Recommendations 10 items · 6 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.
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Estate · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
It is unacceptable that 35% of prisoners in Coldingley still have no in cell sanitation. The collapse of the previous contractor and re-letting of its contracts has halted the work installing in-cell sanitation in the older wings since September 2024. What can be done to prioritise and speed up this project?
Response (as published)
See letter from the Minister of State for Justice, as noted above
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
The continued increase in churn of prisoners (13%) is having many impacts in this resettlement prison: How is the Minister proposing to alleviate the destabilising effects of population changes on the resettlement and training estate?
Response (as published)
See letter from the Minister of State for Justice, dated 1st December 2025 (also available on the IMB website)
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Resettlement
Recommendation (the Board's words)
Prisoners are suffering delays and cancellations of parole hearings, leading them to spend unnecessary additional time in prison. What can be done to eliminate this and free up additional space in overcrowded prisons?
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Safety
Recommendation (the Board's words)
Many prisons have enhanced gate security to prevent illicit items from entering. What plans are there to provide Coldingley with enhanced security arrangements to prevent the ingress of illicit items?
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Education
Recommendation (the Board's words)
Many prisoners have the Building Choices programme on their sentence plans. There have been multiple missed target dates for starting this programme. When will it start?
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Other · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
There has been no improvement in the transfer of property between prisons in the reporting year. What is the Prison Service planning to do about this?
Response (as published)
This question was not addressed in the response.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Substance misuse · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
How is the widespread availability of drugs and other illicit substances around the site going to be curtailed and eliminated?
Response (as published)
We opened a new ISFL unit and recommenced random MDT in the spring. This September we have delivered more searching and specialist operations to recover drugs, as well as introducing a dedicated drug strategy SO. Suspicion testing is increasing and we have various initiatives to promote healthy living.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Safety
Recommendation (the Board's words)
The trend in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults has increased by close to 25% in the past year. What actions are being taken to tackle this?
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation
The Board recommends that the Minister provide further plans to help Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentenced men still in prison, especially regarding the provision of the Building Choices programme.
Response (as published)
See letter from the Minister of State for Justice, as noted above
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Mental Health · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation
The Board recommends swift action to ensure mentally unwell men are transferred from unsuitable accommodation into secure hospitals far more quickly, preventing them from being held in CSU conditions when clinically unfit.
Response (as published)
See annex to letter from the Minister of State for Justice, published on 1 December 2026