The prison was given its first full inspection in March 2025, the full report can be read on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website, just follow the links below. In their report the inspectors said:
HMP Fosse Way is a category C resettlement prison for adult men in Wigston, Leicestershire, run by Serco. It opened in May 2023 on the site of the former HMP/YOI Glen Parva, and held 1,705 men against a capacity of 1,715 at the time of this, its first inspection.
Inspectors found a prison that had made encouraging progress since opening, praising leaders and staff for what had been achieved so far. Purposeful activity and preparation for release were both rated reasonably good, with strong daily enrichment activities, a “Departure Lounge” giving practical pre-release support, and a prisoner-led peer support scheme called Gravity. Respect was also rated reasonably good.
Safety was rated not sufficiently good. Violence, including against staff, had risen steadily in the year before the inspection, with high rates of prisoners reporting they had been bullied or victimised, and mandatory drug testing rates among the highest of any category C prison, with illicit drugs judged too easily available. Inspectors also raised concerns about excessive use of PAVA spray and batons without sufficient attempts at de-escalation first, insufficient contact between prisoners and their offender managers, high staff turnover, with over 80% of custody officers having less than two years’ experience, and significant vacancies in healthcare and mental health roles.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
June 2025
To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below:
- Inspection report, HM Inspectorate of Prisons website, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Fosse Way by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (10–20 March 2025)
- Inspection report (PDF), full report of the March 2025 inspection of HMP Fosse Way
- Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2025 inspection of HMP Fosse Way
The Independent Monitoring Board’s most recent annual report on HMP Fosse Way is also available: IMB Annual Report 2024–25.