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.
Onley
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 393
Assaults: 126
Staff assaults: 60
HMP Onley, a Category C prison, experienced a challenging year with significant increases in violence and self-harm incidents. Key concerns include high levels of illicit substances, poor living conditions, and unacceptable waiting times for healthcare. Despite some positive developments in key worker delivery and resettlement initiatives, staffing shortages and backlogs in offender management continue to hinder progression.
Key concerns identified
- High levels of illicit substances and increased drone activity, impacting safety and security.
- Significant increases in violence and self-harm incidents, with a high number of prolific self-harmers.
- Poor and sub-standard living conditions, including cell windows, older cells, exercise yards, and inadequate laundry facilities.
- Unacceptable long waiting times for general practitioner and dental appointments, with an urgent need for dental chair replacement.
- Lack of prisoner engagement in meaningful activities and an inadequate number of workspaces.
- Persistent delays in vetting new staff appointees and significant backlogs in Offender Management System (OASys) completion and sentence planning.
- Ongoing issues with missing, mislaid, and delayed prisoner property, particularly during transfers.
- Significant increases in violence and self-harm incidents, with a high number of prolific self-harmers.
- Poor and sub-standard living conditions, including cell windows, older cells, exercise yards, and inadequate laundry facilities.
- Unacceptable long waiting times for general practitioner and dental appointments, with an urgent need for dental chair replacement.
- Lack of prisoner engagement in meaningful activities and an inadequate number of workspaces.
- Persistent delays in vetting new staff appointees and significant backlogs in Offender Management System (OASys) completion and sentence planning.
- Ongoing issues with missing, mislaid, and delayed prisoner property, particularly during transfers.
Onley
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 258
Assaults: 50
Staff assaults: 103
HMP Onley is a Category C training and resettlement prison that faced challenges during the reporting year ending February 2024. While staffing levels for officers improved, this did not translate into increased key work activity or a consistently full regime. Key concerns include increased illicit substance availability and drone activity, a rise in prisoner-on-prisoner violence, and persistent issues with property transfers and poor cell/yard conditions. Healthcare saw some improvements in GP/dental wait times, but mental health and drug rehabilitation were affected by staff shortages.
Key concerns identified
- Increased availability of illicit substances and drone activity affecting safety.
- Significant increase in prisoner-on-prisoner violence.
- Poor condition of cell windows and outside exercise yards, impacting living conditions, security, and dignity.
- Persistent concerns over food quantity and quality and menu choices.
- Delays in property reaching prisoners on transfer, a long-standing and unaddressed issue.
- Inadequate number of workspaces and instructors, leading to poor prisoner engagement in purposeful activity and resettlement challenges.
- Difficulties in facilitating hospital appointments and limited drug/alcohol rehabilitation.
- Significant increase in prisoner-on-prisoner violence.
- Poor condition of cell windows and outside exercise yards, impacting living conditions, security, and dignity.
- Persistent concerns over food quantity and quality and menu choices.
- Delays in property reaching prisoners on transfer, a long-standing and unaddressed issue.
- Inadequate number of workspaces and instructors, leading to poor prisoner engagement in purposeful activity and resettlement challenges.
- Difficulties in facilitating hospital appointments and limited drug/alcohol rehabilitation.
Onley
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 223
Assaults: 80
Staff assaults: 67
HMP Onley, a Category C training and resettlement prison, faced significant challenges primarily due to persistent officer staff shortages during the reporting year. These shortages severely impacted the daily regime, key work delivery, access to education and workshops, and overall purposeful activity, leading to prisoners spending prolonged periods in their cells. The Board also raised concerns about illicit substances, food quality, and delays in prisoner property, while commending positive staff-prisoner relationships and efforts in resettlement and employment on release.
Key concerns identified
- Persistent and widespread staff shortages significantly impacting regime delivery, key work, security operations, and purposeful activity across the prison.
- Continued prevalence of illicit substances and inconsistent operation of enhanced gate security due to staffing issues.
- Poor food quality, insufficient portion sizes, and budget constraints affecting the provision of prisoner meals.
- Significant delays and loss of prisoner property, causing considerable frustration and a high volume of complaints.
- Limited access to purposeful activity, education, and workshops due to staffing and a part-time regime, resulting in extended periods of time in cells.
- The ongoing absence of in-cell lockers for prisoners who require in-cell prescription (ICP) medicines.
- Continued prevalence of illicit substances and inconsistent operation of enhanced gate security due to staffing issues.
- Poor food quality, insufficient portion sizes, and budget constraints affecting the provision of prisoner meals.
- Significant delays and loss of prisoner property, causing considerable frustration and a high volume of complaints.
- Limited access to purposeful activity, education, and workshops due to staffing and a part-time regime, resulting in extended periods of time in cells.
- The ongoing absence of in-cell lockers for prisoners who require in-cell prescription (ICP) medicines.
Onley
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 227
Assaults: 47
Staff assaults: 61
HMP Onley, a Category C prison, operated under pandemic restrictions for the reporting year ending March 2022, with an average population of 650. Despite staff shortages and challenges in regime delivery, the prison maintained stability and reported no deaths in custody. Key concerns highlighted include persistent delays in prisoner transfers, insufficient access to offending behaviour programmes, ongoing issues with property management, and a need for improved mental health support and estate maintenance. The Board also noted challenges with food provision and medication access.
Key concerns identified
- Pressing need for increased capacity in Category D prisons, leading to Category D prisoners remaining at Onley.
- Shortage of officers and probation staff, impacting recruitment and retention.
- Delays in moving non-category C prisoners (C to B in segregation, C to D for open conditions).
- Lack of access to offending behaviour programmes, hindering progression and reoffending risk reduction.
- Significant problems with prisoner property management, causing distress.
- Poor state of windows in older parts of the prison affecting decency standards.
- Delay in the arrival and operationalisation of the Enhanced Gate Security (EGS) bag scanner.
- Complaints about food quality, small portions, and lack of wing cooking facilities.
- Shortage of officers and probation staff, impacting recruitment and retention.
- Delays in moving non-category C prisoners (C to B in segregation, C to D for open conditions).
- Lack of access to offending behaviour programmes, hindering progression and reoffending risk reduction.
- Significant problems with prisoner property management, causing distress.
- Poor state of windows in older parts of the prison affecting decency standards.
- Delay in the arrival and operationalisation of the Enhanced Gate Security (EGS) bag scanner.
- Complaints about food quality, small portions, and lack of wing cooking facilities.
Onley
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 184
Assaults: 49
Staff assaults: 71
HMP Onley successfully managed the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing a restricted regime that initially reduced violence and self-harm, though incidents began to rise late in the year. Prisoners generally experienced fair and humane treatment, and healthcare staffing issues were resolved. However, the pandemic severely impacted resettlement services, education, and purposeful activity, posing challenges for prisoners' progression and preparation for release.
Key concerns identified
- Urgent need for increased capacity in Category D (open) prisons, especially in London/South East, as many HMP Onley prisoners are far from home, hindering resettlement.
- Delays in prompt allocation and transfer of recategorised prisoners (Category C to B, or granted Category D status).
- Lack of intimate partner violence courses, a regional issue needing a suitable training provider and potentially additional staff.
- Urgent attention needed for funding and replacement of unfit windows in wings A-H, a repeated concern from previous reports.
- Need to explore ways to retain long-standing officers within HMPPS due to losses to other careers, possibly by increasing local pay allowance.
- HMP Onley needs to refocus on its training and resettlement purpose by engaging more industries for vocational qualifications.
- Improve prisoner engagement in workshops and education to increase meaningful activity leading to qualifications or skills on release.
- Delays in prompt allocation and transfer of recategorised prisoners (Category C to B, or granted Category D status).
- Lack of intimate partner violence courses, a regional issue needing a suitable training provider and potentially additional staff.
- Urgent attention needed for funding and replacement of unfit windows in wings A-H, a repeated concern from previous reports.
- Need to explore ways to retain long-standing officers within HMPPS due to losses to other careers, possibly by increasing local pay allowance.
- HMP Onley needs to refocus on its training and resettlement purpose by engaging more industries for vocational qualifications.
- Improve prisoner engagement in workshops and education to increase meaningful activity leading to qualifications or skills on release.
Onley
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 319
HMP Onley experienced a challenging year with a restricted regime, largely due to staffing shortages, though improvements were seen towards the end. Key concerns include significant issues with property transfers, a dysfunctional complaints process, and a lack of purposeful activity leading to prisoners spending extended periods in their cells. The Board highlights persistent problems with resettlement progression, including missing OASys reports and slow transfers, alongside concerns about drug availability, self-harm incidents, and the general state of the estate. While staff-prisoner relationships improved and the OMiC model showed promise, the report calls for urgent action on staffing, regime provision, and inmate progression.
Key concerns identified
- Persistent issues with lost property during transfers and an inadequate, poorly responded-to complaints system.
- A significant proportion of prisoners are not engaged in purposeful activity and spend excessive time locked in cells, unacceptable for a training prison.
- Ongoing staffing challenges, including the inexperience of new officers, retention issues due to uncompetitive pay, and inadequate key worker engagement.
- Critical shortcomings in resettlement preparation, such as missing OASys reports, inconsistent recategorisation processes, and slow transfers to Category D prisons.
- Deteriorating estate conditions, including poor cleanliness, a persistent rat infestation, and chronically broken kitchen equipment.
- Continuing problems with drug trade and usage, and a high number of self-harm incidents prompting calls for action.
- A significant proportion of prisoners are not engaged in purposeful activity and spend excessive time locked in cells, unacceptable for a training prison.
- Ongoing staffing challenges, including the inexperience of new officers, retention issues due to uncompetitive pay, and inadequate key worker engagement.
- Critical shortcomings in resettlement preparation, such as missing OASys reports, inconsistent recategorisation processes, and slow transfers to Category D prisons.
- Deteriorating estate conditions, including poor cleanliness, a persistent rat infestation, and chronically broken kitchen equipment.
- Continuing problems with drug trade and usage, and a high number of self-harm incidents prompting calls for action.