Source · IMB Annual Report
Kirkham
Year: 2025
Published: 13 Jan 2026
Type: Prison · Cat D open
Population: 692
Recommendations: 9
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Kirkham, a Category D open prison, faced significant challenges during the reporting period (Jan 2024 - Jul 2025) due to high prisoner churn from temporary release schemes, which disrupted its resettlement function and exhausted staff. Despite this, the Board found the prison to be a safe environment, with improvements in healthcare, purposeful activity, and complaints management. Key concerns remain around illicit substances, staffing, budget cuts impacting education, and the aging estate.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 2 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 7 | — |
| ACCT cases opened | 28 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 13 | 12 |
| Assaults on staff | 2 | — |
| Use of force | 45 | — |
Positive findings
The Board considers Kirkham to be a safe environment, despite high prisoner churn, and commend staff for coping well with these pressures. Healthcare, particularly mental health services, has improved due to increased staffing. The new gym facilities are well-utilised, and a range of enrichment activities has enhanced prisoner-staff engagement. The Offender Management Unit (OMU) is now functioning cohesively, and significant improvements have been made to the complaints tracking system. The Board also commends the chaplaincy, the positive approach to the equality advisor role, and the success of the recent jobs fair.
Key concerns
Substance Misuse
There continued to be a growing issue with illicit substances in the prison, despite enhanced security measures.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
TPRS and early release schemes had a huge impact on HMP Kirkham having difficulty to fulfil its purpose as a resettlement prison, receiving the highest proportion of these prisoners.
Staffing
The IMB feels that to assist with the additional challenges prison staffing level should better reflect the current cohort of prisoners.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Recent budget reductions effecting education and vocational work are not supportive to the mission of a rehabilitation and resettlement prison.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The IMB believes that having additional processes that would differentiate between short, and long-term prisoners within a resettlement prison would be significantly beneficial.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The absence of in-cell telephony.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The IMB believes that the prison should have more choice in deciding if prisoners are suitable to come to Kirkham.
Estate/Conditions
Lack of heating and hot water for long durations during winter continued to be a significant issue, creating damp living and working conditions for prisoners and staff awaiting protracted repair by AMEY maintenance contractors, despite being under the focus of special measures.
Mental Health
In the Board’s opinion, wait times for referrals to psychological wellbeing practitioners are too long.
Resettlement/Release
Opportunities for outside work had been seriously hindered by ROTL processes arising from the increased workload on the offender management unit (OMU) through TPRS.
Resettlement/Release
Concerns have arisen around the issues of accommodation on release. Previously the prison had its own accommodation officer. This had been removed and although the prison made every effort to ensure that no prisoner was released with no fixed abode (NFA), this was not always guaranteed.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TPRS and early release schemes had a huge impact on HMP Kirkham having difficulty to fulfil its purpose as a resettlement prison, receiving the highest proportion of these prisoners. What additional support is planned to support the prison in managing the continued repercussions of an influx of prisoners? Repeated | Ministry of Justice | |
| 2 | The IMB feels that to assist with the additional challenges prison staffing level should better reflect the current cohort of prisoners. Will the Minister commit to ensuring appropriate staffing levels at HMP Kirkham? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 3 | Recent budget reductions effecting education and vocational work are not supportive to the mission of a rehabilitation and resettlement prison. Will the Minister reconsider his plans to reduce the education budget, in light of the need for rehabilitation support across the prison estate? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 4 | The IMB believes that having additional processes that would differentiate between short, and long-term prisoners within a resettlement prison would be significantly beneficial. How does the Minister plan to address this issue? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 5 | The IMB and the prison would welcome a Ministerial visit. Will the Minister schedule a visit in 2026? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 6 | The IMB and the prison would welcome investment in in-cell technology, as recommended by the recent inspectorate report. When will the recommendation be carried out? | HMPPS | |
| 7 | The IMB believes that the prison should have more choice in deciding if prisoners are suitable to come to Kirkham. How does the Prison Service propose to work in partnership with HMP Kirkham regarding prisoner transfers? | HMPPS | |
| 8 | The IMB would like to see a firmer approach to those taking drugs. | Governor / Director | |
| 9 | The IMB would like to see effective action taken to prevent availability of drugs. | Governor / Director |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 4 | 1 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 3 | 2 |
| Equality | 0 | 0 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 2 | 0 |
| Food and kitchens | 4 | 0 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 12 | 8 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 0 | 0 |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 3 |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 5 | 0 |
| Property within the establishment | 1 | 0 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 3 | 2 |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation | 36 | 1 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 0 | 1 |
| Transfers | 1 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
9 Sep 2024
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 3
· Respect 2
· Activity 2
· Release 2
Other reports for Kirkham
Report details
- Establishment
- Kirkham
- Type
- Prison · Cat D open
- Report year
- 2025
- Published
- 13 January 2026
- Responsible body
- HMP Kirkham
- Recommendations
- 9
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 3 — Good
Population
| Population | 692 |
| Operational capacity | 699 |
Service providers
Education
Novus
Employment Partner
Booths
Employment Support Services
Information Advice and Guidance (IAG)
Family Support (Charity)
Partners of Prisoners (POPS)
Financial Support (Government)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Healthcare
Practice Plus Group
Higher Education
UCLAN (IT)
Library
Lancashire County Council
Listener Service (Charity)
Samaritans (Blackpool branch)
Literacy Support (Charity)
Shannon Trust
Maintenance
AMEY
Resettlement Support
Reconnect
Social Care
Lancashire County Council
Social Support (Charity)
Recoop
Substance Misuse Services
Practice Plus Group
Veterans Support (Charity)
Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’s Families Association (SSAFA)
Vocational Training
Preston College