The prison was given a full inspection in May 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 Grendon is a category B prison for adult men in Buckinghamshire, run by HM Prison and Probation Service on a site it shares with the open prison HMP Springhill, holding 171 prisoners against a baseline certified normal capacity of 248. Grendon is one of the prison service’s therapeutic communities, weaving accredited therapeutic work into almost all of daily life rather than confining it to a single group session, with prisoners and staff jointly setting standards through democratic community meetings. Inspectors rated safety, respect and rehabilitation and release planning all Good, unchanged, while purposeful activity declined to Not Sufficiently Good.
The prison was described as one of the safest in the country, with only one prisoner-on-prisoner assault recorded in the preceding 12 months. Ninety per cent of prisoners said staff treated them with respect, 97% could visit the library at least weekly, and 79% rated the food as good, reflecting what inspectors called vivid evidence of personal change among prisoners engaged in the therapeutic process.
Inspectors nonetheless found many cells lacked proper in-cell sanitation, which they judged not fit for purpose in a therapeutic environment. Health governance was weak, with 33 nurse-led clinics cancelled in a single month, and the education curriculum was not broad enough, having deteriorated since the previous two inspections. Prisoners with very low reading levels received effectively no support, and only around a quarter of prisoners were using the exercise yard despite good weather.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
August 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 Grendon by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (2–19 May 2023, published 14 August 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 Grendon