Inspectors found the category B reception prison had made good progress and now ran a much better regime, but violence, drugs and poor living conditions held it back.
A report published in February 2024 rated the Victorian jail poor for safety, respect and purposeful activity, citing filthy wings, very high violence and a segregation unit described as a disgrace.
In November 2023 the Chief Inspector of Prisons used the Urgent Notification process at HMP Bedford, citing the highest rate of assaults on staff in any adult men's prison and a squalid segregation unit.
A report published in June 2022 found the decline at HMP Bedford had been arrested, with gains in every area inspectors assess, though violence remained among the highest in the country.
In September 2018 the Chief Inspector of Prisons invoked the Urgent Notification process at HMP Bedford, citing soaring assaults on staff, widespread drugs, rats and a nine-year decline in standards.
