HMIP Report, Leyhill

The prison was given a full inspection in June 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 Leyhill is a category D open prison for adult men in rural Gloucestershire, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 437 prisoners against an operational capacity of 461. Inspectors rated safety and respect both Good, unchanged, but purposeful activity had declined sharply to Poor, down from Good at the previous inspection, while preparation for release improved to reasonably good, up from not sufficiently good. The prison was described as overwhelmingly safe and decent, with some of the best-maintained gardens inspectors had seen, under an experienced governor.

Eighty-nine per cent of prisoners said they had a named personal officer, well above the open-estate comparator of 68%, and 87% rated the quality of health services as good. Ninety-two per cent felt safe on their first night and only 8% said they had ever felt unsafe. Staff-prisoner relationships were consistently positive and public protection arrangements for higher-risk prisoners were competently managed.

Inspectors nonetheless raised concerns that education, skills and work provision was not of sufficiently high quality and left prisoners without the skills needed for employment on release, a judgement reflected in an “inadequate” Ofsted rating for education. Prisoners with additional learning needs did not receive enough support, and a lack of training and supervision for support orderlies posed a potential safeguarding risk to frail and elderly prisoners. Only 41% of prisoners said they exercised twice a week or more, and drug availability, while still relatively low, was a continuing concern.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
July 2023

HMP Leyhill

To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below: