A report from an unannounced inspection of Durham Prison in January 2025 has highlighted serious concerns over prisoner welfare including a 60% rise in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults. 

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, found that the prison is burdened with serious challenges that undermine the safety and health of its prisoners. 

A previous inspection in May 2024 had highlighted a deterioration in two out of four healthy prison tests, safety and purposeful activity, which were classified as not ‘sufficiently good’ and ‘poor’ respectively.   

Mr Taylor reports that the January 2025 inspection found that ‘insufficient progress or worse’ had been made in tackling over half of the recommendations made at that time. 

 Prisoners continue to be confined in their cells for more than 22 hours a day, a trend that greatly limits exposure to fundamental services such as showers, healthcare, and open-air exercise, and which Taylor described as leading to an ‘unsurprising’ increase in both drug use and violence. 

It was further noted that attempts to cut supply of illicit drugs have been inadequate, and safety procedures of the prison, such as health checks on new prisoners, continue to be inadequate.  Positive mandatory drug tests have increased to 24% from 18% last year. 

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service responded the report in a letter to Mr Taylor, promising to progress the Action Plan produced following the previous inspection and promising further action in relation to the areas where insufficient progress had been made: 

‘I can confirm that all the IRP findings have been carefully considered and steps will be taken to address them as appropriate.’