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.
The Mount
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 343
Assaults: 138
Staff assaults: 71
HMP The Mount's IMB report highlights a period of little significant change, despite staff's efforts to manage challenges like drugs and overcrowding. While staff-prisoner interactions and healthcare provision showed improvements, key concerns persist regarding the inadequate support for IPP prisoners, severe overcrowding impacting living conditions, and limited purposeful activity opportunities. The Board also noted issues with property management and the unsuitability of the reception area.
Key concerns identified
- The continuing influx of drugs and mobile phones, primarily via drones, exacerbating debt and organised crime within the prison.
- The prolonged detention of IPP prisoners beyond their sentences due to insufficient programmes, courses, and support for progression towards release.
- Overcrowding, particularly the doubling up of single cells, which is unsuitable for the prison's cohort, especially older prisoners with health issues.
- Limited opportunities for purposeful activity, work, and education, further compounded by workshop closures for renovation and potential reductions in education provision.
- The frequent short-term transfer of prisoners close to their release dates, disrupting resettlement planning and causing distress.
- Persistent accessibility issues for disabled prisoners, including poor wheelchair access and long distances between essential services.
- Ongoing problems with prisoners' property, particularly for those transferring between establishments, and inadequate reception space.
- The prolonged detention of IPP prisoners beyond their sentences due to insufficient programmes, courses, and support for progression towards release.
- Overcrowding, particularly the doubling up of single cells, which is unsuitable for the prison's cohort, especially older prisoners with health issues.
- Limited opportunities for purposeful activity, work, and education, further compounded by workshop closures for renovation and potential reductions in education provision.
- The frequent short-term transfer of prisoners close to their release dates, disrupting resettlement planning and causing distress.
- Persistent accessibility issues for disabled prisoners, including poor wheelchair access and long distances between essential services.
- Ongoing problems with prisoners' property, particularly for those transferring between establishments, and inadequate reception space.
The Mount
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 330
Assaults: 142
Staff assaults: 53
HMP The Mount has demonstrated significant progress over the last year, particularly in staffing, regime improvement, and the management of safety for vulnerable prisoners. However, profound systemic issues persist, notably the inhumane and unsupported detention of IPP prisoners, and chronic overcrowding due to cell doubling. The prison continues to struggle with pervasive drug availability and inadequate external support for resettlement, leading to high rates of homelessness upon release.
Key concerns identified
- 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 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 Mount
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 45
Assaults: 90
Staff assaults: 77
HMP The Mount faced a challenging year ending February 2023, marked by a severe drug crisis involving Fentanyl-laced Spice, resulting in nine deaths, five of which were drug-related. Persistent staffing shortages led to a restrictive regime, limiting prisoners' access to education, work, and purposeful activity. Key concerns included overcrowding from cell doubling, significant healthcare waiting times exacerbated by escort shortages, and a failure to deliver adequate resettlement and offending behaviour programmes, contributing to an increase in prisoner complaints.
Key concerns identified
- 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.
- 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 Mount
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 359
Assaults: 78
Staff assaults: 76
HMP The Mount experienced a second year of restricted Covid regimes (March 2021 – February 2022), leading to prisoners often being locked down for 23 hours a day, significantly impacting their mental and physical health. Despite challenges, the prison's management effectively controlled Covid outbreaks, and the new healthcare provider delivered a satisfactory service. Key concerns include insufficient Category D places, high staff turnover and low key worker engagement, inadequate estate maintenance, and persistent issues with property transfers and dentistry access.
Key concerns identified
- Lack of Category D places, with approved prisoners facing months of waiting or being released without placement.
- Ineffective appraisal of new recruits' suitability, contributing to high turnover and wasted resources, compounded by a lack of experienced officer mentoring.
- Substandard remaining showers and outdated heating/hot water systems requiring significant refurbishment and replacement.
- Insufficient investment in education programmes and workshops, limiting prisoners' access to meaningful employment and qualifications.
- Persistent problems with property transfers between prisons, resulting in lost or delayed items and avoidable claims.
- The Segregation Unit (CSU) is unsuitable for prisoners with serious mental health issues, who are often placed there while awaiting transfer to appropriate facilities.
- Ineffective appraisal of new recruits' suitability, contributing to high turnover and wasted resources, compounded by a lack of experienced officer mentoring.
- Substandard remaining showers and outdated heating/hot water systems requiring significant refurbishment and replacement.
- Insufficient investment in education programmes and workshops, limiting prisoners' access to meaningful employment and qualifications.
- Persistent problems with property transfers between prisons, resulting in lost or delayed items and avoidable claims.
- The Segregation Unit (CSU) is unsuitable for prisoners with serious mental health issues, who are often placed there while awaiting transfer to appropriate facilities.
The Mount
PRISON
Concerns
Assaults: 120
Staff assaults: 57
This report covers a year dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, during which HMP The Mount successfully contained the virus thanks to the commendable efforts of staff. However, severe restrictions on the regime meant prisoners spent significantly reduced time out of cells, impacting access to education, work, and family visits. Key concerns include mental health transfer delays, inadequate support for IPP prisoners, and delays in transfers to open conditions.
Key concerns identified
- Long delays in transferring prisoners with mental health problems to suitable community units, impacting their wellbeing and straining untrained officers.
- HMP The Mount is not equipped to support the 46 IPP prisoners effectively, leading to them being "warehoused".
- Showers require further investment to reach an acceptable standard.
- The recent transfer of healthcare responsibility caused significant disruption and a temporary decline in service quality.
- Insufficient number of suitable workplaces for the prison's diverse population, including foreign nationals, disabled prisoners, and those on basic regime.
- The planned rebuild of the reception area has been postponed again due to lack of funding.
- Prisoners are being released without completing offending behaviour programmes from their sentence plans due to pandemic curtailments.
- Significant delays (around 80 prisoners) in transferring Category D recategorised prisoners to open conditions, leading to disappointment and undermining motivation.
- HMP The Mount is not equipped to support the 46 IPP prisoners effectively, leading to them being "warehoused".
- Showers require further investment to reach an acceptable standard.
- The recent transfer of healthcare responsibility caused significant disruption and a temporary decline in service quality.
- Insufficient number of suitable workplaces for the prison's diverse population, including foreign nationals, disabled prisoners, and those on basic regime.
- The planned rebuild of the reception area has been postponed again due to lack of funding.
- Prisoners are being released without completing offending behaviour programmes from their sentence plans due to pandemic curtailments.
- Significant delays (around 80 prisoners) in transferring Category D recategorised prisoners to open conditions, leading to disappointment and undermining motivation.
The Mount
PRISON
Concerns
The Independent Monitoring Board reports on HMP The Mount for 2019-2020, highlighting significant challenges stemming from chronic under-funding, which affects staffing, infrastructure, and rehabilitative opportunities. Despite these issues, the Board notes improvements in decency, security, and healthcare provision, commending staff efforts. Key concerns include the pervasive drug problem, insufficient Category D and IPP progression places, and the failure to embed new initiatives like the key worker scheme.
Key concerns identified
- The Prison Service has had its budgets reduced over the years, leading to shortages of staff, equipment and supplies, and of work opportunities for prisoners. This leads to complaints and frustration from the prisoners, causing prison staff unnecessary ongoing problems. Either major investment needs to be put into the service with some urgency or there needs to be a policy which prevents so many people being locked up.
- There is a chronic shortage of spaces in open establishments, which often means that a prisoner waits many months for a place to be offered, and then sometimes is forced to take a place which is a long way from their home, which does not allow for proper family reintegration. More category D places need to be found, so that a proper progress through a prison sentence can be achieved.
- The Mount has 44 prisoners serving Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection many of whom, if not all, have now been in prison for much longer than their tariffs. The Mount can offer these men very little to help them work towards release. They need to be in prisons where they can benefit from therapeutic communities or “progression regimes” such as that offered by HMP Warren Hill.
- The availability of drugs continues to a central issue in many of the problems facing the prison, including criminality, violence, bullying and reoffending on release.
- Many new and interesting initiatives are often started but not embedded, so fall by the wayside – for example, the key worker scheme. This issue needs to be addressed.
- There is a chronic shortage of spaces in open establishments, which often means that a prisoner waits many months for a place to be offered, and then sometimes is forced to take a place which is a long way from their home, which does not allow for proper family reintegration. More category D places need to be found, so that a proper progress through a prison sentence can be achieved.
- The Mount has 44 prisoners serving Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection many of whom, if not all, have now been in prison for much longer than their tariffs. The Mount can offer these men very little to help them work towards release. They need to be in prisons where they can benefit from therapeutic communities or “progression regimes” such as that offered by HMP Warren Hill.
- The availability of drugs continues to a central issue in many of the problems facing the prison, including criminality, violence, bullying and reoffending on release.
- Many new and interesting initiatives are often started but not embedded, so fall by the wayside – for example, the key worker scheme. This issue needs to be addressed.