 - the highest of any spur - and accounted for 20% of violent incidents.

bullet The increased number of assaults on both prisoners and staff.
bullet Drugs, mobile devices and weapons continuing to be readily available.
bullet The lack of security and searching at the main gate.
bullet Insufficient number of available activity places, which support progress towards successful rehabilitation.
bullet The introduction of early release schemes to manage the national capacity crisis in prisons at relatively short notice meant that many men left Hindley unprepared for their release.

bullet In relation to Richmond and Plymouth, the Board asks what the plan is for these buildings – keep them going at any cost, some form of replacement programme or is there no plan in place?
bullet Across the female estate an increasing number of women are experiencing crisis associated with serious mental illness. They need treatment in a specialist hospital setting.
bullet An increasingly complex group of women with more serious risk profiles are being transferred to a prison with no cellular accommodation.
bullet The staffing establishment was set at a time when the prison was very different than today. This situation needs to be addressed at a strategic level.
bullet Property is a systemic problem across the prison services: digital solutions have proved effective in improving this situation.
bullet The Board is interested in the plan to increase the number and quality of keywork sessions.

- Staffing levels are frequently under pressure, disrupting regime and impacting prisoner welfare, violence, and mental health.
- Inconsistent provision of activities and education, compounded by over-stretched staffing, high remand population, and budget cuts.
- A significant increase (28%) in illicit substance finds, linked to increased 'code blue' incidents, violence, and poor prisoner health.
- Late delivery of prisoners by SERCO contractors, causing staff to work late and impacting welfare.
- The total number of self-harm incidents (784) remains high and is the highest in its comparator group.
- Assaults on staff (148) and prisoner-on-prisoner assaults (273) remain high compared to other similar prisons.
- The use of force incidents (960) is 40% higher than the comparator group average.
- Accommodation is overcrowded and dilapidated, with most single cells housing two inmates, and significant building repair delays (e.g., CSU, control room).
- The Care and Separation Unit (CSU) capacity is frequently reduced due to cells being out of action, and it is inappropriately used for prisoners in acute mental health crisis.
- Healthcare complaints increased, and doctor visits to the CSU did not meet required frequencies.
- The high proportion of men on remand (over 70%) affects participation in purposeful activity and contributes to churn.
- Resettlement planning is under pressure from early release schemes and high caseloads for staff.

- Violence, including prisoner-on-prisoner and staff assaults, increased markedly during the year.
- There is a disproportionate use of PAVA spray on black prisoners, who are also over-represented in violence metrics, with underlying causes unclear.
- Emergency cell bells are not being answered within the required five minutes, particularly during peak times, posing a safety risk.
- The general standard of cleanliness, especially in serveries, remains poor, with dirty food remains left overnight.
- Prisoners with serious mental health problems are held in the Segregation Unit for extended periods, awaiting transfer to specialist hospitals.
- Prisoners endure long periods locked in their cells, with those on separate regimes having very limited time out.
- Issues with prisoner property, particularly during transfer, continue to generate a high volume of complaints and IMB applications.

- Overcrowding and dilapidated infrastructure are constant problems, leading to cramped, unhygienic, and unsafe living conditions, with many cells unfit for purpose and maintenance being slow.
- Increased prisoner churn due to early release schemes (ECSL) is overwhelming staff, leading to prisoners being released without adequate preparation and increasing reoffending risk.
- Significant increases in self-harm (47%), prisoner-on-staff assaults (85%), prisoner-on-prisoner assaults (35%), and use of force (43%), indicating an unsafe environment.
- Persistent staff shortages, especially in healthcare (47% vacancy rate), impacting timely access to care, and the inexperience of new officers affecting de-escalation.
- Mental health patients face significant delays (exceeding 28 days) for transfers to specialist facilities, with the CSU often used to manage those in crisis despite staff lacking specialist training.
- Low time out of cell (around 1.5 hours daily for many) and high unemployment (38%) among prisoners contribute to boredom and challenging behaviour, with only 55% receiving regular key worker sessions.
- The mandatory GP visits to the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) every 72 hours were not met several times, including for entire weeks/months.
- Limited resources and support for remand prisoners released directly from court, increasing their risk of reoffending.

- The continued detention of IPP prisoners long after they have served the punitive part of their sentences is inhumane, with no courses, programmes or psychological support to help them progress towards release.
- The congestion and delays in the criminal justice system are straining prison resources by causing an influx of short-sentence prisoners and reducing the availability of low-risk orderlies.
- The prison is overcrowded, with 9.3% of prisoners held in single cells doubled-up for two, lacking adequate privacy and personal space.
- Drugs remain rife due to inadequate physical barriers (netting, windows) and insufficient support for prisoners to give up substance misuse.
- The housing crisis and shortage of approved premises mean approximately half of released prisoners face homelessness and rough sleeping.
- There are not enough training and education places available, with only about 400 places for over 1,000 prisoners.
- The prison has few facilities for disabled prisoners, poor wheelchair access, and long distances between wings and facilities.

- The prison is not safe enough, with increasing prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff assaults, a rise in self-harm, in-cell fires, and significant weapons finds, influenced by readily available illegal drugs and inexperienced staff.
- Insufficient oversight and accountability for custody officers, particularly concerning the use of force, with a culture not focused on prisoner needs and support.
- The Care and Separation Unit (CSU) is overused, with too many prisoners segregated for long or very long periods without effective reintegration plans or meaningful regimes, including vulnerable ACCT prisoners.
- A lack of meaningful education programmes, full-time work, and structured on-wing activity has led to prisoners spending long periods in their cells.
- The prison complaints system was not fully effective, with significant delays or failures to respond to prisoners' written submissions and Discrimination Incident Reporting Forms (DIRFs).
- Poor living conditions persisted for the majority of the year, with the prison often filthy, strewn with rubbish, and lacking access to cleaning materials for prisoners.
- Healthcare services are under great pressure, with provision delivered to a lower standard than in the community, exacerbated by staff shortages for escorts and a lack of support for prisoners in crisis and at risk of self-harm.
- There is no dedicated resettlement staff or provision for housing support, and a failure to provide sufficient offender behaviour programmes and drug treatment courses compromises prisoner progression and risk reduction.

- Marked increases in violence (prisoner-on-prisoner assaults +31%, prisoner-on-staff assaults +66%) and self-harm incidents (+40%) compared to the previous year.
- Persistent issues with cleanliness, particularly in serveries and first-night cells, and unaddressed cell bells.
- A notable increase in Segregation Unit placements, alongside a critical lack of data on protected characteristics and difficulty for the Board to attend GOoD reviews.
- Loss of prisoner property remains a significant and repeated problem, exacerbated by an unreliable manual, paper-based system.
- Staffing levels, particularly the high number of 'ineffective' staff, continue to negatively impact regime delivery, including access to education, healthcare, and faith services.
- The limited range of accredited rehabilitation programmes at HMP/YOI Isis necessitates transfers for prisoners requiring other courses, while broken cell windows remain largely unfixed.

- The prison is in the midst of a crisis caused by the ready availability of a particularly pernicious form of Spice laced with Fentanyl, leading to common Code Blues and five drug-related deaths in custody.
- Staffing levels are a major concern, particularly as the number of prisoners increases, with continued loss of experienced officers and new recruits having to go straight to the front line.
- Education programmes have not improved due to lack of investment, with 50% of workshops standing empty due to the lack of instructors or meaningful activities.
- A major concern is the conversion of single cells to doubles, and the total lack of any form of privacy and storage capacity for personal property, which needs to be monitored.
- Significant delays and cancellations of hospital appointments have worsened due to a lack of escorts, impacting prisoners' health and wellbeing.
- It is disappointing that the prison fails to provide Release on Temporary License (ROTL) opportunities despite prisoners waiting for Category D transfer and local company interest.

- The high rate of violence, particularly on the induction spur, remains a significant concern.
- Insufficient time out of cell, especially in the evenings and at weekends, limits access to rehabilitation activities.
- Persistent staffing shortages across all departments undermine key work delivery, offender management, and overall regime provision.
- The ongoing issue of badly fitting and broken cell windows, which remains unresolved since the prison opened.
- Significant increases in reported drug use incidents and other contraband finds, including mobile phones and weapons.
- Poor provision and underutilisation of vocational training and purposeful activity spaces, hindering prisoners' progression and resettlement.
- Backlogs in OASys reports and prisoner recategorisation, exacerbated by high prisoner churn and short sentences.
- The lack of accredited offending behaviour programmes to address issues such as domestic abuse or violence.

- Staffing crisis, including high turnover and inexperience.
- Overcrowding and regime restrictions in the segregation unit.
- Poor mental health provision, long waits for secure hospital transfers, and the holding of acutely unwell prisoners in segregation.
- Inadequate food provision and catering issues.
- Lack of purposeful activity and reliance on in-cell education.
- The perceived undervaluation and restriction of chaplaincy services.
- The inability of the Bridge Unit to function effectively due to segregation overflow.

- The Minister is required to deliver the long-promised policy framework for handling prisoners’ property.
- The Prison Service needs to publish the new property policy framework referred to in the response to the 2020 annual report.
- Prisons receiving prisoners from the courts should be required to complete an OASys report before transfer to Isis.
- Arrangements need to be in place to allow category D prisoners to move to category D prisons without undue delay.
- The Prison Service should support Isis to find a long-term solution to the broken cell windows.
- The prison needs to reinstate an induction programme for new arrivals as soon as Covid-19 measures allow.
- The Governor should work proactively with education and vocational training providers to drive up engagement and motivation.

- The continued detention of prisoners with enduring mental health problems or personality disorders in an unsuitable prison environment.
- The slow and ineffective centralised recruitment process for prison officers, leading to understaffing.
- The failure of HMPPS to publish the long-promised prisoners' property policy framework, leading to ongoing loss of property for transferring prisoners.
- The severe and prolonged restricted regime due to COVID-19, with prisoners spending excessive time in cells and limited purposeful activity, impacting wellbeing and rehabilitation.
- The lack of COVID-19 testing for prisoners before transfer into Isis, leading to positive cases upon arrival and risk of infection spread.
- Education provision largely relying on in-cell packs, with many prisoners being released without gaining accredited qualifications due to the inability to arrange examinations.
- The need to focus violence reduction initiatives on the increasing number of young adults and address the incidence of bullying.
- Poor communication within the Offender Management Unit regarding sentence planning, recategorisation, and transfers, exacerbated by staffing vacancies.

- The IMB's ability to conduct full monitoring was impacted by remote working restrictions.
- Extended lockdowns due to COVID-19 are having detrimental effects on prisoners' rehabilitation, progression, and physical and mental health.
- Deterioration of the prison estate, particularly wings A-D, due to a lack of investment, despite ongoing fire safety works.
- Challenges in recruiting and retaining IMB members, exacerbated by COVID-19.
- Lack of adequate resources and progression opportunities for long-term IPP prisoners.
- Ongoing issues with managing prisoner property, including losses in transit.
- The closure of self-catering facilities in March 2020 remains a concern for its justification after six months.
- Poor physical conditions and limited regimes in the Segregation and Progression Unit (SAPU), with concerns about excessive lengths of stay for some prisoners.

- High prisoner-on-staff assaults and use of force incidents remain a problem.
- The ACCT process is conceptually flawed, procedurally weak, and not considered 'fit for purpose'.
- Persistent issue of prisoners being released with no fixed accommodation.
- The mental health team's focus on assessments over wider group work and collaboration.
- Unfit physical conditions and limited activity opportunities for prisoners in the Segregation Unit.
- Slow and inconsistent repairs to the Victorian estate infrastructure, indicating a lack of corporate commitment to maintenance.
- Inconsistent application and perceived unfairness of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme.

- The over-reliance on the segregation unit due to a lack of appropriate alternative accommodation, leading to continuous regime restrictions and long periods of confinement.
- A significant increase in violence and self-harm incidents, including prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff assaults, and a 31% rise in ACCT cases.
- The lamentable performance in delivering basic education programs, with 52% of classes cancelled due to staff shortages.
- Persistent issues with the management and transfer of prisoner property between establishments, causing significant anxiety.
- The failure to fully establish the key worker scheme, hindering its potential positive impact on staff-prisoner relationships and progression.
- Inadequate provision for older and disabled prisoners, as well as poor facilities for families visiting, including lack of hot food and safe play areas for children.