United Kingdom: England & Wales
Capital city — London
Latest updates
Pregnant women receive proper prenatal care
The NHS (National Health Service) is required to provide the same level of prenatal care to prisoners as it does to the public. According to Jenny North, of the Maternity Alliance, “Antenatal clinics and classes may be held on site in prisons, but more complex care - such as obstetric consultations and ultrasound scans - is usually delivered outside the prison.” 1
Jenny North, “Gettingit right? Services for pregnantwomen, new mothers, and babies in prison “, 2013, p. 2. ↩
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An 18-year-old woman gave birth alone, in a cell, on 27 September 2019. The baby was stillborn.
Richard Travers, the senior coroner for Surrey, acknowledged that there was “clear evidence” of “systemic failings” by various authorities that contributed to the death of the baby, Aisha Cleary. The inquest learned that Aisha’s mother Rianna pressed her cell’s emergency bell twice, but no one answered. A surveillance officer walked past her cell while she was in labour but did not stop to help her.
Following these events and the death of another baby at Styal women’s prison in 2020, the Ministry of Justice announced a series of improvements to maternity care in prisons. R. Travers considered these measures sufficient and chose not to initiate further action. Rianna now supports the organisations Level Up and No Births Behind Bars, stating that policy never lines up with what happens in practice.
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A recent study reports that incarcerated women are seven times more likely to suffer stillbirth than the general population. This number is higher than in 2021.
Life sentences are banned
The Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP governed by the Criminal Justice Act 2003) allowed indefinite imprisonment if the court deemed the convicted prisoner to be a continued threat to society. Its abolition in 2012 has not been implemented retrospectively. The people still serving an IPP represent, in 2022, 16 % of the carceral population. Experts Dirk van Zyl Smit and Catherine Appleton consider an IPP to be an unofficial life sentence. 1
IPP sentences have been replaced by an extended sentence of up to eight years. The court issues these to prisoners over the age of 18 who represent “a significant danger to the public”.
The Justice Committee has requested that the government re-sentence prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Prosecution (IPP) sentences in order to adjust these sentences. The Committee published a report on the issue in which it claims that IPP sentences cause significant harm to the people who received them due to the lack of a sentence end date. It called for the creation of an action plan to manage prisoners with IPP sentences, in particular through a collaboration with the senior judiciary to put in place the new sentences.
Prison Reform Trust, Bromley Briefings Prison Fact file, 2018, p. 9. ↩
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New reforms aim to reduce licence periods for individuals who received the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence. IPP offenders serving their sentence in the community will now have their licence reviewed after three years rather than ten. When the measure comes into force, licences will immediately end for around 1,800 people.
Number of prison guards (FTE)
21,617
Workforce statistics from HMPPS cover staff who are employed by HMPPS. They are all civil servants. The official data provided by HMPPS does not include other workers within HMPPS who are employed by third parties (e.g. private sector, CRCs). This number also excludes voluntary workers, HMPPS staff on loan, on secondment out, and those on a career break.1
Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that one in seven prison staff members left their jobs last year. The resulting staff shortage heavily impacts prison operations, as prisoners spend more time in their cells and exercise options are cut. The director of the Prison Reform Trust commented that although prison capacity is expected to increase by 20,000 by 2025, it is unclear who will guard these new prisoners.
The charity Prison Reform Trust has raised the alarm about the leaving rate of prison staff. It also noted that half of the officers who left their posts during the year ended 31 March 2021 had served for less than three years, and more than a quarter had served for less than a year. The charity’s director warned of the necessity of curbing the increased number of departures.
Independent Monitoring Boards for the prisons of Belmarsh, Birmingham and Preston report, numerous problems resulting from staff shortages: loss of property (HMP Belmarsh and HMP Birmingham), long waiting times for dental appointments (HMP Belmarsh), limited access to showers (HMP Belmarsh), fewer visits (HMP Preston) and incomplete renovations to infrastructure that must be completed in the presence of surveillance staff (HMP Preston).
The Operational Stability and Resourcing Panel (OSRP) is a group of experts made up of senior officials that meet once a week to analyse the impact of staff shortages in the prisons of England and Wales. According to authorities, the panel’s role is “to provide support to those prisons with the most acute resourcing pressures”. The Ministry of Justice stated that between November 2020 and November 2022, the panel was called on for help 647 times. The prisons of Woodhill and Wayland seem to be struggling the most: since mid-2021, they each received help on 20 occasions. The prisons of Long Lartin and Swaleside significantly restricted their regimes starting in August 2022 due to staff shortages.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons remarked that one of the biggest challenges facing the prison service is recruiting staff to counteract the significant number of departures and absences.
Ministry of Justice, Guide to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Workforce Statistics, 2017, p. 7. ↩
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In September 2023, the Prison Minister reported that 31% of posts were vacant at Woodhill Prison (Milton Keynes), 29% at Swaleside Prison (Kent) and 24% at Long Lartin (Worcestershire). Fourteen prisons were scheduled to receive officers on detached duty.
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Government figures indicate that one third of prison officers are new recruits. The leaving rate has increased between 2017 and 2023, fuelling concerns about staff shortages. Inside Time noted that, in August 2022, only 23 of 122 prisons were able to maintain all services and activities. The national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association warned of the consequences of new recruits’ lack of training and experience.
The law forbids solitary confinement for minors
Solitary confinement for juvenile offenders is used as a method to maintain a degree of order and discipline or if it’s in their best interest. (YOI Rule 49). A young offender can appeal against being placed in solitary confinement before and after the decision is made. 1 The law prohibits the use of solitary confinement as a means of disciplining young offenders. (YOI Rule 60(f).
Department of Justice, PSO1700 on Isolation. ↩
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Of the 77 boys at Cookham Wood YOI, 20 were locked in solitary confinement, said the Chief Inspector of Prisons. Two had been locked up for nearly 100 days.
Sanitary facilities are clean, adequate and accessible
in some facilities
The prison inspectorate of 2017 reported that the conditions of toilets in prison cells were unsatisfactory. Toilet bowls were often deteriorating, dirty and difficult to clean – they often rarely had a lid.
The majority of toilets in sharing cells were very visible or poorly screened – this is in direct conflict with privacy standards highlighted in the PSI 17/2012 on certified detention facilities.
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In November 2023, the prison service disclosed that prisoners in five facilities could be held in cells without toilets. They must use call bells to request their cell door be opened so they can use communal toilets. The wait can be long. According to reports, prisoners use buckets in their cells, which is problematic in terms of hygienic standards and privacy. The IMB consider this practice inhumane.
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A report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons states that prisoners at Long Lartin are living in squalid conditions. In rodent-infested cells, prisoners must use buckets as toilets, which are then emptied out the windows because they are not removed regularly enough.
Number of deaths in custody
301
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A report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) is sounding the alarm about the prison conditions at HMP Bristol. The prison has one of the highest numbers of deaths across the country, and the highest level of self-harm. Nine people died in the prison between August 2022 and July 2023. Six of these deaths were suicides and one is a suspected murder.
Prison density
97.4 %
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On 16 October, the Ministry of Justice announced measures to ease the pressure on prison capacity. One measure, for example, would allow prisoners to be released up to 18 days before their scheduled release date. This measure only applies to prisoners serving fixed determinate sentences and will not be used for prisoners convicted of an offence of serious violence or a sexual offence. The Government also decided to delay certain non-essential maintenance projects to bring cells back into use more quickly.
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The Senior Presiding Judge of the Court of Appeal ordered judges to delay sentencing due to prison overcrowding. This decision also applies to individuals accused of serious criminal offences including rape and violent crimes, who could be released on bail or held in cells in magistrates’ courts.
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According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, almost two-thirds of prisons are overcrowded. Eight facilities exceed 150% of their capacity. As of March 2023, one in four prisoners lives in an overcrowded cell.
Number of medical staff (FTE)
-
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Staff shortages, including of healthcare workers, at HMP Aylesbury are heavily impacting prisoners’ access to health care, time out of cell, education and work. HM Inspectorate of Prisons stated that the healthcare situation is so dire that the prison service does not send prisoners over the age of 40 to Aylesbury, as they cannot be adequately cared for there.
Variation in the capacity of the prison facilities
decrease
The capacity of the prison system decreases by 2,82 % between December 2019 (86 830)1 and December 2022 (84 385).
ministry of Justice, Prison population figures ↩
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The Secretary of State for Justice has announced the government’s plan to rent prison places in European correctional facilities.
Number of recorded violent acts between prisoners
13,788
1 660 of violent episodes were condisered as aggravated assaults. The number of violent episodes recorded between prisoners decreases by 41,56 % between Septembre 2019 (23 592)1 and september 2022.
ministry of Justice, Safety in Custody Statistics ↩
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Violent incidents among prisoners fell during the Covid-19 pandemic, but increased to 185 assaults for every 1,000 prisoners in March 2023.
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Prisoners at HMP Feltham B told inspectors they refused to leave their cells due to the “unacceptable levels of violence” between prisoners. Many prisoners said they stopped going to lessons for fear of being assaulted.
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An incarcerated man was killed by a fellow prisoner on 5 June at Bristol Prison. The alleged aggressor, now charged with murder, has been placed in remand detention at another prison pending a hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
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Researchers found that 33% of incidents over a 12-month period were related to medication, including staff administering the wrong treatment after mixing up patients with similar names. Healthcare priorities of patients are often overshadowed by security concerns.
Vocational training is provided
yes
Prison administrations provide professional training and support for teachers.1 The training courses usually offered include plumbing, hairdressing, masonry, bicycle mechanics, hospitality and catering…
The law now allows prisoners in open facilities to participate in apprenticeship programmes. These programmes combine work and training so prisoners can gain professional experience. The first prisoners to participate in apprenticeships began in October 2022. A prisoner at the open prison Thorn Cross began works as a chef de partie while taking a Level 2 apprenticeship in hospitality. Another prisoner began working for the construction company Kier.
Chief Inspector of Prisons, “Annual Report 2017-18”, July 2018, p. 42 . ↩
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A restaurant has opened in HMP Lincoln as part of rehabilitation work through the charity The Right Course. It will be the first in the country to allow prisoners to share a meal with their families during visiting hours. This programme offers select prisoners the opportunity to work towards a catering diploma and earn service qualifications.
The prison service offers activities to prisoners
yes
All prisoners are assessed for their skills development needs upon arrival. These are recorded in an “Individual Learning Plan” (ILP)“. This plan is available to the prison service and external providers. Access to employment, training and skills development is subject to the prison service’s proposals, the providers’ offer and the prison regime.
The activities usually offered are as follows:
- vocational training and skills development
- sport activities
- cultural and artistic activities
- rehabilitation programmes
- work1
HM Inspectorate of Prisons believed that the recovery of prisons from the COVID-19 pandemic had been long and uneven.[^HMIPd] The pandemic resulted in a sharp reduction in outside contact, activities, and training, and the resumption of these services had been slow for the majority of prisons. Their suspension had a substantial impact on the well-being, mental health and rehabilitation of prisoners. Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, stated that there would be a “price to pay” for the boredom, lack of activity and disruption of family ties caused by the pandemic.
On 23 November 2022, the Ministry of Justice declared, that only 18 of the country’s 122 prisons were offering a full regime of activities and services. This is seemingly due to staff shortages, as there are not enough prison officers to enable prisoners to move around safely and to escort them to workshops and classrooms. In total, 61 prisons are offering the majority of activities and services, 42 offer “reduced but sustainable” activities and services, and one prison is providing only basic activities and services, a decision considered unsustainable in the long term.
[^HMIPd] : Criminal Justice Joint Inspection, The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the criminal justice system – a progress report, May 2022, p. 20
Department of Justice, PSI 03/2012 on activities assignment. ↩
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A growing number of prisoners at HMP Hewell are taking chess lessons with a teacher from the English Chess Federation.
Mothers are allowed to keep their children with them
yes, until they are 18 months old
Mothers who request a spot in the mother and baby unit (MBU) are not entitled to legal representation, and many only learn about the process through word of mouth. Some requests have been wrongly rejected. These decisions are taken by four independent boards appointed by HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS). The Chief Social Worker’s report, published in November 2022, included concerns about the inconsistency of the decisions taken by these boards. Of the 39 rejections examined, 14 were considered troubling and three unreasonable.
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The maternity services at Bronzefield women’s prison are, according to a report from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, “outdated and inadequate”. The facility is “insufficiently resourced”. Not all mothers have access to the mother and baby unit, and there is no clear alternative.
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In its most recent visit report, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture has described a prison system “in a deep crisis”, pointing to violent, dangerous and overpopulated prisons. The Committee highlights acts of violence perpetrated by staff against prisoners. These include “preventative attacks”, which consist of beating inmates who migh pose a threat in the future. This practice was referred to in an official document from Liverpool prison in 2015, which stated that “there is no rule which specifies whether a person should expect to be attacked before being able to defend themselves”.
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An employee at Lowdham Grange claims there is a “culture” of prison officers using violence against prisoners. Two officers were suspended while an inquiry looks into videos that surfaced showing staff kicking a prisoner.
Number of deaths attributed to suicide
74
Il y a eu 54 761 incidents d’automutilation entre septembre 2021 et septembre 2022.
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A man died by suicide at Wandsworth Prison. Four days before his death, he stated that he had been trying to see a psychiatrist for three months. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman criticised the mental health team for not establishing a care plan despite previous interactions with the prisoner for psychological problems.
All inmates are admitted to prison with a valid commitment order
Each person admitted to prison must be identified. The staff verifies the validity of the order or any other document authorising their detention.1
Ministry of Justice, PSI publication 06/2015 on the early days in custody, p. 4. ↩
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An inspection report states that many women are sent to prison “for their own protection” due to mental health problems, previous suicide attempts, and a lack of beds available in psychiatric hospitals. Specialist psychiatric healthcare units in women’s prisons, when they do exist, are often full because of high demand for mental health services. The reformed Mental Health Act is expected to end this practice.
Vocational training is available for all prisoners
The supply of vocational training is insufficient.
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Building group ISG runs a Construction Skills Academy, in partnership with the prison service, to help prisoners at HMP Birmingham train and find work after their release. They won a contract to renovate 300 single-occupancy cells at the prison.
Total official capacity of the prison facilities
84,385
Certified National Accomodation1 in use.
Certified National Accommodation (CNA), or uncrowded capacity, is the Prison Service’s own measure of accommodation. CNA represents the good, decent standard of accommodation that the Service aspires to provide all prisoners. Details can be found in “PSI 17/2012”. ↩
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The Ministry of Justice received authorisation to build four new blocks at the women’s prison Drake Hall. The new blocks will increase capacity by 103 additional places.
Total number of prison facilities
120
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The new Fosse Way prison, managed by the private operator Serco, opened its doors on 29 May. It will eventually hold 1,930 men.
Overcrowding is an issue for specific types of prison facilities
yes
Overpopulation is concentrated in local and Category C prisons. Certain women’s prisons are also experiencing overpopulation (due to a rise in the number of women arrested and the closure of Holloway Prison in July 2016).
A report published on 18 October 2022 by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons revealed that 60% of prisoners at the Pentonville prison are held in overpopulated cells. Although the facility has a capacity of 871, it currently holds 1,111 prisoners. This overpopulation has created numerous problems: lack of privacy while using the toilets in the cells, cockroach infestations, insufficient furniture other than beds, staff’s unwillingness to solve these problems, and a perceived lack of safety among prisoners.
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Pentonville prison was criticised for overcrowding in the latest inspection report. The situation in the prison, which was already over capacity during the previous inspection, deteriorated as the number of prisoners continued to rise.
Assignment of transgender prisoners to a specific facility depends on
their own identification
“All transgender prisoners must be supported to express which gender they identify as in court”1
This is not always necessary. It is possible to override gender self-identification if there is a lack of evidence and / or an identified risk to the individual (the individual is placed in a location which may not correspond to the gender of which they identify). The decision must be based on clear criteria and deemed to take into account the safety of the prisoner and of other prisoners. The Ministry of Justice believes that “regardless of where prisoners are held, they should be respected in the gender in which they identify, being provided with those items that enable their gender expression” 2.
In May 2019, there were 130 trans women imprisoned, amongst them 119 were detained in men’s facilities.3
National Offender Management Service,“The Care and Management of Transgender Offenders”, instructions from the 1 January 2017 about the care and management of transgender prisoners p.11. ↩
Department of Justice, “Review on the Care and Management of Transgender Offenders”, December 2015, p. 5-6. ↩
Ministry of Justice, “Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Offender Equalities Annual Report”, November 2019, page 15. ↩
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A law prohibiting certain transgender women from being incarcerated in women’s prisons has come into force. This law states that transgender women with male genitalia or who have committed sexual offences will no longer be allowed in women’s prisons.
Sentence adjustments can be granted during the incarceration
The Parole Board examines the request for eligibility for parole.1 It reviews life sentences, or IPPs2 at the end of the tariff (the period of unconditional imprisonment)3.
Prison Reform Trust, The Parole Board and parole review ↩
Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection, see the Specific Populations section, Life Imprisonment category. ↩
The period of unconditional imprisonment (tariff) is the minimum length of time a prisoner sentenced to an IPP must remain incarcerated ↩
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In an attempt to address overcrowding issues, prisoners nearing the end of their sentences can be fast-tracked for access to open prisons. This measure applies to men serving fixed-term sentences for non-violent, non-sexual offences.
All prisoners are entitled to spend at least one hour a day in the open air
The amount of time spent outdoors varies from one facility to another. It is often about 30 minutes, despite the rule being one hour (Prison Rule 30). The administration uses weather conditions and the need for order and discipline to limit time spent outdoors.1
The Inspectorate of Prisons observed this limited period and deplored the fact that inmates have to choose between this exercise and other necessities (shower, phone call, etc.). They noted that many outside excercise areas remained austere, dirty and uninviting.2
HM Inspectorate of Prisons published its annual report for the period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. The Inspector was struck by the time spent by prisoners in their cells: Most of them are only allowed to leave their cells for 30 minutes per day. He noted that restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic remained in place in prisons even after they were lifted on the outside.3
Prison Reform Trust Regime and time out of cellule. ↩
Chief Inspector of Prisons, “Annual Report 2017-18”, July 2018, p. 39. ↩
HM Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2021-22, 2022 ↩
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Staff shortages at HMP Aylesbury are heavily impacting access to health care, time out of cell, education and work. The 40% of prisoners who do not work often spend less than an hour a day outside of their cells. Many prisoners told HM Inspectorate of Prisons that they did not have enough time for daily showers. Those with jobs are often kept from work due to this shortage.
The schooling of minors is compulsory
Incarcerated minors (up to the age of 16 in England and Wales) receive a compulsory education and benefit from at least 15 hours per week of lessons or educational programmes (YOI Rule 32.4).1 Special arrangements must be made for minors over the age of 17 with specific educational needs (YOI Rule 38)
Nicola Padfield & Nancy Loucks, “Le système pénitentiaire anglais et gallois” (The English and Welsh prison system), in J. Céré and C. E. Japiassú (éds.), Les systèmes pénitentiaires dans le monde (Prison systems in the world), 2018, p. 36. ↩
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HM Inspectorate of Prisons published its annual report on minors in detention. In young offender institutions, time spent on education was barely higher than half of the pre-Covid rate: most children received 15 hours of education per week, compared with 27 before. The report notes that, on the whole, young offender institutions are unable to provide enough activities.