HMIP Inspection of Liverpool

The prison was given an Independent Review of Progress in May 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 Liverpool is a category B reception and resettlement prison for adult men, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding around 830 prisoners. A full inspection in August 2025 rated safety not sufficiently good, respect reasonably good and purposeful activity poor, each a decline from the 2022 inspection, while preparation for release remained reasonably good, unchanged. This Independent Review of Progress, carried out in May 2026, checks progress against the concerns raised then rather than re-scoring the four healthy prison tests.

Inspectors found good progress on suicide and self-harm prevention, with incidents down by around a third since 2025. Reasonable progress had been made on staff sickness absence, on security, where the positive drug testing rate fell from 46% to 35%, on time out of cell, and on public protection arrangements following the creation of a dedicated unit. An NHS-led initiative expanding access to secure mental health beds was highlighted as a promising development.

Even so, inspectors found insufficient progress on conditions for new arrivals, some of whom still waited over six hours in austere reception conditions, on staff-prisoner relationships and key work, and on the condition of older residential units, which remained substandard. Progress on transferring patients to secure mental health hospitals within national guidelines was also insufficient, with only one of seven transfers meeting the 28-day target, and cuts to education and vocational training were said to have compounded existing shortcomings.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
June 2026

HMP Liverpool

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