PRT comment: HM Chief Inspector of Prisons’ Annual Report 2025–26

Commenting on the findings of today’s (7 July) annual report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“Today’s report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons paints a bleak picture of prison conditions that have become all too familiar. People are being held in overcrowded, crumbling and vermin-infested cells for 22 hours or more a day, often with little meaningful activity or support, fuelling self-harm, addiction and violence. These are conditions more readily associated with Dickensian Britain than a 21st-century prison system in one of the world’s wealthiest countries.

“The government has rightly focused on reducing pressure on prisons by curbing the flow of people into custody and expanding the use of effective community sentences. But easing overcrowding is only the first step. With population pressures beginning to stabilise, ministers must now focus on improving the conditions inside prisons themselves.

“The recently announced independent prisons review, led by Amber Rudd, offers a rare opportunity to move beyond perpetual crisis management. It must provide a credible plan for creating prisons that are safe, decent and purposeful — places that support rehabilitation, reduce reoffending and better protect the public.”