Special measures jail 'now safer', inspectors say

A prison previously described as "one of the UK's most violent" jails has made "considerable progress" and has become safer, inspectors have said.

HMP Chelmsford was issued with an urgent warning to improve by HM Inspectorate of Prisons following "chronic" issues with safety and poor conditions in 2021.

The watchdog went back to the site for an inspection in July this year, where 661 inmates were being held at the time.

The chief inspector of prisons said Chelmsford had become "safer, more supportive of prisoners and better led than most of the reception prisons we inspect".

Charlie Taylor said the prison's governor and his team should be congratulated for the work they had done to "strengthen provision in a prison that has all the many challenges faced by similar jails".

The site is a category B male reception prison - the type of jails that handle people first coming into the prison system or awaiting trial.

Inspectors found violence was below average for similar sites, the levels of self-harm had reduced by 23%, and the number of assaults on staff had dropped by a quarter since the last time the prison was inspected in 2024.

There were, however, still areas of concern, including pressure on mental health services, prisoners not spending enough time out of their cells, and too many inmates missing hospital appointments because of a lack of officers to escort them.

Earlier this year, the prison said it had tightened up the process around freeing inmates in the wake of the accidental release of a man jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Hadush Kebatu was sent to prison in 2025 after he committed the assaults while living in an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex, but he was mistakenly freed the following month while being held at HMP Chelmsford. He was rearrested after two days.

Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.