Source · IMB Annual Report

Berwyn

AI-generated report summary HMP Berwyn, operating near its 2000 capacity, continues to grapple with persistent drug ingress, violence, and significant delays in transferring prisoners to specialist mental health accommodation. High population turnover and early release schemes severely disrupt resettlement planning and overstretch staff, while critical infrastructure, such as the heating system, remains problematic despite previous attempts at resolution. Although the prison has seen positive developments in healthcare and family services, the Board raises key concerns regarding the safety of young adults transferred from youth custody, the breakdown of the complaints system, and cross-border issues affecting English prisoners.

Year: 2026 Published: 10 Jul 2026 Type: Prison · Cat B, C, remand Recommendations: 13 Key concerns Positive findings

Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response · 1 Sep 2026 ↗

Safety statistics

Incidents during reporting year

Indicator	This year	Previous
Deaths in custody	1	—
ACCT cases opened	800	—
Prisoner assaults	585	—
Assaults on staff	214	—

Positive findings

AI-generated summary

HMP Berwyn has seen positive developments including the introduction of new healthy food menus, which have been well received. Healthcare provision has improved with on-site paramedics reducing hospital admissions and an effective prisoner-operated health and wellbeing helpline. The Board commends efforts to support Welsh-speaking prisoners and to cater to neurodiversity. Family services have also seen positive changes, with a permanent breastfeeding pilot and an improved visit booking system positively impacting family contact.

Key concerns

7 items

Substance Misuse Repeated Persistent ingress of drugs and related violence, exacerbated by boredom and debt, with no meaningful reduction observed. Source wording under review

Safety The Board is seriously concerned about the designation of HMP Berwyn as the receiving prison for young people in the youth estate and secure children’s homes on turning 18 years old. In our view, the sheer size of Berwyn means that providing the necessary support for and ensuring the safety of individuals is a potential challenge.

Mental Health Repeated The continued long waits for specialist mental health accommodation are stressful for prisoners and staff, who are not equipped to deal with severe mental illness.

Resettlement/Release Repeated Systemic disruption to release planning and resettlement due to early release schemes and high population turnover, overstretching probation staff. Source wording under review

Estate/Conditions Repeated What concrete steps will be taken to secure the resources needed to address long-standing infrastructure failures? For example, the heating system required expensive hired temporary boilers all winter in every building despite previous attempts to repair it.

Complaints/Property Repeated However, at the end of 2025, staff changes once again led to breakdown of the system and complaints did not receive timely responses, leading to a new backlog. This also resulted in increased applications to the IMB about unanswered complaints and our monitoring shows them to be justified. This is a major source of frustration for the prisoners, particularly when they are advised to submit a Comp 1 (ordinary complaint) form to make a simple non-controversial request.

Equality/Diversity Repeated Persistent cross-border issues adversely affecting English prisoners jailed in Wales, particularly regarding healthcare and resettlement services. Source wording under review