HMI Prisons

Bedford UN

Photograph of Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor

Fifth prison in a year issued with an Urgent Notification

Chief Inspector Charlie Taylor has issued a second Urgent Notification for HMP Bedford following HMI Prisons' inspection in early November. Bedford becomes the fifth establishment to receive an Urgent Notification in the past 12 months. It had the highest levels of violent assaults against staff in adult male prisons in England and Wales, around three-quarters of prisoners lived in overcrowded conditions, most reported being unlocked for under two hours each day, and self-harm had risen by 84% since the last inspection.

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Stakeholder survey

Have your say

The annual HMI Prisons Stakeholder Survey is now live! We want your views on the work we have carried out over the last year. We'll use your responses to help us to improve and to influence our strategic business planning.
The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and includes tick-box and open-ended questions. It will close on Sunday 7 January 2024, so have your say now.

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Chief Inspectors Blog

Preparing prisoners for release

'With proven reoffending rates stubbornly high at 66.7% for juvenile offenders released from custody and 37.1% for adult offenders... the prison and probation services are failing to rehabilitate far too many prisoners. This data is not just a series of dry statistics, each new offence creates another victim and more fear and pain in our communities.'
In the wake of a concerning recent report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Charlie Taylor reflects on the ongoing challenges in preparing prisoners for release.

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Charlie Taylor reappointed

Charlie Taylor reappointed as Chief Inspector of Prisons

We are very happy to confirm that the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice has announced the Royal Reappointment of Charlie Taylor as the Chief Inspector of Prisons for a second term of three years. His reappointment will run from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2026.

Read Charlie's biography

Annual Report 2022-23

2022–23 Annual Report published

Despite the lifting of the final pandemic restrictions in May 2022, many prisons are still failing to return to pre-pandemic regimes which support prisoners’ rehabilitation, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, warns in his 2022–23 annual report. The report, which draws on data from 83 reports from inspections, independent reviews of progress and thematic reviews, highlights the continuing decline in the provision of purposeful activity.

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HMP Littlehey
Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Littlehey by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (4–14 September 2023)
HMP Woodhill
Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Woodhill by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (14–25 August 2023)
A joint thematic inspection of work with children subject to remand in youth detention
This report, published on 23 November looked at a sample of children on remand in England and Wales.
Children in custody 2022-23
An analysis of 12–18-year-olds’ perceptions of their experiences in secure training centres and young offender institutions

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