HMP Foston Hall, HMIP Inspections

The prison was given an Independent Review of Progress in December 2025, the full report can be read on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website, just follow the links below. In their latest report the inspectors said:

HMP & YOI Foston Hall is a closed prison for women in Derbyshire, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 295 women against a baseline certified normal capacity of 290. A full inspection in January 2025 had rated safety Not Sufficiently Good, an improvement from Poor, respect Reasonably Good, unchanged, purposeful activity Poor, a decline, and preparation for release Reasonably Good, unchanged. This Independent Review of Progress, carried out in December 2025, checks progress against the concerns raised then rather than re-scoring the four healthy prison tests.

Inspectors found good or reasonable progress on all but one of the concerns raised at the January 2025 inspection. The proportion of women testing positive for drugs had fallen from 18% to 11%, capacity on the substance-free unit had doubled, three-quarters of officers had now completed mental health awareness training compared with a quarter previously, and more than 400 resettlement referrals had been made in six months.

The one area of insufficient progress was careers information and guidance, and inspectors said violence remained high compared with similar prisons, drug positivity was still elevated despite the improvement, and women experiencing acute mental health crises were still arriving at the prison rather than being diverted to hospital care. The Chief Inspector’s report also noted that two women took their own lives at Foston Hall in the month following the review, a stark reminder of the risks that remain even where progress is being made.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
January 2026

HMP & YOI Foston Hall

To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below: