HMP Woodhill still unsafe, leading to second Urgent Notification from inspectors

HMP Woodhill remained unsafe, with high levels of violence, self-harm and drug use, according to HM Inspectorate of Prisons. Its report on the category B training prison, published in June 2026, found outcomes overall even worse than at the previous inspection.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, opened the report bluntly. “HMP Woodhill is a prison that is a cause for deep concern,” he wrote.

He said the findings were the principal reason he invoked the urgent notification process, writing to the Deputy Prime Minister on 17 March 2026. An Urgent Notification requires the government to respond publicly within 28 days. It was the second issued for Woodhill; the first came in September 2023.

Woodhill holds long-term and complex men within the high-security estate. It held 527 prisoners when inspectors visited in March 2026, against an operational capacity of 586.

Poor in three of four tests

The inspectorate judges prisons against four healthy prison tests. Woodhill scored poor for safety, purposeful activity and preparation for release. It scored not sufficiently good for respect.

Purposeful activity covers education, work and time out of cell. Preparation for release had fallen from not sufficiently good at the previous full inspection, published in November 2023. The other three grades had not changed.

Inspectors noted that they had found poor outcomes in safety and purposeful activity at every inspection of Woodhill since 2018. The inspectorate also carried out an independent review of progress, published in September 2024.

This time inspectors identified 16 key concerns, seven of them priorities.

HMP Woodhill is a prison that is a cause for deep concern.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Violence, weapons and drugs

Violence between prisoners had risen by 23% since the last inspection. Assaults on staff had increased by about 38%, and the rate of serious assaults on staff was the highest in the long-term, high-security estate.

Leaders told inspectors that around a third of violent incidents involved weapons. Many recent weapons came from hard plastic and metal taken from the backs of in-cell televisions.

In the inspectorate’s survey, 61% of prisoners said they had felt unsafe at Woodhill. Some 39% said they felt unsafe at the time.

Leaders said around 28 men on the main units were refusing to leave their cells, often because of debt and fear of attack. Some had isolated for well over 100 days, and many had not been outside for weeks.

Drugs were far too easy to get. Three deaths in the previous two years had been classified as drug related. The positive rate for random drug tests was among the highest of all adult male prisons.

Self-harm remained among the highest in the adult male estate. Use of force had risen considerably and was the highest of all category B training prisons.

Staff, conditions and activity

Inspectors said poor relationships between staff and prisoners lay at the heart of many frustrations. Many officers failed to set standards, enforce basic rules or engage with prisoners constructively.

The prison was dilapidated and grubby, and showers were often broken or dirty. A long-delayed shower refurbishment had still not happened. Inspectors said the prison service had not provided enough funding for repairs.

Patients waited an average of 191 days to transfer to hospital under the Mental Health Act. A lack of escorting officers sometimes delayed urgent hospital treatment.

Too many men spent much of the working day locked in their cells, and time unlocked was worst at weekends. Staff shortages led to frequent cancellation of education and work. Leaders had developed an ambitious curriculum, but the range of activities remained too narrow.

Preparation for release had deteriorated. Offender management was under severe strain, with high caseloads and few chances for men to address their offending. Inspectors judged risk management planning for the most dangerous men inadequate.

Early signs under new leadership

Inspectors found some limited signs of stability under a new, experienced governor, who had been in post for six months. Staff spoke positively about the new leadership style. A new deputy governor had joined two months before the inspection, and leaders were tackling the shortage of officers.

Protest behaviour had eased. Malicious fire alarm activations had dropped from over 900 to around 300, and the number of cell fires had halved. Reception had improved: 71% of men surveyed said they had been treated well there.

Health care provision was a strength, and inspectors praised the use of in-cell laptops to share messages, videos and podcasts with prisoners.

However, the Chief Inspector of Prisons said Woodhill needed substantial and sustained improvement, and meaningful support from senior leaders in HMPPS, to reach an acceptable standard.