The prison was inspected in June 2026, 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 Lindholme is a category C training prison in South Yorkshire, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 956 adult men against a capacity of 1,010 at the time of the inspection. This full inspection, carried out in June 2026, rated safety Not Sufficiently Good, unchanged from 2023, respect Not Sufficiently Good, a decline from Reasonably Good, and purposeful activity and preparation for release both Not Sufficiently Good, each an improvement from Poor.
Inspectors found the new governor, Shaun Mycroft, who took up post in June 2025, had brought stable and visible leadership with clear behavioural expectations and improved communication with prisoners. A “safety club” supporting vulnerable prisoners, strong community partnerships to disrupt the supply of drugs, an employer partnership offering waste management qualifications, and innovative family support initiatives were all noted as good practice.
Even so, inspectors found drugs remained the biggest threat to the prison’s stability, with more than half of prisoners surveyed saying they were easy to obtain and over 30% of random drug tests coming back positive; drug use was linked to at least one death in custody, with others still under investigation, as well as debt, bullying and violence. Assault rates remained above those at comparable prisons, health services had a backlog of over 300 overdue applications, mental health transfers were slow, and understaffing in the offender management unit meant many prisoners had little contact with their probation officer.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
September 2026
To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below:
| Inspection report, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Lindholme by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (1–11 June 2026, published 1 September 2026) | Easy read summary of the 2026 inspection report |
| Independent Review of Progress report, HM Inspectorate of Prisons review of progress at HMP Lindholme (13–15 May 2024, published 15 July 2024) | Inspection report (PDF), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Lindholme by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (17–27 July 2023, published 24 October 2023) |
| Easy read summary of the 2023 inspection report | |