Source · IMB Annual Report
Grendon
Year: 2025
Published: 20 May 2026
Type: Prison · Cat B
Population: 170
Recommendations: 6
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Grendon is a category B prison and therapeutic community. Membership of the IMB Board remains well below capacity, limiting depth of monitoring and reporting. In the Board’s view, the prison continues to operate within a generally safe environment.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 17 | 28 |
| ACCT cases opened | 30 | 45 |
| Prisoner assaults | 5 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 2 | — |
| Use of force | 4 | 7 |
| Drug finds | 3 | 4 |
Positive findings
In the Board’s view, the prison continues to operate within a generally safe environment with low levels of violence, self-harm, and use of force. Outcomes have been good for both physical and mental health provision, and support for men with drug and alcohol issues has been good. The Board is pleased to report the opening of D wing. Delivery of the new educational offer promotes better outcomes for prisoners and a more coherent delivery arrangement alongside therapy.
Key concerns
Estate/Conditions
Outcomes for men as a result of frequent plumbing and sanitation issues across the wings have been poor.
Estate/Conditions
Rat infestation continues to be a problem.
Complaints/Property
Handling of prisoners’ property and canteen continues to generate complaints
Resettlement/Release
The frequent cancellation of transfers for prisoners from HMP Grendon to their receiving prison causes considerable tension.
Staffing
Staff vacancies, particularly Band 4 Officers have been an issue.
Healthcare
Healthcare does not operate a 24 hour service in Grendon.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can the Minister offer reassurance that sufficient funding will be made available to address the necessary improvements to accommodation at HMP Grendon? If so, what are the expected timeframes of this? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 1 | Property and canteen issues create unnecessary anxiety and complaints from prisoners. What priority is the Prison Service giving to effective solutions for the continued issues with prisoners’ personal property and adherence to the National Policy Framework? | HMPPS | |
| 1 | What is being done to address the rodent issue at Grendon given the limited impact that previous interventions have had? | Governor / Director | |
| 2 | The frequent cancellation of transfers for prisoners from HMP Grendon to their receiving prison causes considerable tension. What provision is being made to improve the prisoner transfer experience, especially given the destabilising impact it has for the Grendon community? | HMPPS | |
| 2 | Are there new strategies for recruiting Band 4 officers at Grendon, given the negative impact of staffing issues on therapy delivery? | Governor / Director | |
| 3 | What contractual arrangements are in place with DHL to deliver improvements to men’s experience of canteen services and to give assurances that refunds are processed faster, especially when items are lost? | HMPPS |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 2 | 4 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 0 | 1 |
| Equality | 2 | 0 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 1 | 4 |
| Food & kitchens | 0 | 0 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 1 | 5 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 3 | 3 |
| Miscellaneous | 0 | 1 |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 0 | 2 |
| Property within the establishment | 0 | 0 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 1 | 1 |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 2 | 1 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 0 | 1 |
| Transfers | 0 | 1 |
Related inspections & investigations
2 May 2023
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 4
· Respect 4
· Activity 2
· Release 4
Other reports for Grendon
Report details
- Establishment
- Grendon
- Type
- Prison · Cat B
- Report year
- 2025
- Published
- 20 May 2026
- Responsible body
- HMP Grendon
- Recommendations
- 6
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 3 — Good
Population
| Population | 170 |
| Operational capacity | 236 |
Service providers
Audiology
Specsavers
Dental
Time for Teeth
Drug and alcohol recovery team (DART)
Midlands Partnership
University NHS Foundation Trust
Education
Milton Keynes College
Escort contractor
Serco
Food
HMPPS
Healthcare
Practice Plus Group (PPG)
Library
Buckinghamshire Council
Maintenance
Gov Facility Services Limited (GFSL)
Mental health services
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Optician
The Prison Optician Trust
Pharmacy
Practice Plus Group (PPG)
Podiatry and physiotherapy
Practice Plus Group MSK,
Buckinghamshire
Social Care
Buckinghamshire Council