An unannounced inspection of HMP Lindholme, near Doncaster, has found that the scale of drug use inside the prison is undermining safety – contributing to at least one death, fuelling debt and bullying, and damaging vulnerable prisoners’ chances of making progress. The inspection, carried out in June 2026, rated the prison “not sufficiently good” across all four areas HM Inspectorate of Prisons assesses.
At the time of the inspection, Lindholme held 956 prisoners against a capacity of 1,010. More than half of prisoners surveyed said drugs were easy to get hold of, and over 30% of random mandatory drug tests came back positive. Only 273 of the prison’s population were receiving substance misuse support.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said the prison had failed to properly address problems identified at its previous inspection in 2023. There was some praise for governor Shaun Mycroft, appointed in June 2025, for his visibility and leadership – but inspectors said this hadn’t yet translated into a safer prison.
If you have a loved one at Lindholme and are worried about drugs or safety, our Drugs page has more general guidance on this issue.
Source: The Star, 1 September 2026