A campaign group for prisoners’ families has welcomed signs that HMP Millsike, the UK’s newest prison, is becoming more stable. The group has persistently criticised conditions at the jail.
The HMP Millsike Prison Community Forum speaks for the families and friends of men held at Millsike. The prison opened near York last year and is the first UK jail run by the private operator Mitie.
In January, Millsike’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) wrote to the Prisons Minister, Lord Timpson, warning of safety breaches. It cited “inconsistent gate security” and doors and gates that staff had left open. The board said its members visited only in pairs “due to feeling unsafe on the wings”.
In February, Mitie announced that it was replacing Millsike’s Director after less than a year in post.
Signs of progress
In its latest update, the Forum welcomed improvements in general control and roll calls. It also praised positive work with the prison council, the efforts of visits staff and support from Forward Trust workers. But it warned that “stability alone should not be mistaken for effectiveness”.
The Forum fears that staffing at Millsike will never reach the level first envisaged. Sarah Mallender, a former director of Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre, takes over as permanent Director in June 2026. The Forum hopes she will bring a renewed focus on rehabilitation, healthcare and staff retention.
Joe Chapman, a former prison officer with 24 years’ service, founded the Forum and coordinates it. Its bulletins go to Mitie, including to Russell Trent, the company’s Managing Director for Immigration and Justice. They also go to HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the IMB.
Concerns in the latest report
The Forum’s latest report appeared at the end of May. It says changes in management have raised fears that the prison cannot keep a stable structure. The group is frustrated that its efforts to raise concerns with Millsike and Mitie’s head office have not yet brought significant change.
The report examines each area of the prison in turn. It alleges failings in healthcare, including in medication distribution, and calls physical and mental health provision patchy. It doubts that healthcare will cope as the population grows.
It also reports delays in sorting out new arrivals’ medication and in securing medical appointments and clinical assessments. Access to mental health support is limited, it says, and peer support and Listener provision are insufficient.
According to the report, the education team is not providing access to qualifications as first planned. Sentence progression is slow, and staff shortages are holding back rehabilitation. Delays in reaching the Building Choices programme hamper moves to open conditions, day release and preparation for parole hearings. Sentence planning also runs late.
The report recognises progress and the hard work of many staff. However, it finds that the prison still operates reactively rather than proactively. Without changes, the Forum says, Millsike will not deliver the rehabilitative, progressive and decent environment it originally promised.
The Forum calls on Mitie to make changes. It also wants HMIP and the IMB to consider its views at their next assessment of Millsike. HMIP has not yet visited the prison.
A Mitie spokesperson said the report’s recognition of improvements in operational stability, and of the efforts of colleagues and partners, was positive. The company said Mr Trent had contacted Mr Chapman to arrange a meeting. It said it remained open to ongoing dialogue and urged families with specific concerns to use the official complaints process.
Mr Chapman said he would speak with Mr Trent soon, and that the Forum wants the relationship to be positive.
