The prison was given a full inspection in March 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 Frankland is a high-security dispersal prison for category A and B adult men in County Durham, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 821 prisoners against a certified normal accommodation of 889. Inspectors rated safety, respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release all Reasonably Good, unchanged from the previous inspection in 2020.
Self-harm incidents fell to 507 over the year, down from 811 previously, and assault levels were lower than at comparable high-security prisons, though up by around a third since the last inspection. Staff attrition was low at 3.69%, education was rated Good by Ofsted, and library use, at 70% of prisoners weekly, was higher than at comparable prisons. Healthcare waiting lists were described as among the shortest inspectors had seen.
Inspectors raised four priority concerns: deteriorating infrastructure including leaking roofs and heating failures, insufficient promotion of fair treatment for prisoners from protected groups, 27% of prisoners locked up during the working day, and insufficient full-time activity places, with many part-time workers unlocked for only four to seven hours. Further concerns included unsafely stored medicines, workshop skills lacking formal accreditation, and weak family contact, with only 17% of prisoners receiving social visits more than once a month. There had been three self-inflicted deaths since the 2020 inspection, including one during and one shortly after the March 2024 inspection itself.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
July 2024
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 Frankland by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (4–14 March 2024, published 8 July 2024)
- Easy read summary of the 2024 inspection report
- Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2024 inspection of HMP Frankland