The prison was given an Independent Review of Progress in February 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 Elmley is a category B/C local and resettlement prison for adult men on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, part of the Sheppey cluster and run by HM Prison and Probation Service. A full inspection in February/March 2025 had found it holding 1,025 prisoners against a certified normal capacity of 1,007, and rated safety, respect and purposeful activity all Not Sufficiently Good and preparation for release Reasonably Good, all unchanged from 2022. This Independent Review of Progress, carried out in February 2026, checks progress against the concerns raised then rather than re-scoring the four healthy prison tests.
Inspectors found good progress on tackling drugs, with the positive test rate down from 29% to 20% following a successful prosecution for staff trafficking contraband into the prison, and good progress on cell conditions, with more than 200 cells refurbished since the last inspection.
Progress on staff-prisoner relationships was reasonable, with more consistent key-working reported by prisoners, but inspectors found insufficient progress on reducing late arrivals from court, which continued to disrupt evening regimes and left new arrivals with little time for a proper induction.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
March 2026
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 Elmley (16–18 February 2026, published 30 March 2026)
- Inspection report (PDF), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Elmley by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (24 February–7 March 2025, published June 2025)