Self-harm at HMP Long Lartin had doubled since 2018 and was the highest among comparable prisons, according to an inspection report published in April 2023.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) visited the high-security prison in Worcestershire between 5 and 16 December 2022. Inspectors found that outcomes had worsened in three of the four areas they assess.
“This inspection gave us the sense that Long Lartin needed a reset,” wrote HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor.
A prison for long-term, high-risk men
Long Lartin holds category A and B men. Category A is the highest security classification. Many of its prisoners are among the highest-risk and most serious offenders in the country. At the time of the inspection it held 478 men, against an operational capacity of 514. Of these, 141 were category A prisoners and 449 were serving indeterminate sentences, including life.
Inspectors met many men who had spent years, even decades, in the prison. Many described their frustrations with life there, and some spoke of a sense of hopelessness.
The prison opened in 1971 and has a mix of old and newer accommodation. Standards varied. Some units were not clean enough, older units needed investment, and rats infested the grounds. Many cells had no toilet or running water. The heating, roofs, showers, kitchen equipment and some physical security systems were failing.
Added to this we found a series of significant shortcomings in the promotion of family ties, offender management, offending behaviour interventions and public protection arrangements, all issues that should have been institutional priorities. This inspection gave us the sense that Long Lartin needed a reset.
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
How inspectors graded the prison
Inspectors judge every prison against four healthy prison tests. At the time these covered safety, respect, purposeful activity and rehabilitation and release planning. Purposeful activity covers education, work and time out of cell.
Long Lartin scored not sufficiently good for safety, respect and rehabilitation and release planning. It scored poor, the lowest grade, for purposeful activity.
Safety, purposeful activity and rehabilitation and release planning had all declined since the 2018 inspection. Respect stayed the same. Inspectors raised 15 concerns, six of them priorities.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons said the safety score was the most surprising. The priorities of a high-security prison usually mean better scores in that area.
Self-harm, violence and drugs
Over the previous year, 92 different prisoners had harmed themselves. Inspectors found no plan to reduce self-harm. There had been eight self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection.
The rate of assaults on staff was the highest among comparable prisons. The safety team lacked resources, and work to tackle the causes of violence remained limited. Adjudications, the prison’s disciplinary hearings, were high, and so was the use of force. Reception, assessment and induction for new arrivals were limited.
Security processes were generally good. However, 20% of mandatory drug tests came back positive, which the Chief Inspector of Prisons called surprisingly high. The prison lacked plans to cut the supply of drugs or the demand for them.
Relationships between staff and prisoners were reasonable, and most prisoners said staff treated them with respect. Health care outcomes were generally good. However, many men felt frustrated that they could not get things done. Formal complaints were high, and too few key work sessions took place. Work to promote equality was inconsistent. The prison did not do enough to address perceived unfair treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, or to meet the needs of its large number of disabled prisoners. A shortage of pharmacy staff affected health services.
Locked up, and what came next
A split daily regime meant most prisoners could leave their cells for at least 2.5 hours a day, and twice that if they had a job. Some had evening association until 6.30pm. Prisoners repeatedly complained that routines were unpredictable. The report linked severe officer shortages directly to the very limited chances to take part in purposeful activity.
Ofsted, which inspects prison education with HMIP, judged learning and skills inadequate, its lowest grade. There was not enough maths or English teaching, and teaching in those subjects was poor. Inspectors also found significant shortcomings in support for family ties, offender management, offending behaviour programmes and public protection. Prisoners had too little contact with offender managers to help them reduce their risk and progress through their sentences.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons said leaders were not fully aware of several weaknesses and “tended to overestimate their achievements”. He said the prison needed a clear focus on meeting the needs of the very particular men it held. Staff shortages were holding back progress, and plans to fix them were slow to take effect.
Inspectors have reported on the prison again since, with full inspections published in January 2025 and June 2026.
About this story
This story is based on HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on HMP Long Lartin, published on 12 April 2023, following an inspection that ended in December 2022. It covers an earlier inspection: the prison’s profile has the latest findings. All figures and judgements are the inspectorate’s. Read the full inspection report · See the prison’s profile in our directory.
