Powerful report from IMBs lifts the lid on a prison system in turmoil 

 The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to the Independent Monitoring Boards’ (IMBs) 2025 national annual report, published today (Wednesday 10 June).   

The report, which draws on the findings from IMBs across England and Wales, states that men, women and children in prison are “living in increasingly unsafe and demoralising conditions, where failures once regarded as serious are at risk of becoming normalised”.

Some of the most important concerns have been raised repeatedly in annual reports over the past decade, leading the IMBs to conclude that there is “little evidence that national commitments or improvement plans are being translated into sustained change on the ground”.  

Highlighted cases include: a man in Garth prison, who died in a cell fire after the alarm apparently failed to sound; a man who was warned that he may lose his leg when he was among those bitten after an infestation of spiders in Bullingdon prison; a spike in self-harm during hot weather at Foston Hall prison, which was unable to buy fans to keep people cool; and a man in Wakefield prison, who remained in segregation or healthcare for more than two years and had minimal engagement with the regime or interaction with others, unable to access appropriate treatment.

The report identifies drugs as the single most significant destabilising factor in prisons holding adults. IMB members at High Down prison recorded 13 medical emergencies in one day, largely linked to drug use. 

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “This powerful report from the IMBs lifts the lid on a prison system in turmoil. It reveals the gulf between the rhetoric we hear in Westminster and the reality we see in overwhelmed and under-resourced jails up and down the country.

“Drugs, violence and self-harm. Crumbling buildings. Scant education. Insufficient support for those in poor mental health. These problems did not crop up overnight. The IMBs, the Howard League and many other organisations have been sounding the alarm for many years, but successive governments have been too slow to respond to the warning signs and too eager to add to the sentence inflation that has brought the system to the brink of collapse.

“So, what happens next? Will we see the same findings when the IMBs report again next year, or will ministers take sensible steps to solve the crisis? Further action to reduce the prison population would save lives, protect staff and help more people to move on from crime.” 

Notes to editors 

1. The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the world. It is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.

2. The National Annual Report will be available on the IMB website at: https://imb.org.uk/documents/  

Contact 

Noor Khan
Press and Public Affairs Officer
Tel: +44 (0)20 7241 7873
Email: [email protected]