A recent unannounced inspection of HMP/YOI Standford Hill by the prisons watchdog raised concerns about hygiene, healthcare, and prisoner welfare but praised the prison for safety, quality of life, and strong staff-prisoner relationships.

Poor sanitation in communal areas, including showers, toilets, and kitchens, was noted as a priority area of concern, as was the underemployment and insufficient oversight of prisoners allocated to wing work. with prisoners not promptly informed about work or family visit opportunities. Only 19% of inmates reported awareness of opportunities and rehabilitation incentives.

Several areas of the prison were described as being ‘dilapidated or unfit for purpose’, including the Offender Management Unit and Healthcare Unit. It was noted that repeated delays in the planned expansion of the prison were ‘prolonging poor outcomes for staff and prisoners.’

The inspection also highlighted deficiencies in the use of force and transparency. While noting incidents of force were rare, they were not always applied using approved techniques. Video footage from the past year was missing due to clerical errors, and body-worn cameras were frequently activated too late or not at all.

However, in the first inspection of the prison since 2019, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, noted that the results of that ‘excellent inspection’ had in many areas been maintained and improved upon: ‘It was pleasing to see, that despite the challenges of recent years, the governor and his team had maintained that level of performance as well as addressing nearly all the concerns and recommendations we raised five years ago.’