The prison was given a full inspection in March and April 2025, 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 Send is a closed training prison for women in Surrey, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 247 women against a certified normal capacity of 255, most serving long sentences with a third serving an indeterminate term. Inspectors rated safety and respect both Good, unchanged, while purposeful activity improved to reasonably good from not sufficiently good and preparation for release improved to Good from reasonably good. Inspectors described Send as “a very good prison” under an ambitious, visible governor, despite four changes of governor since 2021.
Self-harm was low and among the lowest in the women’s estate, with no self-inflicted deaths since 2010, and drug test positivity was just 1.44%, the lowest of any women’s prison. New self-catering accommodation replaced dilapidated wings, almost all women were engaged in work, education or training, and time locked up during the working day fell from 21% to 14%. Ofsted rated education Good across the board, around 40 women studied via distance learning including degree-level courses, and family-ties support was excellent, including a dedicated mother and baby liaison officer and a strong through-the-gate mentoring scheme.
Inspectors nonetheless found women held under restrictive regimes could still spend more than 23 hours a day locked in with little to do, and recording of these placements was incomplete. Access to Listener peer support had deteriorated sharply, down to 47% from 81% previously, with no night-time cover available. Muslim women were underrepresented in trusted roles, support for non-English speakers was poor, and the prison was the highest prescriber of medication per capita regionally, with medication diversion flagged as a security risk. Release planning was described as poorly resourced and uncoordinated, with only around 20% of women securing sustainable housing on release.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
June 2025
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 Send by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (17 March–3 April 2025, published 1 July 2025) | Easy read summary of the 2025 inspection report |
| Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2025 inspection of HMP Send | |