HMP Belmarsh

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Reports

• HMIP7 Apr 2025

  1.1 HMP Belmarsh is a high-security prison in south-east London. It is one of 13 long-term and high security prisons, but is the only reception prison in the high security estate. It also operates a high secure unit (HSU) for prisoners presenting the very highest risk of escape. 1.2 This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last inspection of HMP Belmarsh in 2024. What we found at our last inspection 1.3 At our previous inspections of HMP Belmarsh in 2021 and 2024, we made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP Belmarsh healthy prison outcomes in 2021 and 2024 Note: rehabilitation and release planning became ‘preparation for release’ in October 2023. 1.4 At the last full inspection in June 2024, Belmarsh was delivering reasonable outcomes in three of our four healthy prison tests, with the

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• HMIP3 Jun 2024

  Located in south-east London and opened in the early 1990s, Belmarsh is one of the most important prisons in the country. As well as a reception prison where most men are on remand or unsentenced, it is also the high security prison for the capital and much of southern England. At the time of our inspection 717 men were being held. This included 98 who were category A, 12 of whom were housed in the prison’s high security unit, effectively a prison within the prison. We last inspected Belmarsh in 2021 when we highlighted deficiencies in safety outcomes for prisoners and assessed the provision of purposeful activity as poor, a longstanding and repeated criticism we have made about the prison. Outcomes in our healthy prison tests of respect and rehabilitation and release planning were, in contrast, reasonably good. At this inspection it is pleasing to report that we found a safer prison and that Belmarsh is now delivering reasonable outcomes in three of our four tests. Our principal concern, however, remains the quality of regime where outcomes were again poor. Frustratingly, there were enough purposeful activity spaces to provide at least part-time employment for all prisoners, but in the sample we reviewed only 22% were allocated and for those that were, attendance was poor. Leaders were aware of this problem. A new daily regime had been introduced, in part aimed at improving time out of cell and ensuring more time was available in the open air. However, these arrangements were not yet working. We found a third of prisoners locked up during working hours and some prisoners had as little as 90 minutes a day out of cell. Our time-out-of-cell checks showed only 28% of prisoners were engaged in purposeful activity, with many facilities empty when we visited them. Our colleagues in Ofsted judged the overall effectiveness of education, work and skills provision at Belmarsh to be inadequate, their lowest assessment. Other challenges included the significant increase in the turnover of prisoners since we last inspected, many of whom were unconvicted. Reception and induction arrangements were adequate but could have been much better. Other measures of safety reflected the risks and challenges inherent in a prison like Belmarsh. Recorded violence was little changed and was typical of comparable prisons, but arrangements to promote positive behaviour were robust with, for example, a focus on tackling gang affiliations. Use of force had increased and there was improvement to be made in the management of segregation, but overall oversight and governance of both was sufficient. Security arrangements were proportionate for a high security prison, although a mandatory drug test figure of 26% was concerning. Self-harm incidents were lower than at comparable jails, although again there were some obvious shortcomings, improvements to which would almost immediately improve outcomes. Underpinning all of these assessments was our view that the delivery of a reliable regime of activities would lead to improved outcomes in what was already a generally competent prison. About two-thirds of prisoners told us they felt respected by staff, and while our observations were also positive, the staff culture was best characterised as confident, capable and business-like rather than warm. The staff compliment was diverse which mirrored the prisoner population. Overall, the promotion of fair treatment was good and consultation acceptable, although systems for redress were weaker. The prison was not overcrowded and the environment was reasonable, although the outside grounds had deteriorated. Belmarsh was well led, and better than many other reception prisons. Leaders were visible and capable and the confidence they instilled was evident in the performance of staff. There were clear parameters and boundaries, and a strong sense that staff were in charge. The competence we saw was reassuring

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• NPM-uk-imb-progression1 Jan 2024

  The prison made an effort to provide more worthwhile work and activities for prisoners during the reporting year. However, opportunities for vocational training remain very limited, and the time-consuming process of moving prisoners around the establishment continues to present an obstacle to the productive use of time. The Board welcomed arrangements to extend to remand prisoners some support services previously only available to convicted prisoners.

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• NPM-uk-imb-respect1 Jan 2024

  5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Prisoners have a right to live in a clean and decent environment and a right to essential basic services. Belmarsh is a relatively recent addition to the prison estate (see section 2). However, it is an unforgiving living and working environment, with a turnover of 3,231 men serving time in the reporting year, which amounts to approximately 270 arrivals a month. Years of under-investment have started to show, and several areas of the prison need refurbishment. 5.1.2 Management efforts to replace flooring and beds have been set back by existing contractual arrangements, with frequent delays and cancellations to scheduled repairs. The replacement of metal bed frames with newer, wooden-style beds and furniture was carried out during the reporting year. IMB members noted that the number of cells out of action fell, with only seven still awaiting repairs in June. 5.1.3 The IMB received complaints from prisoners that they were not given the correct allowance of clothes, and HMIP inspectors reported in their September 2024 report that only 42% of prisoners were receiving clean bedding each week; and, in some weeks, none was available. Managers addressed these problems at the start of the financial year, and it is hoped extra spending will make a difference. 5.1.4 Prisoners in the high security unit (HSU) complained to the Board about the heating in their cells and the lack of temperature control on the hot water in the shower rooms. Members [...]

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• NPM-uk-imb-purposeful-activity1 Jan 2024

  7.1.1 The Ofsted report that formed part of the HMIP review of Belmarsh in 2024 ranked education provision as inadequate, highlighting low enrolment figures, difficulties caused by the system of movement of prisoners around Belmarsh, and an insufficient number of prisoners achieving desired qualifications. An update in April 2025 noted reasonable progress against concerns previously raised, except in ensuring prisoners have appropriate personal learning plans (PLPs). 7.1.2 Members recognised the efforts of education staff to ensure that relevant opportunities were available to prisoners. Around 36% of prisoners were enrolled in education courses in any given week. The average attendance rate of those enrolled was 68%, suggesting that 25% of prisoners were taking part in education at any given time; the course completion rate was around 76%, with a significant part of the non- completion figure due to prisoners transferring out of Belmarsh. 7.1.3 The Board is concerned, particularly in the light of responses to our recommendations last year, that the education budget for Belmarsh has been cut by 11%, and it understands that a further cut of 19% is planned. Education is an essential tool in helping prisoners acquire the skills they need to make a success of life outside prison and stay out of the system. 7.1.4 Education staff supported prisoners who wished to study at a higher level: 61 prisoners were enrolled on Level 3 distance learning (A Level equivalent) or higher at the [...]

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• NPM-uk-imb-preparation-for-release1 Jan 2024

  7.3.1 The Board welcomed the changes that were introduced to the rules governing IPP (imprisonment for public protection) prisoners during the reporting year. However, it notes that these changes were principally of benefit to IPP prisoners already released into the community. At the end of the year, Belmarsh held three IPP prisoners, with one likely to be released. Once again, the Board would like to express its concern that IPP prisoners are still being held for much longer periods than their original minimum term, with no clear route towards release. 7.3.2 Over the course of the reporting year, between 60% and 70% of Belmarsh’s population was made up of prisoners awaiting trial or sentence, following one or more conviction. Unsentenced prisoners are unlikely to be moved to another prison, and their status also limits the help that probation staff can offer them for any future progression. 7.3.3 The Board continues to encounter category C prisoners – around 12% of the population – who are frustrated by the restrictions placed on them by the prison’s high security. Pressure on numbers across the prison estate mean that it can be difficult to arrange transfers to more suitable locations for them. 7.3.4 The Board noted a marked increase in the number of young offenders (aged 18-21) who are category A prisoners, often serving long sentences. There is very limited provision for them to be held elsewhere in the adult prison estate. Security considerations limit the training that [...]

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• NPM-uk-imb-safety1 Jan 2024

  4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 HMP Belmarsh is both a local prison and one of the few prisons in the estate that receives high security young offender prisoners awaiting the judgement of a court. Many prisoners pass through reception every month: in June 2025, there were 419 receptions, 418 discharges and 104 transfers. Over 800 prisoners went to and from court in the 21 working days of June. Prisoners are moved to and from the courts or are transferred to other prisons by the private provider, Serco Group. Belmarsh retains responsibility for the movement of category A prisoners. 4.1.2 HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) visited the prison in June 2024 and published its findings in September. Concern was expressed in its report about reception and induction arrangements for new arrivals. In response, managers commissioned a comprehensive review of custody arrangements. 4.1.3 Reception often receives prisoners very late in the evening, as neighbouring prisons in the estate are declared full, and it is often the case that prisoners remanded in custody by magistrates for a low-level offence find themselves admitted to high-security Belmarsh. The Board made evening visits to reception during the year to observe new arrivals and prisoners returning from court appearances. Prisoners were both scanned and searched, and their property was examined and passed through an X-ray machine. Members were satisfied that the security process was robust. Careful management of arrivals is [...]

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• HMI Prisons inspection report15 Aug 2023

  Found significant lockdowns, restricted regimes for many inmates, and limited purposeful activity. Healthcare provision rated 'reasonably good'.

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• HMIP11 Apr 2022

  1.1 HMP Belmarsh is a high-security prison in south-east London that held approximately 660 prisoners at the time of our inspection, most of whom were unsentenced. It is one of 13 long term and high security prisons, but the only reception prison in the high security estate. It also operates a high secure unit (HSU) for prisoners presenting the very highest risk of escape. 1.2 At our previous inspections of HMP Belmarsh in 2018 and 2021, we made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP Belmarsh healthy prison outcomes in 2018 and 2021 Good Reasonably good Not sufficiently good Poor

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• HMIP2 Aug 2021

  Belmarsh is a high-security, men’s prison in south-east London that held 675 men at the time of our inspection, of whom nearly 60% were unsentenced and 17% were category A prisoners. Within the jail there is also high secure unit. The prison services the London courts, particularly Woolwich and the Old Bailey, but because of reduced courtroom space created by COVID-19 restrictions, prisoners had been attending courts further afield. This had led to a strain on resources in the prison because more staff were required for escort duty. While maintaining a strong security focus, the governor had set out to improve relationships between officers and prisoners and to create a more representative and caring staff team. Although this change was not manifested in our survey results, inspectors commented on the many positive interactions they saw in the jail and prisoners often told us about supportive staff members. Leaders recognised there was further work to be done to improve the culture in the prison: for example, many staff routinely failed to collect or turn on body- worn cameras and we saw officers who were supposed to be supervising the most vulnerable prisoners, sitting reading the paper. Although the prison felt generally well-ordered and calm, rates of violence had risen since our last inspection despite COVID-19 restrictions limiting the time most prisoners were out of their cells. While the prison collected data on violence and use of force, it was not being used to support the development of an effective strategy for reducing violence. It was concerning that there had been no violence reduction meeting for more than a year. The underuse of data was something of a theme of this inspection – leaders did not have an adequate plan to consider outcomes for different groups such as the disproportionate use of force on black and younger prisoners, and neither data nor consultation were used to understand and address these or other disparities. While the prison’s self-assessment report (SAR) suggested violence had reduced because there were fewer incidents, in reality, with fewer prisoners in the jail, rates were actually increasing. The prison had not paid sufficient attention to the growing levels of self-harm and there was not enough oversight or care taken of prisoners at risk of suicide. Urgent action needed to be taken in this area to make sure that these prisoners were kept safe. The 52% of prisoners who were not working were spending 23 hours a day locked in their cells while the education block, gym and library had sat empty and unused for more than a year. The provider was finally running some face- to-face education on the wing, though access was limited, and some prisoners were getting taught through their cell doors during the lunchtime lockdown. In- cell work packs were being offered to prisoners, but engagement had been low and prisoners in the high secure unit received no regular education. Two men who had volunteered to be reading mentors had received no training, materials or support. The governor had a strong vision for the future of the prison, but for this to be realised she will need to strengthen her senior team and make sure that there is more rigorous oversight of some of the key areas – such as care for the most vulnerable prisoners, effective safety strategies and a better understanding of disparities between different groups – and use data to understand the challenges, set targets and measure progress. Charlie Taylor HM Chief Inspector of Prisons September 2021

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