Prison watchdog report reveals drugs crisis, vermin, and fire safety delays across England and Wales
The Independent Monitoring Board's annual report paints a grim picture of life behind bars, from rampant drug use and gang control to cells infested with vermin, while a separate inquiry hears fire safety upgrades will not be complete until the early 2030s.
A pervasive drug threat
Drugs remain the most pervasive threat to safety and stability in prisons, according to the Independent Monitoring Board's (IMB) national annual report for 2025. At HMP High Down in Surrey, staff faced 13 'code blue' medical emergencies related to drug use in a single day. A separate IMB report focusing solely on High Down found that 49% of prisoners surveyed thought it was easy to get hold of drugs, down slightly from 56% in 2024. The crisis is linked to instances of self-harm, violence, medical emergencies and deaths.
Procedures supposed to safeguard some of society's most vulnerable people, instead frequently failed them.
Living conditions and violence
Inmates across England and Wales are held for long periods in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, often living alongside vermin. The report highlights a man in HMP Garth, Lancashire, who died in a cell fire after the alarm apparently failed to sound, and several prisoners bitten during a spider infestation at HMP Bullingdon, Oxfordshire. Gangs appear to control entire wings, roaming cells to collect drug debts with threats of violence. Toilets remain broken for weeks, and many prisoners have no opportunity to learn a skill or participate in education.
Self-harm and women's prisons
Prolific self-harm meant some prisoners went without vital support, with the issue particularly affecting women's prisons such as HMP Send near Woking. A relatively small number of highly disruptive prisoners had a significant impact on the general operation of the prison. At HMP Foston Hall in Derbyshire, a spike in self-harm occurred during hot weather after managers did not have the funds to buy fans.
The IMB's commitment to shining light on the outcomes for detained people remains resolute.
Immigration detention concerns
The IMB report also raises concerns about immigration detention centres. Staff at one Home Office short-term holding facility wore St George's Cross flags pinned to their uniforms while guarding migrants. The board felt this risked perceptions of bias or intimidation among detained people, especially given recent immigration protests where flag displays were prominent. The report also found that 12% of those detained under the one-in-one-out returns scheme at Gatwick immigration removal centre were age disputed, with 20% of that group later found to be children.
The board felt this risked perceptions of bias or even intimidation among detained people, especially in the light of recent immigration protests in which flag displays were prominent.
Fire safety delays
A House of Lords inquiry was told that vital prison fire safety upgrades will not be completed until the early 2030s. Ministers had promised to install automatic fire detectors in all cells by 2027 but backtracked on the commitment. James McEwen, CEO of His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, said the collapse of contractor ISG in autumn 2024 and the prison overcrowding crisis made the target impossible. Currently, 19,000 prisoners are held in cells lacking legally required safety measures. The Howard League for Penal Reform says 11 prisoners have died in cell fires since the government first accepted upgrades were needed almost 20 years ago.
I do not believe we will have completed that work in this Parliament.
Population pressures and systemic strain
The crisis predated Keir Starmer's government. On day one, then justice secretary Shabana Mahmood introduced early release schemes, warning the criminal justice system was close to collapse. The threat of the prison population exceeding the maximum of 89,800 continues to haunt the Ministry of Justice. Population pressures at prisons such as HMP Swaleside in Kent and HMP Ford in West Sussex were exacerbated by transfer issues. At Swaleside, an inmate was transferred despite having previously been stabbed by another prisoner there. Prisons minister Lord James Timpson said positive improvements have been made but more needs to be done.
Whether it's keeping the public safe by creating 3,000 more prison places, investing over half a billion in vital maintenance and security, or recruiting hundreds more staff, positive improvements have been made but more needs to be done.
