HMP Onley, HMIP Inspections

The prison was given an Independent Review of Progress in January 2026, 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 Onley is a category C training and resettlement prison near Rugby, Warwickshire, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding around 700 men. A full inspection in May 2025 found safety and respect had both declined to not sufficiently good, down from reasonably good, while purposeful activity remained Poor and preparation for release remained not sufficiently good, both unchanged. This Independent Review of Progress, carried out in January 2026, checks progress against the concerns raised then rather than re-scoring the four healthy prison tests.

Inspectors found good progress on the use of force, with body-worn camera coverage of incidents rising to almost 97% by November 2025 and incidents themselves falling by around 8%. Reasonable progress had been made on preparing prisoners for release, and around 500 accredited learning modules had been completed since October 2025 as activity spaces increased and unemployment eased.

Inspectors nonetheless found insufficient progress on security, with the positive rate on drug testing having risen to 36% and drone incursions still a significant problem, though funding for enhanced physical security had at least been agreed. There was insufficient progress on prisoner consultation, on mental health services, where some patients waited up to 25 weeks for treatment, and on fair treatment and inclusion. Over 100 prisoners serving longer sentences with no upcoming parole milestones had no allocated offender manager at all.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
January 2026

HMP Onley

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