Source · IMB Annual Report

Oakwood

Year: 2025 Published: 27 Aug 2025 Type: Prison · Cat C Population: 2,135 Recommendations: 13 Key concerns Positive findings

HMP Oakwood, a Category C training prison, generally provides a safe environment with reductions in self-harm incidents and prisoner-on-prisoner violence. The prison has seen significant improvements in healthcare provision, with CQC breaches lifted, and positive developments in purposeful activity and prisoner-staff relationships. Key challenges include persistent understaffing in the Probation Service, ongoing delays in mental health transfers, and issues with property management and the availability of complaint forms for prisoners.

Safety statistics

Incidents during reporting year

Indicator	This year	Previous
Deaths in custody	8	—
Self-harm incidents	1,366	1,388
ACCT cases opened	424	560
Prisoner assaults	132	—
Assaults on staff	91	82
Use of force	691	555
Drug finds	546	260

Positive findings

The Board notes that there were again no self-inflicted deaths and that self-harm incidents have stabilised. Prisoner-on-prisoner violence decreased, and use of force incidents remained low compared to comparator prisons. Staff-prisoner relationships were assessed as good, and key worker sessions increased by 28%. The prison saw improvements in healthcare, with the CQC lifting all twelve breaches following a re-inspection, and welcomed the appointment of a Neurodiversity Coordinator. Significant efforts were made in purposeful activity, including a successful Barbering Academy and the opening of an Iceland Training Academy, along with expanding Farms and Gardens activities. Social visits and family interventions also saw increased hours.

Key concerns

17 items

Staffing Repeated Provision for the Probation Service in the OMU is still seemingly insufficient to meet the demand of the current prison population at HMP Oakwood. If the intention is to reduce the number of prisoners returning on recall for breaching their license conditions, then can the Minister ensure that the probation service funding is increased to be able to meet this aim?

Resettlement/Release Repeated Of the 91 IPP prisoners at HMP Oakwood, 71 are on recall (77%). Given that the majority are ten or more years over their original tariff, will extra funding be given to the Probation Service to prioritise reducing this recall percentage for IPP prisoners?

Equality/Diversity There is only one Neurodiversity Coordinator (appointed by the Ministry of Justice) to each prison in England, including HMP Oakwood, irrespective of its population and need. HMP Oakwood’s neurodiversity coordinator currently estimates that it has 900 neurodiverse prisoners (40%). Can the Minister review the neurodiversity funding for individual prisons to support their specific needs and size of population?

Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated Since the implementation of the Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework in 2022, the Board remains concerned that it is seeing a lack of adherence to the policy, particularly with missing property from incoming prisoners. The highest numbers of complaints both to the prison and to the IMB continue to concern missing property. Can this ongoing concern continue to be addressed?

Mental Health Repeated All transfers to a secure mental health facility at Oakwood continued to exceed the 28-day stipulated timeframe (with reference to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) thematic review, ‘The Long Wait’, published in February 2024). Can this ongoing concern continue to be addressed?

Safety Although the IMB receives the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman PPO final report on deaths in custody, it no longer receives the clinical review which previously came as an annex to the report. The Board feels that a lack of access to these reports limits its ability to monitor the outcomes of such reviews. Is it possible to allow access to such reports again?

Food/Catering Repeated How can the Director ensure that standards during service at the serveries are consistently high - wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensuring equipment is working correctly)?

Complaints/Property Can the Director work with the Development and Assurance (D & A) department to address the issue of the availability of prison complaint forms on the houseblocks?

Complaints/Property Can the Director work with health champions and members of the HAS Line, a prisoner-led initiative which works with Healthcare, to address the issue of the availability of health complaint forms on the houseblocks?

Complaints/Property 30% of the complaints received were converted to three-day requests this reporting year. Can the Director ensure that that this proportion of conversions can be justified and that the process is demonstrated to be transparent for prisoners?

Regime/Time Out of Cell Can the Director review again whether there are sufficient resources to manage the internal movement of property?

Equality/Diversity Can the Director work with the chaplaincy to facilitate a Rabbi joining their team?

Other Can the Director facilitate the installation of IMB information noticeboards in the admissions area and on the induction wings to further inform and promote the work of the IMB?

Safety Mobile phone possessions are referred to the police but currently they are referred back due to staffing issues within the police force.

Safety There is still a backlog of UoF statements that are missing several weeks after the incident occurred.

Safety Following a Judicial Review, the security team are only allowed to body scan cohorts of prisoners after having provided evidence of potential concealment of illicit items. It is the Board’s review that this restricts the prison’s ability to offer a deterrent to prisoners.

Estate/Conditions There have been a number of complaints during the year that laundry and cooking equipment has been reported as being faulty / not working but it has taken weeks, and in some cases months, for them to be repaired or replaced.

Recommendations

13 items · 5 repeated

#	Recommendation	Addressee
1	Provision for the Probation Service in the OMU is still seemingly insufficient to meet the demand of the current prison population at HMP Oakwood. If the intention is to reduce the number of prisoners returning on recall for breaching their license conditions, then can the Minister ensure that the probation service funding is increased to be able to meet this aim? Repeated Response Target staffing on the OMU for POMs was reached but the Probation service is still felt to be understaffed.	Ministry of Justice
2	All transfers to a secure mental health facility at Oakwood continued to exceed the 28-day stipulated timeframe (with reference to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) thematic review, ‘The Long Wait’, published in February 2024). Can this ongoing concern continue to be addressed? Repeated Response All transfers to a secure mental health facility at Oakwood exceed the 28-day stipulated timeframe in the reporting year.	HMPPS
4	Since the implementation of the Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework in 2022, the Board remains concerned that it is seeing a lack of adherence to the policy, particularly with missing property from incoming prisoners. The highest numbers of complaints both to the prison and to the IMB continue to concern missing property. Can this ongoing concern continue to be addressed? Repeated Response Property Issues continue to be a major cause of complaints both to the prison and the IMB.	HMPPS
7	How can the Director ensure that standards during service at the serveries are consistently high - wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensuring equipment is working correctly)? Repeated Response There has been some improvement but there are still inconsistencies across the estate when PPE, for example, is not being worn. Equipment not being functional for weeks after being reported; as such, it is still a problem.	Governor / Director
5	Of the 91 IPP prisoners at HMP Oakwood, 71 are on recall (77%). Given that the majority are ten or more years over their original tariff, will extra funding be given to the Probation Service to prioritise reducing this recall percentage for IPP prisoners? Repeated Response The number of IPP prisoners remains high at HMP Oakwood and the proportion of those on recall has continued to be around 75%.	Ministry of Justice
6	There is only one Neurodiversity Coordinator (appointed by the Ministry of Justice) to each prison in England, including HMP Oakwood, irrespective of its population and need. HMP Oakwood’s neurodiversity coordinator currently estimates that it has 900 neurodiverse prisoners (40%). Can the Minister review the neurodiversity funding for individual prisons to support their specific needs and size of population?	Ministry of Justice
7	Although the IMB receives the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman PPO final report on deaths in custody, it no longer receives the clinical review which previously came as an annex to the report. Is it possible to allow access to such reports again?	HMPPS
8	Can the Director work with the Development and Assurance (D & A) department to address the issue of the availability of prison complaint forms on the houseblocks?	Governor / Director
9	Can the Director work with health champions and members of the HAS Line, a prisoner-led initiative which works with Healthcare, to address the issue of the availability of health complaint forms on the houseblocks?	Governor / Director
10	30% of the complaints received were converted to three-day requests this reporting year. Can the Director ensure that that this proportion of conversions can be justified and that the process is demonstrated to be transparent for prisoners?	Governor / Director
11	Can the Director review again whether there are sufficient resources to manage the internal movement of property?	Governor / Director
12	Can the Director work with the chaplaincy to facilitate a Rabbi joining their team?	Governor / Director
13	Can the Director facilitate the installation of IMB information noticeboards in the admissions area and on the induction wings to further inform and promote the work of the IMB?	Governor / Director

Applications to the IMB

Category	Current	Previous
Accommodation (including transfers)	280	260
Healthcare related	320	280
Other	359	744
Property	460	440
Purposeful activity (e.g. work, education, gym, library)	160	180
Staff behaviour	120	100
TOTAL	1,699	2,004

Related inspections & investigations

9 Apr 2024 HMIP · Unannounced Safety 4 · Respect 4 · Activity 4 · Release 3

— PPO fatal incident Phillip Chandler · Natural causes

— PPO fatal incident Christopher Harper · Natural causes

— PPO fatal incident Alan Priestley

— PPO fatal incident Kenneth Wood · Natural causes

— PPO fatal incident David Roadknight

Other reports for Oakwood

2024 Published 23 Aug 2024 Population 2,097 · Self-harm 1,388 · Concerns

2023 Published 5 Sep 2023 Population 2,067 · Self-harm 1,139 · Concerns

2022 Published 2 Aug 2022 Population 2,048 · Concerns

2021 Published 24 Aug 2021 Population 2,047 · Self-harm 887 · Concerns

2020 Published 7 Aug 2020 Population 2,060 · Self-harm 1,176 · Concerns

Report details

Establishment: Oakwood
Type: Prison · Cat C
Report year: 2025
Published: 27 August 2025
Responsible body: HMP Oakwood
Recommendations: 13
MoJ rating (2024/25): 3 — Good

Population

Population	2,135
Operational capacity	2,134

Source links

IMB report page → imb.org.uk →