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.
Thameside
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 676
Assaults: 678
HMP Thameside, a busy local Category B/C prison, faces significant challenges despite efforts to maintain safety. Key concerns include persistent issues with healthcare provision, delays in mental health transfers, and inadequate resettlement services leading to poor outcomes for prisoners. While there have been improvements in staffing levels and specific unit regimes, the Board remains concerned about the quality of ACCT documentation, inconsistent application of incentives, and late court returns.
Key concerns identified
- Persistent issues with the quality and oversight of ACCT documentation and CSIPs, along with the absence of an effective Listener scheme.
- Significant and ongoing shortcomings in healthcare provision, including poor administration, long waiting times, medication issues, suboptimal staffing, and critical delays in mental health transfers to external facilities.
- Inadequate and inconsistent resettlement services, particularly probation and pre-release support for all prisoners, including remand, often leading to homelessness and a lack of employment on release.
- Challenges in maintaining fair and consistent treatment, exemplified by poor management of prisoner property and inconsistent application of the incentives policy.
- Late arrivals of court vans after lock-out times, negatively impacting prisoner and staff welfare.
- Lack of secure storage for visitor property and inconsistent visitor information, which remains unaddressed.
- Significant and ongoing shortcomings in healthcare provision, including poor administration, long waiting times, medication issues, suboptimal staffing, and critical delays in mental health transfers to external facilities.
- Inadequate and inconsistent resettlement services, particularly probation and pre-release support for all prisoners, including remand, often leading to homelessness and a lack of employment on release.
- Challenges in maintaining fair and consistent treatment, exemplified by poor management of prisoner property and inconsistent application of the incentives policy.
- Late arrivals of court vans after lock-out times, negatively impacting prisoner and staff welfare.
- Lack of secure storage for visitor property and inconsistent visitor information, which remains unaddressed.
Thameside
PRISON
Concerns
HMP Thameside is a privately operated local Category B/C prison for adult male prisoners, often occupied close to its operational capacity of 1232, with a 75% remand population. The IMB reports persistent concerns regarding healthcare provision, increasing delays in mental health transfers, and issues with the maintenance of the estate including lifts and in-cell technology. While some improvements have been noted in areas like reception, significant challenges remain in staffing, violence reduction, and ensuring fair and humane treatment, particularly concerning property management and the disproportionate disciplining of Black/mixed race prisoners.
Key concerns identified
- Persistent issues with healthcare provision, including staffing, medication management, and lengthy delays in transferring mentally ill prisoners to secure hospitals.
- Significant estate maintenance problems, particularly the frequent breakdown of lifts and in-cell/wing terminal CMS equipment, which hinder access to facilities and daily prisoner life.
- Challenges in safety, including an increase in violence, shortcomings in ACCT documentation, and the continued absence of confidential face-to-face support for vulnerable prisoners.
- Inadequate management of prisoner property and inconsistencies in the incentives scheme, leading to prisoner frustration and perceptions of unfairness.
- Recruitment issues negatively impacting education and resettlement services, contributing to a high number of prisoners released without stable accommodation.
- Disproportionate use of force and adjudications for Black/mixed race and Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller prisoners, suggesting potential unconscious bias.
- Significant estate maintenance problems, particularly the frequent breakdown of lifts and in-cell/wing terminal CMS equipment, which hinder access to facilities and daily prisoner life.
- Challenges in safety, including an increase in violence, shortcomings in ACCT documentation, and the continued absence of confidential face-to-face support for vulnerable prisoners.
- Inadequate management of prisoner property and inconsistencies in the incentives scheme, leading to prisoner frustration and perceptions of unfairness.
- Recruitment issues negatively impacting education and resettlement services, contributing to a high number of prisoners released without stable accommodation.
- Disproportionate use of force and adjudications for Black/mixed race and Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller prisoners, suggesting potential unconscious bias.
Thameside
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 470
Assaults: 374
Staff assaults: 166
HMP Thameside, a local Category B/C prison, maintained a safe environment despite a high remand population and gang-related challenges, though prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased. The transition to a new healthcare provider was problematic, negatively affecting prisoner access to care, and issues with property management and resettlement support persist. The Board also noted ongoing concerns regarding the effectiveness of the key worker scheme, in-cell computer systems, and delays in mental health transfers.
Key concerns identified
- Persistent issues with healthcare provision, including problematic transfers of mentally ill prisoners and a poor handover from the previous provider.
- Ongoing problems with prisoner property management, both during transfer and within the establishment, leading to high complaint levels.
- Inadequacy of resettlement support, including probation provision and housing/employment guidance for released prisoners.
- Underperformance of the education contract and insufficient purposeful activity for prisoners.
- Deficiencies in the cell bell response system and in-cell CMS, affecting prisoners' access to services and communication.
- Concerns regarding potential disproportionality in the treatment of ethnic groups in areas like CSU, adjudications, and use of force.
- Ongoing problems with prisoner property management, both during transfer and within the establishment, leading to high complaint levels.
- Inadequacy of resettlement support, including probation provision and housing/employment guidance for released prisoners.
- Underperformance of the education contract and insufficient purposeful activity for prisoners.
- Deficiencies in the cell bell response system and in-cell CMS, affecting prisoners' access to services and communication.
- Concerns regarding potential disproportionality in the treatment of ethnic groups in areas like CSU, adjudications, and use of force.
Thameside
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 501
Assaults: 273
Staff assaults: 168
HMP Thameside, a Category B/C prison, saw its population close to its operational capacity of 1,232. While the regime slowly normalized after Covid restrictions, challenges persisted, including a rise in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults (273 total) despite a decrease in staff assaults (168 total). The Board identified significant concerns around the inhumane delays for mental health transfers (average 39 days), inadequate property handling (complaints up 60%), and the unreliability of the cell bell system. Staff shortages, particularly impacting purposeful activity and resettlement services, were partially mitigated by recruitment efforts, though a large cohort of inexperienced staff remains.
Key concerns identified
- Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults have increased this year.
- The emergency cell bell answering system is unreliable, particularly at night, leading to unanswered calls.
- There has been a 60% rise in complaints about missing property, indicating a lack of care and respect for prisoners' belongings.
- Mentally ill patients face inhumane and prolonged waits for transfer to appropriate secure mental health hospitals, significantly exceeding NHS guidelines.
- Severe staff shortages have limited purposeful activities like gym access and negatively impacted resettlement services provided by external agencies.
- The key worker scheme remains inconsistent and ineffective, with many prisoners unallocated or receiving superficial interactions.
- Insufficient analysis of diversity data hinders understanding and addressing the disproportionate outcomes for Black prisoners in the incentives scheme and CSU placements.
- The emergency cell bell answering system is unreliable, particularly at night, leading to unanswered calls.
- There has been a 60% rise in complaints about missing property, indicating a lack of care and respect for prisoners' belongings.
- Mentally ill patients face inhumane and prolonged waits for transfer to appropriate secure mental health hospitals, significantly exceeding NHS guidelines.
- Severe staff shortages have limited purposeful activities like gym access and negatively impacted resettlement services provided by external agencies.
- The key worker scheme remains inconsistent and ineffective, with many prisoners unallocated or receiving superficial interactions.
- Insufficient analysis of diversity data hinders understanding and addressing the disproportionate outcomes for Black prisoners in the incentives scheme and CSU placements.
Thameside
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 570
Assaults: 180
Staff assaults: 225
HMP Thameside operated under a Covid-19 lockdown regime for much of the reporting year, successfully containing the virus but impacting prisoner welfare. The prison transitioned to a restricted regime, and introduced proactive safety management initiatives, including a revised approach to gangs. However, key concerns persist regarding the long-term effects of confinement, delays in mental health transfers, staffing shortages, and insufficient purposeful activity. The IMB also highlights issues with medication dispensing, the healthcare complaints system, and facilities management.
Key concerns identified
- The longer-term impact of prolonged confinement and lack of socialisation on prisoners' mental and physical health and future behaviours.
- The absence or remote operation of key resettlement staff (education, Home Office immigration) hindering progression and support for prisoners, especially foreign nationals.
- Unacceptable and longstanding delays in transferring severely mentally ill prisoners to secure establishments.
- The risk to staff and prisoners from transfers of individuals arriving with Covid-19 symptoms.
- Insufficient purposeful out-of-cell activities and jobs for the prison's population, requiring investment.
- Poor communication and lack of empathy from some staff influencing daily life in residential areas.
- Unacceptable delays in the publication of Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) reports on deaths in custody.
- The lack of mandatory drug testing, leaving the extent of drug use unknown.
- Longstanding facilities management weaknesses, including inoperable equipment, hygiene issues, and frequent lift breakdowns.
- Delayed responses to cell bells.
- The lack of facilities to show body-worn video camera evidence in prisoner adjudications.
- Ongoing staff recruitment and retention difficulties hindering regime normalisation.
- Irregularity and poor follow-up in the prisoner information and communication (PIAC) forum.
- Instances of halal food cross-contamination in wing serveries, a repeated concern.
- Serious lapses in medication dispensing, including incorrect medication incidents.
- An inadequate healthcare complaints system with unrealistic response times and poor administration.
- The absence or remote operation of key resettlement staff (education, Home Office immigration) hindering progression and support for prisoners, especially foreign nationals.
- Unacceptable and longstanding delays in transferring severely mentally ill prisoners to secure establishments.
- The risk to staff and prisoners from transfers of individuals arriving with Covid-19 symptoms.
- Insufficient purposeful out-of-cell activities and jobs for the prison's population, requiring investment.
- Poor communication and lack of empathy from some staff influencing daily life in residential areas.
- Unacceptable delays in the publication of Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) reports on deaths in custody.
- The lack of mandatory drug testing, leaving the extent of drug use unknown.
- Longstanding facilities management weaknesses, including inoperable equipment, hygiene issues, and frequent lift breakdowns.
- Delayed responses to cell bells.
- The lack of facilities to show body-worn video camera evidence in prisoner adjudications.
- Ongoing staff recruitment and retention difficulties hindering regime normalisation.
- Irregularity and poor follow-up in the prisoner information and communication (PIAC) forum.
- Instances of halal food cross-contamination in wing serveries, a repeated concern.
- Serious lapses in medication dispensing, including incorrect medication incidents.
- An inadequate healthcare complaints system with unrealistic response times and poor administration.
Thameside
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 482
Assaults: 165
Staff assaults: 128
HMP Thameside, a Category B/C local prison, faced challenges including high population density and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during the reporting year ending June 2020. The Board highlighted excellent staff cooperation in controlling the virus and positive aspects like strong faith support and a good library. However, significant concerns remain regarding the inhumane regime of 23-hour cell confinement, the lengthy waits for mental health transfers, recurring issues with facilities and property management, high levels of self-harm and everyday violence, and issues with staff complaints and engagement with educational activities.
Key concerns identified
- Many prisoners continue to face excessive hours locked in their cells (up to 23 hours a day), inflicting mental and physical damage.
- There is an inhumane wait for secure outside hospital beds for severely mentally ill prisoners, creating bed-blocking in the inpatient unit.
- The pace of relaxing the prison regime set by HMPPS is too slow, failing to balance caution with a return to humane conditions.
- There is a concerning increase in incidents of violence, self-harm, and use of force in the summer of 2020.
- Inadequate management and application of systems and procedures lead to routine unfairness, including casual attitudes towards property, repeated gym cancellations, and endemic facilities failures (in-cell CMS, lifts, virtual campus system).
- The Board faces difficulties in getting prompt and reliable responses from prison managers when raising concerns on behalf of prisoners, and the prison's handling and recording of complaints are problematic.
- Investigations into prisoner allegations against staff require an overhaul, with concerns about unreasonable delays and lack of meaningful conclusions.
- Levels of 'everyday' prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff violence remain too high, despite a decline in serious assaults.
- There is a stubbornly high level of non-attendance at healthcare appointments, and concerns regarding the quality of nursing interactions in the CSU.
- The education provider made minimal effort to support learners during lockdown, especially for distance learning, and the virtual campus system remains inadequate.
- Drugs continue to find their way into cells, contributing to violence, bullying, and debt.
- There is a chronic lack of suitable accommodation and difficulty in securing employment for prisoners upon release.
- The Board is concerned by the continuing loss of experienced custodial staff and a current staffing shortfall.
- There is an inhumane wait for secure outside hospital beds for severely mentally ill prisoners, creating bed-blocking in the inpatient unit.
- The pace of relaxing the prison regime set by HMPPS is too slow, failing to balance caution with a return to humane conditions.
- There is a concerning increase in incidents of violence, self-harm, and use of force in the summer of 2020.
- Inadequate management and application of systems and procedures lead to routine unfairness, including casual attitudes towards property, repeated gym cancellations, and endemic facilities failures (in-cell CMS, lifts, virtual campus system).
- The Board faces difficulties in getting prompt and reliable responses from prison managers when raising concerns on behalf of prisoners, and the prison's handling and recording of complaints are problematic.
- Investigations into prisoner allegations against staff require an overhaul, with concerns about unreasonable delays and lack of meaningful conclusions.
- Levels of 'everyday' prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff violence remain too high, despite a decline in serious assaults.
- There is a stubbornly high level of non-attendance at healthcare appointments, and concerns regarding the quality of nursing interactions in the CSU.
- The education provider made minimal effort to support learners during lockdown, especially for distance learning, and the virtual campus system remains inadequate.
- Drugs continue to find their way into cells, contributing to violence, bullying, and debt.
- There is a chronic lack of suitable accommodation and difficulty in securing employment for prisoners upon release.
- The Board is concerned by the continuing loss of experienced custodial staff and a current staffing shortfall.