HMP Leeds

At its last full inspection (July 2025; report published October 2025), inspectors found outcomes for prisoners were poor for safety and purposeful activity; not sufficiently good for respect and preparation for release. It held 1,088 people at the time, against an operational capacity of 1,110. An independent review of progress was published in May 2026.

Read our story Read the inspection report

Healthy prison tests: inspectors grade four areas from 1 (poor) to 4 (good).

1. May 2026 · Independent review of progressFollow-up visit assessing progress against the key concerns from the previous full inspection. Read the report (HM Inspectorate of Prisons, opens external site) ↗
2. October 2025 · Full inspectionSafety: poor · Respect: not sufficiently good · Purposeful activity: poor · Preparation for release: not sufficiently good Read our story
3. August 2023 · Independent review of progressFollow-up visit assessing progress against the key concerns from the previous full inspection. Read the report (HM Inspectorate of Prisons, opens external site) ↗
4. September 2022 · Full inspectionSafety: not sufficiently good · Respect: reasonably good · Purposeful activity: not sufficiently good · Rehabilitation and release planning: reasonably good Read our story
5. March 2020 · Full inspectionInspection report. Read our story

News

Royal Literary Fund takes reading groups into prisons for National Year of Reading

The charity’s Reading Round groups, which have run in community venues since 2013, will now operate in prisons including HMP Leeds, HMP Liverpool and HMP Brixton.

Prison News staff30 Jun 2026

News

Inspectors find insufficient progress on safety and drugs at HMP Leeds

The Chief Inspector of Prisons praised the new Governor’s leadership but said overcrowding, drug use and self-inflicted deaths were still holding back improvement.

Prison News staff18 May 2026

News

Ombudsman finds failings at two prisons before men took their own lives

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Adrian Usher, has criticised the care given to two men in distress at HMP Leeds and HMP Wormwood Scrubs.

Prison News staff9 Mar 2026

News

HMP Leeds: inspectors find deaths, overcrowding and lock-up worsening at reception prison

Inspectors rated HMP Leeds poor for safety and purposeful activity after finding that outcomes had fallen across every healthy prison test since 2022.

Prison News staff21 Oct 2025