The prison was given a full inspection in April 2023, 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 Ford is a category D open resettlement prison for adult men in West Sussex, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 382 prisoners against a certified normal accommodation of 429. Inspectors rated safety Good, an improvement, respect and purposeful activity both Reasonably Good, unchanged, and rehabilitation and release planning Good, also an improvement, describing a prison transformed since a difficult period during the pandemic.
A governor appointed in April 2022 was credited with the turnaround. Only around 1% of prisoners said they currently felt unsafe, far lower than at the previous inspection, 87% had a staff member they could turn to for support, and 95% could visit the library at least weekly. Release on temporary licence was extensive and well managed, with around 37,000 ROTL events in the year and a 99.8% success rate, and around 80% of the population accessing it, supported by strong links with local employers.
Inspectors nonetheless raised three priority concerns: disparities for prisoners from protected groups in access to paid ROTL work and to better accommodation, boredom caused by insufficient evening and weekend activity with no unsupervised access to sports fields, and weak oversight by leaders of the quality of education, skills and work. Further concerns included the absence of a key-worker scheme, limited prisoner consultation, and an underused gym and sports facilities. Around 158 prisoners had been returned to closed conditions over the year, most often because of drug use.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
July 2023
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 Ford by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (4–20 April 2023, published 10 July 2023)
- Easy read summary of the 2023 inspection report
- Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2023 inspection of HMP Ford