HMP Drake Hall, Inspections

The prison was given a full inspection in July/August 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 & YOI Drake Hall is a closed resettlement prison for women near Eccleshall, Staffordshire, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, with a certified normal capacity of 340 plus a small open unit of 25 places outside the main perimeter. At the time of the inspection it held 313 prisoners. Inspectors rated safety, respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release all unchanged from the previous inspection, at Good, Good, Reasonably Good and Good respectively.

Most women said they felt safe on their first night, self-harm was lower than at most other women’s prisons, and almost all received a proper induction. Nearly all prisoners were in full-time purposeful activity, with high pass rates in education and vocational courses, and public protection and resettlement work were both found to be effective.

Inspectors raised concerns about the physical state of two residential houses that needed replacing, after the Ministry of Justice cancelled planned demolition work, and found outdoor time and exercise unnecessarily restricted. The open unit was underused, with only 15 of its 25 places occupied and little use made of temporary release from the closed site. Around 85% of women were held outside the West Midlands, far from home, and two in five had received no social visits in six months. Inspectors also found high rates of segregation and strip-searching, with inadequate documentation of the reasons.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
October 2024

HMP & YOI Drake Hall

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