The summary and positive findings below were written from the report by an AI model. The Board's own wording is in the report linked above.
Summary
Summary written by this site (AI-generated)
HMP Leyhill, a Category D open prison, faces a complex transition with reduced capacity due to construction and a changing demographic towards a younger population. While safety, healthcare uptake, and education attendance are positive, significant concerns persist regarding resettlement delays for IPP prisoners due to a lack of approved premises and inefficiencies in external probation. Alarm systems, staffing levels, and the increasing presence of illicit items also require urgent attention, alongside challenges in food budgeting and healthcare screening for new arrivals.
Positive findings
Summary written by this site (AI-generated)
The Board commends the noticeable focus on the needs of elderly and disabled prisoners, improved safety monitoring, and the extensive use of the Samaritan-trained Listener scheme. Fair and humane treatment is evident, supported by strong chaplaincy and prisoner involvement in healthcare. Education and work strategies are praised for enhancing employability, and the streamlining of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) processes is welcomed. Improvements in accommodation, staff mentoring, and the opening of the Leyhill Grounds cafe, staffed by prisoners, are also noted as positive developments. The signing of CAS3 contracts to provide temporary accommodation on release is a significant positive step.
Recommendations 8 items · 3 repeated
Recommendations were extracted from the report by AI, and responses and their status from the ministerial response by AI. Each recommendation shows whether its wording has been checked against the report.
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
What action will the minister take to remedy the lack of spaces in approved premises, which leads to many prisoners facing incarceration beyond their release dates?
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Food
Recommendation (the Board's words)
What action will the minister take to raise the food budget in line with inflation?
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
What further action will be taken to speed up the resettlement in the community of the prisoners serving IPP sentences, many of whom have spent far longer in custody than recommended in their indicative tariffs?
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Resettlement
Recommendation (the Board's words)
What steps will be taken to speed up the work and enhance the efficiency of the community offender managers (COMs) in the external probation service?
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Safety · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
Will the prison service install a general alarm system fitted to each room?
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Regime
Recommendation (the Board's words)
Will the prison service install in-cell telephony and communication, as provided in some of the closed estate?
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Resettlement
Recommendation (the Board's words)
The Board urges the Governor to build on the recent improvements made in the provision of opportunities for ROTL.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Estate
Recommendation (the Board's words)
The Board urges the Governor to maintain the current standards at Leyhill in the forthcoming refurbishment, upgrade of facilities and challenging expansion project.
Key concerns 6 items
Key concerns were extracted from the report text by an AI model.
Key concern 1
Resettlement/Release · Repeated from a previous year
The lack of approved premises (AP’s), which a large percentage of Leyhill prisoners require before they can be released, results in delays to release dates, which is unjust and unfair.
Key concern 2
Resettlement/Release
Prisoners’ progress towards parole has often been slowed by delays caused by the external probation service.
Key concern 3
Safety · Repeated from a previous year
The Board has been concerned about the inability of prisoners to raise an alarm. During the incident, a prisoner pressed the alarm buttons located on the wing for assistance, but it did not initiate the alarm. The Board has raised concerns that there is no in-room alarm available for prisoners, other than disabled prisoners, to initiate in the event of a medical event or violent incident.
Key concern 4
Staffing
The IMB has concerns that 25% of the prison staff are relatively new to the Prison Service (less than two years) and that as many as four officers have been lent to other prisons under the detached duty scheme. The external probation service has been very short-staffed and this has contributed to delays in communication between POMs and COMs.
Key concern 5
Safety
The IMB and prison staff have concerns about the changing population demographic of Leyhill, moving from a predominantly older population to one that is younger, on shorter sentences and with far fewer sentenced for sex offences. Anabolic steroids and syringe finds have continued to increase towards the end of the reporting year. Mobile phone finds have also increased significantly. The number of known organised crime group members has almost doubled in the last year, increasing from 17 to 33.
Key concern 6
Food/Catering
The kitchen manager has had a challenging year, with the cost of food rising sharply while his budget remained static. Fresh vegetables have continued to be supplied by the prison’s market gardens, but prisoners often complained (via the prisoner food forum) about portion size.
Safety statistics
Incidents during the reporting year.
Report details
- Establishment
- Leyhill
- Type
- Prison, category D
- Report year
- 2023
- Published
- 17 August 2023
- Responsible body
- HMP Leyhill
- Recommendations
- 8
- MoJ rating (2025/26)
- 4, Outstanding
Related inspections and investigations
HMIP inspection, 6 Jul 2026
Unannounced
HMIP inspection, 12 Jun 2023
Unannounced · Safety 4 · Respect 4 · Activity 1 · Release 3
HMIP inspection, 2 Mar 2021
Inspection
PPO fatal incident · Natural causes
PPO fatal incident · Natural causes
PPO fatal incident · Natural causes
PPO fatal incident · 22 Sep 2023 · Natural causes
PPO fatal incident · 18 Jan 2024 · Natural causes
Other reports for Leyhill
Published 17 Aug 2026 · Population 473 · Self-harm 5 · Key concerns recorded
Published 29 Jul 2025 · Population 464 · Self-harm 22 · Key concerns recorded
Published 5 Jul 2024 · Population 449 · Self-harm 13 · Key concerns recorded
Published 15 Jun 2022 · Population 447 · Key concerns recorded
Published 18 May 2021 · Population 497 · Key concerns recorded
Published 2 Jun 2020 · Population 507 · Key concerns recorded