Recommendation 1
Recommendation (the Board's words)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 text verified
Independent Monitoring Boards annual report
Swinfen Hall
Report year 2026
Published 19 Aug 2026
Type Prison, category C training
Population 611
Responsible body HMP Swinfen Hall
11 recommendations
Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response, 21 Sep 2026 ↗ imb.org.uk ↗
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)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.
Positive findings
Summary written by this site (AI-generated)The 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.
Recommendations
- Recommendation 1Addressed to Ministry of Justice
- Recommendation 2Addressed to Ministry of Justice
- Recommendation 3Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Key concerns
- Key concern 1Staffing
- Key concern 2Regime/Time Out of Cell
- Key concern 3Resettlement/Release
Recommendations 11 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.
Recommendation 2
RecommendationThe 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?
Wording differs from source
Recommendation 3
Recommendation (the Board's words)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?
Source text verified
Recommendation 4
RecommendationHow 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?
Wording differs from source
Recommendation 5
Recommendation (the Board's words)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?
Source text verified
Recommendation 6
Recommendation (the Board's words)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?
Source text verified
Recommendation 7
Recommendation (the Board's words)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?
Source text verified
Recommendation 8
RecommendationWhat 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?
Wording differs from source
Recommendation 9
Recommendation (the Board's words)When will the number of key worker sessions meet the mandated minimum?
Source text verified
Recommendation 10
RecommendationWhat actions will the Governor take to address the problem that young adults do not receive ‘in possession’ property from reception in a timely manner?
Wording differs from source
Recommendation 11
RecommendationHow can the Governor ensure that requests for information from IMB members are answered promptly and reasonably?
Wording differs from source
Key concerns 21 items
Key concerns were extracted from the report text by an AI model.
Key concern 1
Staff absences (sickness, suspension, delays in vetting new staff).
Key concern 2
A lack of sufficient work or education opportunities.
Key concern 3
A failure to start the delivery of a promised plan for life and 10 year plus sentenced young adults to further support their development.
Key concern 4
A failure to ensure decent levels of cleanliness.
Key concern 5
A serious ongoing rat infestation.
Key concern 6
Poor provision and quality of food.
Key concern 7
Dilapidated infrastructure and legionella infections resulting in the closure of some shower units.
Key concern 8
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.
Key concern 9
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.
Key concern 10
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.
Key concern 11
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.
Key concern 12
Too many young adults are not meaningfully engaged in education or work opportunities.
Key concern 13
Key work has stalled.
Key concern 14
Young adults do not receive ‘in possession’ property from reception in a timely manner.
Key concern 15
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
Key concern 16
The quality of assessment, care in custody and teamwork documents (ACCTs) monitored was mixed and, on occasion, poor with a lack of support plans.
Key concern 17
The recorded reduction in self-isolators was and remains inaccurate, and misses young adults who are isolating.
Key concern 18
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.
Key concern 19
The regime operated in the CSU is very restrictive, with opportunities like attending a religious service never facilitated.
Source wording under review
Key concern 20
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
Key concern 21
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.
Safety statistics
Incidents during the reporting year.
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | not recorded |
| Use of force | 687 | not recorded |
Population
| Population | 611 |
| Operational capacity | 624 |
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 |
Report details
- Establishment
- Swinfen Hall
- Type
- Prison, category C training
- Report year
- 2026
- Published
- 19 August 2026
- Responsible body
- HMP Swinfen Hall
- Recommendations
- 11
- MoJ rating (2025/26)
- 2, Concern