HMP Whitemoor wings dirtiest the Chief Inspector of Prisons had seen, 2023 report found

The wings at HMP Whitemoor were the dirtiest the Chief Inspector of Prisons had seen since taking up the post, according to an inspection report published in April 2023.

Floors, walls, serveries and prisoners’ kitchens were filthy. Rubbish lay around and bins were overflowing. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor wrote: “There is no better sign of decline in a prison than a lack of cleanliness”.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons visited the high-security prison between 5 and 15 December 2022. Inspectors found that Whitemoor had declined in three of the four healthy prison tests since the previous full inspection in 2017. At that inspection, it had been rated reasonably good in every area.

The grades

Inspectors assess every prison against four healthy prison tests. At this inspection, Whitemoor received the following grades: safety, reasonably good; respect, not sufficiently good; purposeful activity, poor; and rehabilitation and release planning, not sufficiently good.

Whitemoor was a high-security prison for category A and B men, part of the long-term, high-secure estate. It held 315 men during the inspection, against an operational capacity of 333. Some 40% were category A, the highest security category, and eight were high-risk category A.

The prison had not achieved any of the three key recommendations from 2017. Inspectors raised 12 key concerns this time, five of them priorities.

There is no better sign of decline in a prison than a lack of cleanliness and at Whitemoor the wings were the dirtiest I have seen since I became Chief Inspector.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Staff, cleaning and the regime

Staff shortages contributed to the decline, but staffing remained much higher than in most prisons. Inspectors were told many times that officers were too busy to attend to prisoners. Yet they often found officers gathered in wing offices or standing in pairs talking to each other.

In one example, staff did not answer an emergency cell bell because they did not see it as their job. The Chief Inspector of Prisons said this showed a lack of imagination from leaders in coping with staff shortages.

The rigid regime meant cleaners were unlocked for as little as an hour a day, which did not give them enough time. Prisoners said cleaning materials such as mop heads were in short supply. By contrast, most men kept their own cells in immaculate condition.

Neither staff nor prisoners could explain the daily regime to inspectors. It was complicated and inflexible, and activities were often cancelled. In roll checks, inspectors found 59% of prisoners locked in their cells. The Chief Inspector of Prisons called this “simply not acceptable” in a prison where many men would spend a large part of their lives.

Education and progression

Purposeful activity, which covers education, work and time out of cell, was poor. Education provision was very poor, with sessions often cancelled and too few places for English and maths. Many prisoners were desperate to learn, but too often they received photocopied learning packs in their cells.

Staff in the offender management unit, which oversees sentence planning, were often moved to other duties. The prison was running far fewer accredited programmes. As a result, prisoners felt stuck in their sentences and unable to show the change in behaviour they needed to progress.

Many men were angry and frustrated at the lack of opportunity to move on. The report said this added to the level of risk in the prison. Leaders had rightly prioritised security, but they focused on procedure. They had paid too little attention to what motivates good behaviour, such as a predictable regime, cleanliness, work, education and progression.

Half the population were category B men. The Chief Inspector of Prisons noted they could potentially be held in prisons that run with far lower ratios of officers to prisoners.

Safety and bright spots

Safety remained reasonably good. In the survey, 36% of prisoners said they felt unsafe. Recorded violence had risen since 2017, mostly against staff, but remained similar to comparable prisons. Leaders made good use of data to understand what drove violence.

The Fens unit, which held up to 70 men with personality disorders, was a bright spot. It ran a much more reliable, therapy-based regime in a calm and relaxed setting. The segregation unit had improved, with well-motivated staff. However, inspectors were concerned that men were also segregated on the inpatient unit without the usual statutory safeguards.

Medicine administration was poor and breached professional standards, a concern raised at earlier inspections. The Chief Inspector of Prisons said the prison had some excellent staff and managers. He urged leaders to visit other prisons to learn how they coped with staff shortages.

Inspectors have reported on Whitemoor again since, with a full inspection published in February 2026. This report covered the inspection carried out in December 2022.