The prison was given a full inspection in January/February 2024, 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 Cardiff is a category B reception and resettlement prison serving the courts of south-east Wales, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 737 prisoners against a certified normal capacity of just 534, with nearly two-thirds sharing cells designed for one person. Inspectors rated safety, respect and preparation for release all Reasonably Good, unchanged from the previous inspection, while purposeful activity slipped from Good to Reasonably Good, the only area to decline.
The prison was assessed as clean and settled, performing better than similar prisons on most safety measures, with assaults lower than at comparable establishments and self-harm incidents down 38% since the last inspection. Most prisoners said they were treated respectfully by staff, standards of cleanliness were better than average, and education was rated good by Estyn, the Welsh education inspectorate, with most courses successfully completed. The Invisible Walls Wales family-support project was praised as highly valued by prisoners for maintaining family ties.
Inspectors raised serious concerns nonetheless. Ten self-inflicted deaths had occurred since the previous inspection, and the prison’s response to related recommendations was judged poor. Around a quarter of random drug tests came back positive, and prisoners were substantially more likely than at comparable prisons to say drugs were easy to obtain. Healthcare oversight for prisoners with long-term conditions showed weaknesses, dental waiting times stretched to a month even for urgent cases, and the key work scheme meant most prisoners did not get regular one-to-one contact with a named officer. Too many prisoners were still released homeless or without settled accommodation arranged, with overcrowding identified as a structural driver behind much of this.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
May 2024
To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below:
- Inspection report (PDF), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Cardiff by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (29 January–5 February 2024, published 8 May 2024)
- Easy read summary of the 2024 inspection report
- Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2024 inspection of HMP Cardiff
- HMP Cardiff, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Cardiff (15–26 July 2019)