The prison was given an Independent Review of Progress in April 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 Belmarsh is a category A local prison in south-east London, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding some of the highest-security prisoners in the country. A full inspection in June 2024 had rated safety Reasonably Good (improved from Not Sufficiently Good in 2021), respect Reasonably Good, purposeful activity Poor, and resettlement Reasonably Good, with the population at the time standing at 717 against an operational capacity of 810, including 98 category A prisoners.
That 2024 inspection credited a stable, well-regarded senior leadership team with strong work on reducing violence and managing gang-related risk, body-worn cameras covering around nine in ten incidents, and notably good support for neurodiverse prisoners. However, purposeful activity was the standout failure, with only around a fifth of activity places filled, a third of prisoners locked up during the working day, and Ofsted rating education inadequate across the board. Other concerns included dirty first-night cells, unsanitary segregation conditions, restricted family contact including very limited use of secure video calling, and uneven healthcare access for category A prisoners.
This Independent Review of Progress, carried out in April 2025, does not re-score the four healthy prison tests but checks progress against the concerns raised in 2024. Inspectors found good progress in three areas and reasonable progress in four, with only careers guidance and advice judged insufficient progress. Improvements included a 62% reduction in prisoners needing constant supervision, falling self-harm and fewer hospitalisations, cleaner reception and first-night areas, better-equipped cells for new arrivals, improved segregation conditions, and a new dedicated role supporting remand prisoners. Purposeful activity and education showed improved allocation and attendance, though inconsistency remained, and the Chief Inspector noted this progress check reports on real, if still incomplete, improvement since the full inspection.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
May 2025
To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below:
- Independent Review of Progress report, HM Inspectorate of Prisons review of progress at HMP Belmarsh (7–9 April 2025, published 19 May 2025)
- IRP response letter, HMPPS response to the May 2025 review of progress
- Inspection report (PDF), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Belmarsh by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (3–13 June 2024)
- Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2024 inspection of HMP Belmarsh
- Independent Review of Progress report (2022), HM Inspectorate of Prisons review of progress at HMP Belmarsh (11–13 April 2022, published 27 May 2022)
- HMP Belmarsh, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Belmarsh (26–27 July and 2–6 August 2021)