Source: HM Inspectorate of Prisons report published 17 August 2026; visiting details from GOV.UK · last checked 29 October 2026
Latest inspection
At its last full inspection (May 2026; report published August 2026), inspectors found outcomes for prisoners were not sufficiently good for purposeful activity and preparation for release; reasonably good for safety and respect. It held 1,742 people at the time, against an operational capacity of 1,769.
Healthy prison tests: inspectors grade four areas from 1 (poor) to 4 (good).
Inspection history
Safety: reasonably good · Respect: reasonably good · Purposeful activity: not sufficiently good · Preparation for release: not sufficiently good Read our story
Inspectors found a stable, well-led prison where violence had fallen sharply. Self-harm stayed high, health care waits were unacceptable, and work to cut reoffending had not kept pace with a doubling in releases.
Courts have dealt with three separate cases involving contraband at HMP Five Wells, HMP Lindholme and HMP Lowdham Grange, including two drone deliveries.
The first inspection report on HMP Five Wells, published in April 2024, found a prison growing more settled after a turbulent start, but with high drug use, high self-harm and too little for men to do.
Prison News staff
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