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Independent Monitoring Boards annual report

Thorn Cross

Report year 2026 Published 27 Aug 2026 Type Prison, category Open, YOI, Category D Responsible body HMP Thorn Cross 9 recommendations

Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response, 28 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)
HMP/YOI Thorn Cross operates as an open, Category D establishment focused on rehabilitation, reporting low levels of violence and self-harm, alongside good staff-prisoner relationships and strong resettlement outcomes. However, the report highlights significant concerns regarding the estate's condition, including an inadequate kitchen and tired residential units, and the ongoing absence of a new CCTV system. Challenges persist in healthcare, particularly mental health engagement and delayed screenings for late arrivals, as well as limitations in regime opportunities due to education cuts and restricted sports facilities.

Positive findings

Summary written by this site (AI-generated)
Thorn Cross remains a safe environment with low levels of violence and self-harm, supported by positive staff-prisoner relationships and a strong rehabilitative culture. Healthcare provision is generally good, with excellent support for drug and alcohol addictions and a prioritisation of mental health. The prison maintains strong resettlement figures, with excellent accommodation and employment rates on release, and has seen success in improving English and mathematics attainment. The kitchen staff were even nominated for a national catering award.

Recommendations

All 9 recommendations

Key concerns

All 15 key concerns

Recommendations 9 items · 2 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 1

Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Estate · Repeated from a previous year

Recommendation (the Board's words)
When will the new CCTV system be installed?
Government response (as published)
Work was not yet started on the new system and although the work is programmed for 2026-27 there is no start date and no way can be found to obtain one.

Source text verified

Recommendation 2

Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Healthcare

Recommendation (the Board's words)
Will a smoking ban be implemented across the open estate?

Source text verified

Recommendation 3

Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Progression

Recommendation (the Board's words)
Will a minimum time be introduced that a prisoner must serve in a closed prison before transfer to the open estate?

Source text verified

Recommendation 4

Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Regime · Repeated from a previous year

Recommendation (the Board's words)
When will the results of the trial of in-cell phones in the open estate be known?
Government response (as published)
A trial at another open prison is being closely followed but the outcomes are not yet known and this remains an aspiration at Thorn Cross.

Source text verified

Recommendation 5

Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Safety

Recommendation (the Board's words)
How will the effectiveness of the increased use of CSIPS (Challenge, Support, and Intervention Plans, used to support and manage prisoners who pose an increased risk of violence) be assessed?

Source text verified

Recommendation 6

Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Substance Misuse

Recommendation (the Board's words)
What steps will be taken to ensure the prison does not run out of drug testing kits?

Source text verified

Recommendation 7

Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Healthcare

Recommendation (the Board's words)
What steps are to be taken to reduce the number of late arrivals, considering the associated health risks?

Source text verified

Recommendation 8

Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Mental Health

Recommendation (the Board's words)
When will the mental health team be given a telephone?

Source text verified

Recommendation 9

Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Regime

Recommendation (the Board's words)
Is there a costed plan to return the gym/sports hall to full use and to promote team sports?

Source text verified

Key concerns 15 items

Key concerns were extracted from the report text by an AI model.

Key concern 1

Substance Misuse

Illicit items continued to be brought in and found, with a new trend of unregulated weight loss injections.

Key concern 2

Estate/Conditions

The kitchen is inadequate for the size of the prison and experienced problems with equipment failures.

Key concern 3

Estate/Conditions

The residential units would benefit from investment.

Key concern 4

Education/Purposeful Activity

Some education courses have been cut because of cuts to the provision.

Key concern 5

Safety

There was a significant increase in the number of men needing support, reflecting the change in the cohort of men being deemed suitable for the open estate.

Key concern 6

Estate/Conditions

Hot water and showers continue to be an issue across all units with frequent failures that appear slow to resolve.

Key concern 7

Estate/Conditions

There has been no progress on a new kitchen, which is linked to the provision of extra accommodation being provided with the arrival of rapid deployment cells.

Key concern 8

Substance Misuse

Unfortunately, there has been an issue with the supply of the drug testing kits and as a result the men have not been tested regularly.

Key concern 9

Estate/Conditions · Repeated from a previous year

There have been numerous requests from the prison over the last few years for a review of and refit of CCTV cameras, this is on hold due to financial constraints.

Key concern 10

Healthcare

The number of late transfers is increasing. Men arriving outside of healthcare’s normal opening hours do not receive their first screening until the following day. This can put men at risk, as exemplified by one man who arrived with pneumonia and deep vein thrombosis and was urgently sent to hospital the following day.

Key concern 11

Mental Health

The mental health team moved to an office based in one of the residential units over a year ago and are still without a telephone, making communication difficult.

Key concern 12

Regime/Time Out of Cell

With 50% of the sports hall used for fitness equipment, the range of team sporting activities available to the men is limited, and therefore so is participation.

Key concern 13

Estate/Conditions · Repeated from a previous year

The long awaited new OMU building was built, however shortly after it had to be demolished as there were so many faults with it, leaving staff continuing to work in totally unsuitable conditions. The replacement building was complete and then sat empty for months as there were protracted disputes over the warranty.

Key concern 14

Other

As of mid-March, nearly 25% of the prison population had been in prison for less than six months before being transferred to the open estate. This means that they have had very little intervention and education and there are concerns that the men who are transferring may not be ready for open conditions and may not have completed courses and programmes only available in the closed estate, which are designed to aid and support rehabilitation.

Key concern 15

Regime/Time Out of Cell · Repeated from a previous year

The prison has a single shared phone on each wing with regular queuing and many men missing the opportunity to speak to their loved ones.

Safety statistics

Incidents during the reporting year.

IndicatorThis yearPrevious
Deaths in custody10
Self-harm incidents40
ACCT cases opened105
Prisoner assaults44
Assaults on staff00
Use of force2125
Drug finds96111

Population

Operational capacity429
Time out of cell12.0h/day

Applications to the IMB

CategoryCurrentPrevious
Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions 1 5
Canteen, facility list, catalogues 0 0
Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions 0 0
Equality 1 0
Finance, including pay, private monies, spends 1 0
Food and kitchens 0 1
Health, including physical, mental, social care 0 1
Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions 2 0
Miscellaneous 1 0
Property during transfer or in another facility 1 4
Property within the establishment 0 1
Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell 1 3
Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation 9 8
Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying 0 0
Transfers 1 1

Report details

Establishment
Thorn Cross
Type
Prison, category Open, YOI, Category D
Report year
2026
Published
27 August 2026
Responsible body
HMP Thorn Cross
Recommendations
9
MoJ rating (2025/26)
4, Outstanding

Service providers

ServiceProvider
Dental ServicesTime for Teeth
Drug and Alcohol RehabilitationSubstance Misuse Service (SMS)
Employment Hub SupportDepartment for Work and Pensions
HealthcarePractice Plus Group
Listener Scheme SupportSamaritans
Mental HealthGreater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Social CareWarrington Borough Council

Related inspections and investigations

HMIP inspection, 2 May 2023

Unannounced · Safety 4 · Respect 3 · Activity 4 · Release 4

HMIP inspection, 20 Apr 2021

Inspection

Other reports for Thorn Cross

2025

Published 18 Jul 2025 · Self-harm 0 · Key concerns recorded

2024

Published 15 Aug 2024 · Self-harm 0 · Key concerns recorded

2023

Published 4 Aug 2023 · Self-harm 1 · Key concerns recorded

2022

Published 18 Jul 2022 · Self-harm 1 · Key concerns recorded

2021

Published 2 Sep 2021 · Self-harm 3 · Key concerns recorded

2020

Published 14 Jul 2020 · Self-harm 0 · Key concerns recorded