Source · IMB Annual Report
Humber
Year: 2024
Published: 5 Aug 2025
Type: Prison · Cat C resettlement prison
Population: 1,034
Recommendations: 4
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Humber, a Category C resettlement prison, experienced significant challenges in 2024 due to high prisoner turnover and population pressures. While the Board commends management's efforts in maintaining safety and improving regime stability, issues persist concerning property loss, inadequate purposeful activity, and cell sharing. Healthcare provision is improving but faces space and recruitment challenges, while key worker schemes are compromised by staffing shortages.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 6 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 1,175 | 725 |
| ACCT cases opened | 600 | 459 |
| Prisoner assaults | 238 | 129 |
| Assaults on staff | 104 | 79 |
| Use of force | 771 | 554 |
| Drug finds | 439 | 237 |
Positive findings
The Board commends the professionalism and resilience of the Governor and SMT, who tirelessly prioritize safety and work to improve the regime. HMP Humber is generally a safe place for men, with a strong culture of care and effective use of data to counter negative trends. Staff-prisoner relationships are constructive, and significant improvements have been made in managing complaints and healthcare provision, including mental health services. The appointment of a long-term conditions nurse and positive collaboration with local authorities for resettlement are also welcomed.
Key concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The high level of ‘short time to release’ prisoners has created significant ‘churn’ pressure on all functions within the prison, greatly impacting its ability to offer structure, regime, and support for care and transition into the community.
Education/Purposeful Activity
There were not enough education, skills or workplaces to meet the needs of a quarter of the prison population, and attendance was low.
Resettlement/Release
Too many prisoners were released to no fixed abode or to unsustainable accommodation.
Safety
The prison was not doing enough to tackle the behaviour of perpetrators of violence.
Safety
Violence and self-harm were often related to prisoners being in debt to others.
Healthcare
Some areas of medicines’ management were weak and some clinical areas did not meet infection-control standards, creating unnecessary risk.
Equality/Diversity
There were gaps in the provision for prisoners with disabilities.
Overcrowding
Repeated
256 prisoners were sharing cells designated for single occupancy, which the Board views as unsatisfactory or not decent.
Staffing
Repeated
Key worker figures have been low for most of the year due to staffing pressures and redeployment, severely compromising the effectiveness of the key worker process.
Other
Repeated
The issue of prisoner property loss during transfers between prisons has not improved and continues to be unacceptable, exacerbated by increased churn.
Healthcare
Additional workload from increased population turnover and drug/alcohol influence has impacted healthcare providers, and clinic room space is oversubscribed.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Board eagerly awaits HMP Humber’s return to being a training and resettlement prison. When will the Minister consider this return? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 2 | Additionally, the Board looks forward to considering the proposed sentencing review and hopes there will be a greater emphasis on non-custodial sentences. Can the Minister provide a timeline for the review? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 3 | Again, regrettably the issue of prisoner property has not improved with regard to prisoners transferring into HMP Humber. Levels of property loss between prisons still continue to be unacceptable. It causes stress to the individuals affected and also significant additional work for the prison staff, together with unnecessary costs to the taxpayer in compensation payments. It has been greatly exacerbated by the ‘churn’ of prisoners, moving around the estate, over the past year. Vague promises of digital changes in the long term are not helping with an immediate and longstanding daily problem. It appears to the Board that a significant cause of these losses is the result of poor contract strategy, which places insufficient onus on the transport provider and ineffective enforcement of performance standards. How and when will the Prison Service address this serious issue? Repeated | HMPPS | |
| 4 | The Board is strongly of the opinion that detaining prisoners in shared cells designed for single occupancy for long periods of time is not fair or decent. What steps will the Prison Service take to prevent this happening wherever possible? Repeated | HMPPS |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 45 | 38 |
| Charges and Adjudications | 12 | 10 |
| Healthcare | 46 | 59 |
| Other | 77 | 103 |
| Property (current establishment) | 25 | 23 |
| Property (from previous establishment) | 28 | 21 |
| Sentence Management | 40 | 32 |
| Total | 274 | 286 |
| Visits | 1 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
27 Nov 2023
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 3
· Respect 3
· Activity 2
· Release 3
Other reports for Humber
Report details
- Establishment
- Humber
- Type
- Prison · Cat C resettlement prison
- Report year
- 2024
- Published
- 5 August 2025
- Responsible body
- HMP Humber
- Recommendations
- 4
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 3 — Good
Population
| Population | 1,034 |
| Operational capacity | 1,079 |
Service providers
Catering
Aramark
Chaplaincy (Buddhist)
The Prison Phoenix Trust
Chaplaincy (Church of England)
The Diocese of York
Chaplaincy (Jewish)
Jewish Prison Chaplaincy
Chaplaincy (Latter-Day Saints)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Chaplaincy (Muslim)
Khawaja Consultancy
Chaplaincy (Pagan)
Hull Pagans
Chaplaincy (Roman Catholic)
The Diocese of Middlesbrough
Chaplaincy (Sikh)
Vacant
Cleaning
Aramark
Dental
Time for Teeth
Education and Workshops
Novus
Healthcare
Spectrum Community Health CIC
IMB Secretariat
HMPPS
Laundry
Aramark
Mental Health
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS)
GeoAmey
Staffing
HMPPS
Substance Misuse
Change, Grow, Live
Utilities and Maintenance
Amey
Visitors Centre
Humberside CRC