Same fundamental concerns

Produced under the leadership of Jane Leech MBE as Interim National Chair, drawing on her 18 years’ experience with the IMB, the report shows that Boards continue, year after year, to raise the same fundamental concerns, with little evidence that national commitments or improvement plans are being translated into sustained change on the ground.

As a result, men, women and children in prisons and YOIs are living in what the IMB calls “increasingly unsafe and demoralising conditions, where failures once regarded as serious are at risk of becoming normalised”.

In a report that is characterised by a frustrated tone, the report says that the recurring pattern of persistent problems 

“raises unavoidable questions about effectiveness, accountability and the system’s capacity to correct its course.” 

The report says that alongside longstanding problems, new pressures have emerged or intensified over the past year, often interacting with existing weaknesses to further worsen conditions. One key sign of this worsening situation is the fact that in a growing number of cases, the impact on prisoners has been so acute that Local IM Boards have judged it inappropriate to wait for their annual reporting cycle, instead raising concerns directly with ministers and officials in real time, in line with their statutory duty to safeguard those in custody.

Key concerns

The IMB raises a number of key concerns which will be familiar to most readers are are to be found in many of the prison inspectorate’s reports:

Drugs drive violence, self‑harm and medical emergencies

The IMB says that illicit drugs remained the single most destabilising factor across the adult estate, fuelling debt, violence, intimidation, self isolation and life threatening medical emergencies, The report notes that at HMP High Down, IMB members recorded 13 medical emergencies in a single day, largely linked to drug use.

Deteriorating buildings exposed prisoners to inhumane conditions

The IMB says that “building maintenance is not a background problem: it is actively making prisons less safe, less humane, and less able to function”. One example cited is at HMP Isle of Wight, where flooding caused water to cascade down the steps of the segregation unit, inundating the ground floor.

Meaningful activity and education were increasingly restricted

The report notes that cuts to education, vocational training and work left many adults and children inactive for long periods, compounding frustration, poor mental health and instability.

Mental health needs far outstripped available support

The report complains that adults and children with severe mental illness frequently waited months or years for transfer to appropriate facilities, remaining in segregation or highly restrictive settings instead. The IMB notes that in some YOIs mental health interventions were often cancelled; citing Feltham, where 40% of planned therapeutic sessions did not take place in 2025.

Conclusion

Jane Leech MBE, Interim National Chair comments on the annual report:

“The bleakness of this picture matters because it is felt every day by people in custody. Poor conditions, limited regimes and unsafe environments damage mental and physical wellbeing, undermine rehabilitation, and erode dignity. They also affect public safety, the likelihood of reoffending, staff retention, and trust in the justice system.

For both adults and children in custody, the prevailing experience is not one of progress, but of stagnation and decline. IMBs’ findings suggest that unless there is a decisive shift away from denial, short-term fixes and rhetorical reassurance, prisons and YOIs will continue to deteriorate, not through sudden collapse, but through the steady normalisation of failure.”

Thanks to Andy Aitchison for kind permission to use the header image in this post. You can see Andy’s work here