HMP & YOI Norwich had cut violence and self-harm since its previous inspection, according to HM Inspectorate of Prisons. Its report, published in April 2026, recorded an impressive fall in serious assaults. But inspectors warned that drug use remained high and that cuts to education had left many men with too little to do.
Inspectors visited in January 2026, when the prison held 746 men. Norwich is a reception and resettlement prison, taking men from the courts and preparing others for release. It also has category C accommodation and an open, category D unit.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor credited a long-serving and effective governor with good progress. The governor was due to retire in the summer after the inspection. Inspectors called for a succession plan and a smooth handover in what they described as a fragile jail.
Two grades rise
The inspectorate rated Norwich reasonably good for safety, reasonably good for respect, not sufficiently good for purposeful activity and reasonably good for preparation for release.
The previous full inspection report appeared in December 2022. It rated safety not sufficiently good, respect reasonably good and purposeful activity poor. It also rated rehabilitation and release planning, the earlier name for the fourth test, as reasonably good.
Safety therefore rose by one grade, from not sufficiently good to reasonably good. Purposeful activity, which covers education, work and time out of cell, also rose by one grade, from poor to not sufficiently good. Respect and preparation for release stayed at reasonably good.
Leaders had taken earlier criticism seriously. They had achieved or partially achieved 11 out of 13 concerns from 2022. The inspectorate published an independent review of progress at Norwich in July 2023, between the two full inspections.
Difficulties with finding accommodation on release continued to be a big challenge and too many men left the jail street homeless.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons report
Less violence, but drugs a priority
Violence between prisoners had fallen by 13% since 2022. Assaults on staff had dropped by 31%. Levels of self-harm had also fallen significantly.
Leaders had set up a violence reduction wing for men often involved in fights or assaults. The regime there was tightly controlled, and men understood what they had to do to return to the main wings. Inspectors said the unit had a positive effect elsewhere in the prison. However, it lacked enough therapeutic support to help men tackle the causes of their violence.
In the inspectorate’s survey, 25% of men said they felt unsafe at the time, similar to other prisons. Inspectors judged oversight of use of force reasonably good. Almost all incidents appeared on body-worn camera footage.
Drugs remained the first priority concern. Almost a quarter of random drug tests, 24%, came back positive. Far more men than at the last inspection said drugs were easy to get. Inspectors reported limited gate security on the category C site and poor CCTV coverage in some areas. They also said the prison service had been very slow to improve physical security, even though people often threw items over the perimeter to bring in drugs.
In 2025, the prison referred over 200 serious breaches of prison rules to the police. Hardly any prisoners faced charges, and more than 100 referrals still awaited a decision.
Bored men and too little to do
Cuts to education by the prison service had reduced the offer, particularly on the category C site. Cuts of nearly 50% had ended much of the vocational training there.
Many men described feeling bored and demotivated. Those who were unemployed or retired spent too much time behind their doors. Time out of cell was poor for many prisoners, and inspectors said leaders had not shown enough ambition to improve it.
Some men had plenty to do. Men convicted of sexual offences on M wing spent all day in the textiles and printing workshop. Elsewhere, too many men did meaningless wing work. Use of the library and the gym was not nearly good enough.
F and G wings, on the category C site, were dilapidated. The category C wing had few places to sit and a recreation room without lights. More than a third of prisoners shared a cell built for one. In-cell showers in refurbished wings, 12 months overdue, were due to open later in the year.
Release and resettlement
The category D unit got a good share of men out on release on temporary licence, which allows them to leave the prison for work and other purposes. It had built useful links with employers in the community.
Finding homes for men on release remained a major challenge. The report said: “too many men left the jail street homeless”. Shortages in the pre-release team limited the help available.
Inspectors raised 14 concerns, six of them priorities. Besides drugs, the priorities covered conditions on F and G wings, overcrowding, time out of cell, the narrow education offer and release without sustainable accommodation.
Inspectors also recorded four examples of notable positive practice. These included yoga and meditation sessions in the segregation unit, which inspectors said they rarely see in men’s prisons. Better staff retention had brought more consistency to the daily regime. In the words of the report, the governor and his team “should be very proud of the progress made over the last few years”.
About this story
This story is based on HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on HMP & YOI Norwich, published on 20 April 2026, following an inspection that ended in January 2026. All figures and judgements are the inspectorate’s. Read the full inspection report · See the prison’s profile in our directory.
