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.
Low Newton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 999
Assaults: 36
Staff assaults: 81
HMP/YOI Low Newton is a women's closed prison that has seen improvements in culture and regime under new leadership. While safety is prioritised, challenges remain with a high number of self-harm incidents and significant mental health needs among the population, often leading to the prison acting as a place of safety. Efforts are being made in purposeful activity, resettlement, and healthcare, with strong staff dedication noted.
Key concerns identified
- The persistent issue of women with severe mental ill health being held in prison rather than suitable healthcare environments, causing significant disruption and resource strain.
- A substantial year-on-year increase in self-harm incidents that the Board wishes to see reversed.
- The need to capture and record every incident of use of force and violent assault, building on current progress.
- The ongoing challenge of short sentences preventing meaningful work and effective resettlement planning for some prisoners.
- The concern that some prisoners are still released without settled accommodation, often leading to recall.
- Lengthy waiting times for transfers of severely mentally ill prisoners to community mental health beds.
- Uncertainty regarding the future funding for two key NEPACS staff members providing crucial resettlement support.
- A substantial year-on-year increase in self-harm incidents that the Board wishes to see reversed.
- The need to capture and record every incident of use of force and violent assault, building on current progress.
- The ongoing challenge of short sentences preventing meaningful work and effective resettlement planning for some prisoners.
- The concern that some prisoners are still released without settled accommodation, often leading to recall.
- Lengthy waiting times for transfers of severely mentally ill prisoners to community mental health beds.
- Uncertainty regarding the future funding for two key NEPACS staff members providing crucial resettlement support.
Low Newton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 704
Assaults: 26
Staff assaults: 81
The IMB finds HMP/YOI Low Newton a reasonably safe and clean environment with generally good staff-prisoner relationships. However, the Board is concerned about the increasing number of women with severe mental health issues being sent to prison, impacting self-harm and assault rates. Delays in accessing healthcare and mental health support, along with the negative effects of custodial transport and staffing shortages leading to lockdowns, remain key challenges.
Key concerns identified
- Many prisoners with severe mental ill health and personality disorders are continuing to be sent to prison.
- Lack of funding for a body scanner.
- Custodial transport services create trauma for women and adversely impact reception processes.
- Delays in prisoner access to healthcare and mental health support.
- IMB's lack of opportunity to attend adjudications.
- Improvement of relationship between IMB and Governor.
- Lack of funding for a body scanner.
- Custodial transport services create trauma for women and adversely impact reception processes.
- Delays in prisoner access to healthcare and mental health support.
- IMB's lack of opportunity to attend adjudications.
- Improvement of relationship between IMB and Governor.
Low Newton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 398
Assaults: 17
Staff assaults: 41
HMP/YOI Low Newton is a well-managed women's prison that successfully adapted its regime post-Covid. While praised for its safe environment, estate improvements, and dedicated staff, it is significantly hampered by staff shortages, impacting regime delivery and key worker scheme consistency. The Board highlights concerns regarding funding for essential facilities, the management of complex prisoners, and the need for improved transport arrangements and oversight of disciplinary processes.
Key concerns identified
- The segregation facility housed a prisoner with substantial behavioural difficulties, causing great difficulty; a better way to help such prisoners needs consideration.
- More flexibility on Friday release of prisoners is needed, pending new legislation.
- There are outstanding capital funding needs for enhanced CCTV, a wellbeing clinic, segregation unit heating, and education facilities; funding prioritisation should be accurate.
- Reconsideration of drugs search policy and equipment in the women’s estate is needed.
- Prisoner transport arrangements should be changed to prevent women prisoners' late arrivals.
- The key worker scheme needs continued prioritisation against competing staff demands.
- The Board needs better oversight of adjudications and GOOD reviews in the safety and support unit.
- More flexibility on Friday release of prisoners is needed, pending new legislation.
- There are outstanding capital funding needs for enhanced CCTV, a wellbeing clinic, segregation unit heating, and education facilities; funding prioritisation should be accurate.
- Reconsideration of drugs search policy and equipment in the women’s estate is needed.
- Prisoner transport arrangements should be changed to prevent women prisoners' late arrivals.
- The key worker scheme needs continued prioritisation against competing staff demands.
- The Board needs better oversight of adjudications and GOOD reviews in the safety and support unit.
Low Newton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 427
Assaults: 21
Staff assaults: 52
HMP/YOI Low Newton provides a generally safe and humane environment with good staff-prisoner relationships and a supportive regime, despite Covid-19 challenges. The Board commended staff commitment to safety and highlighted positive outcomes in education and various support initiatives. However, significant concerns remain regarding the national shortage of secure mental health places for women, the effectiveness of resettlement accommodation, and the consistent implementation of key worker schemes and use of body-worn cameras.
Key concerns identified
- Continued inappropriate placement of women with severe mental health issues in prison due to a national shortage of secure psychiatric unit places.
- Ineffectiveness of current contracts for the resettlement of prisoners without permanent homes upon release.
- The CCTV system throughout the prison is not always adequate to record incidents in sufficient detail.
- Inconsistent delivery of the key worker scheme targets.
- Inconsistent use of body worn cameras during use of force incidents.
- Scarcity of suitable accommodation for women on discharge, leading to licence failures and reoffending.
- Ineffectiveness of current contracts for the resettlement of prisoners without permanent homes upon release.
- The CCTV system throughout the prison is not always adequate to record incidents in sufficient detail.
- Inconsistent delivery of the key worker scheme targets.
- Inconsistent use of body worn cameras during use of force incidents.
- Scarcity of suitable accommodation for women on discharge, leading to licence failures and reoffending.
Low Newton
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 470
Assaults: 18
Staff assaults: 54
This IMB report for HMP/YOI Low Newton covers March 2020 – February 2021, a period significantly impacted by Covid-19. The Board found the prison generally safe and prisoners treated humanely, commending staff for adapting well to pandemic challenges. Key concerns remain regarding the high number of prisoners with severe mental health issues, the need for funding for educational initiatives, and ongoing estate issues impacting purposeful activity.
Key concerns identified
- A large number of women with severe mental health issues, with the prison often used as a 'place of safety'.
- Need for additional funding to invest in new educational and vocational initiatives.
- Need for more handsets to allow staff access to in-cell phones.
- Consistent timings of Good Order or Discipline (GOOD) reviews for Board attendance.
- Serious problems with leaking roofs, restricting education classrooms and workshops.
- The Listener scheme is 50% below complement.
- Challenges in finding appropriate accommodation for released prisoners.
- Low take-up of video visits due to technology and security issues.
- The IMB needs to increase personnel and improve gender mix.
- Need for additional funding to invest in new educational and vocational initiatives.
- Need for more handsets to allow staff access to in-cell phones.
- Consistent timings of Good Order or Discipline (GOOD) reviews for Board attendance.
- Serious problems with leaking roofs, restricting education classrooms and workshops.
- The Listener scheme is 50% below complement.
- Challenges in finding appropriate accommodation for released prisoners.
- Low take-up of video visits due to technology and security issues.
- The IMB needs to increase personnel and improve gender mix.
Low Newton
PRISON
Concerns
HMP/YOI Low Newton provides a generally safe and humane environment with high staff morale and respectful interactions. Healthcare provision is good for most, but the Board highlights long-standing concerns regarding the detention of mentally ill women due to a lack of community places and delays in hospital transfers. Deteriorating prison infrastructure, particularly leaky roofs, significantly impedes education and work opportunities. Resettlement efforts are hampered by a lack of suitable accommodation for a notable proportion of releases. The Board also raised concerns about drug misuse (Buscopan) and the need for more funding for key support services.
Key concerns identified
- The number of prisoners suffering from severe mental health issues, with some detained due to a lack of places of safety in the community and difficulty arranging secure hospital beds.
- The deteriorating state of the prison roofs, which has led to classrooms and workshop areas being out of action, reducing education and work opportunities, and creating health and safety issues.
- The need for more funding to provide additional domestic violence support, trauma counselling, supported accommodation, and social work both in prison and upon release.
- The ongoing issue with the misuse of Buscopan within the prison, which has persisted for several years.
- Challenges in resettlement planning, particularly the difficulty in finding suitable and safe accommodation for a significant percentage (15-20%) of women upon release.
- The deteriorating state of the prison roofs, which has led to classrooms and workshop areas being out of action, reducing education and work opportunities, and creating health and safety issues.
- The need for more funding to provide additional domestic violence support, trauma counselling, supported accommodation, and social work both in prison and upon release.
- The ongoing issue with the misuse of Buscopan within the prison, which has persisted for several years.
- Challenges in resettlement planning, particularly the difficulty in finding suitable and safe accommodation for a significant percentage (15-20%) of women upon release.