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.
Leicester
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 379
Assaults: 270
HMP Leicester, a busy local male prison, continues to be well-led despite the challenges of an aging Victorian estate and high prisoner turnover. The reporting year saw a positive 33% reduction in self-harm incidents and no deaths in custody, alongside effective intelligence work to intercept illicit items. However, concerns persist regarding an increase in violent incidents, significant delays in mental health transfers, a lack of accommodation for 33% of prisoners on release, and the persistent availability of drugs.
Key concerns identified
- Delays in transferring seriously mentally ill prisoners to secure hospital settings and diversion from prison.
- A significant proportion of prisoners (33%) are released without arranged accommodation.
- Lack of suitable pathways and facilities for prisoners with severe dementia.
- Ineffective resettlement for men on repeated 14-day recalls.
- The persistent availability of illegal drugs within the prison, enabled in part by deteriorating cell windows facilitating drone deliveries.
- A significant proportion of prisoners (33%) are released without arranged accommodation.
- Lack of suitable pathways and facilities for prisoners with severe dementia.
- Ineffective resettlement for men on repeated 14-day recalls.
- The persistent availability of illegal drugs within the prison, enabled in part by deteriorating cell windows facilitating drone deliveries.
Leicester
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 563
HMP Leicester, a busy local prison, continues to be well led despite the challenges of old buildings needing investment and high prisoner churn. While staff-prisoner interactions are positive and resettlement planning is a strength, the Board remains concerned by rising self-harm incidents, delays in mental health transfers, prisoners leaving without accommodation, and deteriorating cell conditions. Key working remains insufficient, and the substance misuse unit is not delivering its full therapeutic regime.
Key concerns identified
- Transfer of seriously mentally ill prisoners
- Men leaving prison without accommodation
- Short-sentence prisoners transferred to prisons some distance away
- Need for significant capital investment
- Provision of meaningful work in workshops
- Induction of vulnerable prisoners and those with additional needs
- More systematic key working
- My Recovery Unit
- Men leaving prison without accommodation
- Short-sentence prisoners transferred to prisons some distance away
- Need for significant capital investment
- Provision of meaningful work in workshops
- Induction of vulnerable prisoners and those with additional needs
- More systematic key working
- My Recovery Unit
Leicester
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 226
Assaults: 49
Staff assaults: 38
HMP Leicester is well-led, maintaining a relatively safe environment with reduced self-harm and assaults on staff, and improved reception facilities. Despite generally good physical and mental healthcare, significant concerns persist regarding long delays for mentally ill prisoners awaiting transfer, which can result in inhumane segregation. Staffing shortages have severely impacted key working and the regime on weekends, while aging infrastructure requires substantial capital investment, particularly for the gym. Resettlement efforts are hindered by a high proportion of men released without accommodation and underdeveloped substance misuse services.
Key concerns identified
- Long delays for seriously mentally ill prisoners awaiting transfer to secure psychiatric care, leading to inhumane treatment in segregation.
- Increasing numbers of remand prisoners awaiting court hearings, with 66 exceeding custody time limits by January 2023.
- A high proportion (40%) of men are released from HMP Leicester without accommodation.
- The viability of the gym, a vital resource, is threatened by a leaking roof, bowing floor, and aging equipment, requiring significant capital investment.
- Substance misuse services are underdeveloped and the 'My Recovery Unit' is not operating as intended, alongside a concerning rise in illegal drug misuse.
- Key working provision remains severely reduced (only 22% of expected hours) due to staff shortages.
- Increasing numbers of remand prisoners awaiting court hearings, with 66 exceeding custody time limits by January 2023.
- A high proportion (40%) of men are released from HMP Leicester without accommodation.
- The viability of the gym, a vital resource, is threatened by a leaking roof, bowing floor, and aging equipment, requiring significant capital investment.
- Substance misuse services are underdeveloped and the 'My Recovery Unit' is not operating as intended, alongside a concerning rise in illegal drug misuse.
- Key working provision remains severely reduced (only 22% of expected hours) due to staff shortages.
Leicester
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 272
Assaults: 49
Staff assaults: 63
HMP Leicester maintained its status as a well-run establishment during the reporting year, demonstrating strong leadership and staff commitment despite ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. Safety remained a high priority, with reductions in violence and self-harm, improved security, and good management of Covid cases. However, the Board raised significant concerns regarding the long waits for mental health transfers, the management of IPP prisoners, and the impact of a high remand population on resettlement, alongside persistent issues with staff recruitment and retention.
Key concerns identified
- The transfer of seriously mentally ill prisoners due to insufficient secure hospital places and long waits.
- The management of prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP), including their recall.
- The new arrangements for resettlement services, particularly the lack of clear specification for remand prisoners.
- The increasing number of prisoners waiting for court hearings, which has led to an 80% reception population and compromises the prison's resettlement function.
- The continued poor performance of Amey Commercial in contract delivery and oversight.
- The re-introduction of key working being critically dependent on addressing issues of staff recruitment and retention.
- The need to prioritise HMP Leicester for the installation of in-cell information technology to support education and purposeful activity.
- The management of prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP), including their recall.
- The new arrangements for resettlement services, particularly the lack of clear specification for remand prisoners.
- The increasing number of prisoners waiting for court hearings, which has led to an 80% reception population and compromises the prison's resettlement function.
- The continued poor performance of Amey Commercial in contract delivery and oversight.
- The re-introduction of key working being critically dependent on addressing issues of staff recruitment and retention.
- The need to prioritise HMP Leicester for the installation of in-cell information technology to support education and purposeful activity.
Leicester
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 455
Assaults: 53
Staff assaults: 54
HMP Leicester is a well-run local male adult prison that maintained strong leadership and an engaged staff during a challenging year of COVID-19 restrictions. Despite prisoners being largely confined to cells for 23 hours daily, the prison saw significant reductions in violence, self-harm, and drug use, partly due to the restricted regime and enhanced security. The Board commended improvements in accommodation, healthcare, and resettlement support for homeless prisoners, though concerns remain regarding long waits for mental health transfers, IPP prisoner progress, and the impact of the ongoing restricted regime.
Key concerns identified
- The Board again has to report that two prisoners experienced long waits for transfer to secure hospital accommodation.
- IPP prisoners were particularly disadvantaged during the lockdown period.
- Lack of long-term accommodation for prisoners released homeless remains a major risk factor for re-offending, despite temporary successful measures.
- The remand population at Leicester gradually rose during 2020 from the designated 55% to over 70% of the population, reducing spaces for resettlement.
- Leicester prisoners have endured a very harsh restricted regime for more than 12 months, and due to cramped accommodation, will continue to endure more restrictions for longer than other establishments.
- The suspension of the key worker system is regretted by the Board.
- Reintroducing a decent regime with reasonable time out of cell without losing the safety benefits gained during the restricted regime poses a challenge.
- IPP prisoners were particularly disadvantaged during the lockdown period.
- Lack of long-term accommodation for prisoners released homeless remains a major risk factor for re-offending, despite temporary successful measures.
- The remand population at Leicester gradually rose during 2020 from the designated 55% to over 70% of the population, reducing spaces for resettlement.
- Leicester prisoners have endured a very harsh restricted regime for more than 12 months, and due to cramped accommodation, will continue to endure more restrictions for longer than other establishments.
- The suspension of the key worker system is regretted by the Board.
- Reintroducing a decent regime with reasonable time out of cell without losing the safety benefits gained during the restricted regime poses a challenge.
Leicester
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 471
Assaults: 133
Staff assaults: 103
HMP Leicester is a well-run local prison commended for strong leadership, good staff-prisoner relationships, and effective management of safety incidents, including a decline in NPS use. However, the Board holds significant concerns regarding the prolonged detention of foreign national prisoners and the severely mentally ill, as well as the ongoing poor state of segregation unit accommodation. Staffing pressures and the unsatisfactory performance of contractors like Amey also pose challenges to maintaining decency and effective regimes.
Key concerns identified
- Delays in capital improvement programme and security enhancements.
- Slow and inconsistent police/court processes for serious assaults on staff.
- Unfair prolonged detention of foreign national prisoners under IS91 after sentence expiry.
- Prolonged detention of severely mentally ill prisoners in inhumane segregation conditions awaiting secure hospital transfer.
- Ongoing unsatisfactory performance of Amey Facilities Management.
- Delays in improving accommodation in the segregation unit.
- Continued loss of prisoner property during transfers and within the establishment.
- The need for re-invigoration of the ‘equality and diversity’ function.
- The need to develop the Lambert unit's rehabilitative regime.
- Slow and inconsistent police/court processes for serious assaults on staff.
- Unfair prolonged detention of foreign national prisoners under IS91 after sentence expiry.
- Prolonged detention of severely mentally ill prisoners in inhumane segregation conditions awaiting secure hospital transfer.
- Ongoing unsatisfactory performance of Amey Facilities Management.
- Delays in improving accommodation in the segregation unit.
- Continued loss of prisoner property during transfers and within the establishment.
- The need for re-invigoration of the ‘equality and diversity’ function.
- The need to develop the Lambert unit's rehabilitative regime.