Recommendation 1
Can the Minister detail how he will speed up the vetting of applicants to work in the prison from the current delay of approximately six months?
Source · IMB Annual Report
Swinfen Hall
AI-generated report summary Swinfen Hall, a Category C training prison for young adults with a population of 611, faced significant challenges during the reporting year, primarily due to staff shortages, vetting delays, and an unreliable regime with frequent weekend wing closures. Despite positive leadership efforts and some improvements in staff-prisoner interactions, concerns remain regarding dilapidated infrastructure, poor cleanliness, inadequate rehabilitative opportunities for long-sentenced prisoners, and issues with mental health medication withdrawal.
Year: 2026
Published: 19 Aug 2026
Type: Prison · Cat C training
Population: 611
Recommendations: 11
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | — |
| Use of force | 687 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe Board welcomed increased funding and recognition for the prison's complex cohort of young adults. Leadership and staff were commended for their efforts to drive improvements, contributing to a more stable prison and improved staff-prisoner interactions. Good practice was observed in induction support for vulnerable young adults and physical healthcare provision. External partnerships for rehabilitation, including with the Zahid Mubarek Trust, Aston Villa, and the Barrow Cadbury Trust, were also highlighted as positive initiatives.
Key concerns
Staff absences (sickness, suspension, delays in vetting new staff).
A lack of sufficient work or education opportunities.
A failure to start the delivery of a promised plan for life and 10 year plus sentenced young adults to further support their development.
A failure to ensure decent levels of cleanliness.
A serious ongoing rat infestation.
Poor provision and quality of food.
Dilapidated infrastructure and legionella infections resulting in the closure of some shower units.
A daily regime that had regular wing closures throughout the reporting period and a weekend regime that provides less than two hours out of cell.
Young adults are unable to access student finance loans to study for an open university degree unless they are in the final six years of their sentence.
The real term cuts in the education provision, expected to be in excess of 30% in 2026/7, will restrict catastrophically the prison’s plans to improve the rehabilitation support for young adults.
The rationale of leaving prisoners to “tread water” during their early years in custody and only addressing offending behaviour through programmes in the period leading up to their release.
Too many young adults are not meaningfully engaged in education or work opportunities.
Key work has stalled.
Young adults do not receive ‘in possession’ property from reception in a timely manner.
The step withdrawal of antipsychotics for PTSD-induced hallucinations, discontinued too quickly and without any phasing, precipitated a dangerous risk of harm.
Source wording under review
The quality of assessment, care in custody and teamwork documents (ACCTs) monitored was mixed and, on occasion, poor with a lack of support plans.
The recorded reduction in self-isolators was and remains inaccurate, and misses young adults who are isolating.
Individuals have been held in the CSU for far too long (usually prior to transfer after re-categorisation) and as a result the prisoner’s behaviour consequently deteriorated.
The regime operated in the CSU is very restrictive, with opportunities like attending a religious service never facilitated.
Source wording under review
Many care experienced young adults, despite being entitled to a personal advisor, pathway plan, and other support from their local authority, do not receive the full support.
Source wording under review
The provision for family contact is handicapped by the distances and costs some families face to travel, and the ability to accumulate visits or temporary transfers is not made available by HMPPS.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
The Board would like to know if the Minister is aware of issues regarding those coming from secure children's homes (lack of shared system/information) and what can be done to improve the situation?
Recommendation 3
With reference to the 199 care-experienced prisoners identified at Swinfen Hall, how will the Minister ensure statutory support entitlements are delivered to those who are eligible?
Recommendation 4
How will the Minister ensure that young adults on longer sentences have equal access to education opportunities, given they are unable to access student finance loans to study for an open university degree unless they are in the final six years of their sentence?
Recommendation 5
Does the prison service accept that the real term cuts in the education provision, expected to be in excess of 30% in 2026/7, will restrict catastrophically the prison’s plans to improve the rehabilitation support for young adults, 97% of whom are assessed as a high or very high risk to the public, and most of whom have been failed in education?
Recommendation 6
What is the timeline for replacing or repairing properly the poor condition of parts of the prison estate, and ongoing problems with basic infrastructure such as heating, ventilation, and hot water?
Recommendation 7
What is the rationale of leaving prisoners to “tread water” during their early years in custody and only addressing offending behaviour through programmes in the period leading up to their release?
Recommendation 8
What steps will the Governor take to address, as a matter of urgency, that too many young adults are not meaningfully engaged in education or work opportunities and move to a regime wherein 90% of eligible prisoners are engaged in employment or training?
Recommendation 9
When will the number of key worker sessions meet the mandated minimum?
Recommendation 10
What actions will the Governor take to address the problem that young adults do not receive ‘in possession’ property from reception in a timely manner?
Recommendation 11
How can the Governor ensure that requests for information from IMB members are answered promptly and reasonably?
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 15 | 16 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 1 | 4 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 18 | 16 |
| Equality | 0 | 1 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 2 | 6 |
| Food and kitchens | 4 | 7 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 3 | 15 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 13 | 15 |
| Miscellaneous | 3 | 5 |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 15 | 13 |
| Property within the establishment | 16 | 42 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 7 | 22 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 18 | 36 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 19 | 14 |
| Transfers | 17 | 8 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 2
· Respect 2
· Activity 2
· Release 3
Pearce, Luke · Self-inflicted
Individual at Swinfen Hall · Self-inflicted
Individual at Swinfen Hall · Self-inflicted
Individual at Swinfen Hall · Self-inflicted
Individual at Swinfen Hall · Natural causes
Luke Pearce · Suicide (from 2015)
Other reports for Swinfen Hall
Population 616
· Concerns
Population 618
· Self-harm 369
· Concerns
Population 614
· Concerns
Population 583
· Concerns
Population 570
· Concerns
Population 556
· Self-harm 881
· Concerns