The prison was given a full inspection in November/December 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 Exeter is a category B local and reception prison for adult men in Devon, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 307 prisoners at the time of the inspection. Inspectors rated safety Not Sufficiently Good, up from Poor, respect Reasonably Good, up from Not Sufficiently Good, purposeful activity Not Sufficiently Good, up from Poor, and preparation for release Good, up from Reasonably Good — every one of the four healthy prison tests improved by a full band since the 2022 inspection, which had triggered an Urgent Notification.
Inspectors credited the governor, in post since May 2023, with steadily stabilising a prison that had been in crisis, and self-harm, while still high, had fallen by 43% since the last visit. Eighty-four per cent of prisoners were doubled up in cells designed for one, a long-standing pressure the prison had little control over given its role as a local reception jail.
Serious concerns remained. Exeter had recorded seven self-inflicted deaths since 2022, the highest rate of any adult male prison in England and Wales, and the use of force by staff had risen by around 30% over the same period. Inspectors said sustaining the improvement, and bringing down the number of self-inflicted deaths, had to remain the prison’s overriding priority.
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:
- Inspection report (PDF), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Exeter by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (18 November–4 December 2025, published 9 March 2026)