Prison report highlights violence, drugs and rats

A prison has recorded more violence, drug use and rat infestations as operational pressures, including staff shortages, continue.

An Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) noted a number of concerns at Rutland's Stocken Prison in a report, covering a 12-month period between May 2025 and April 2026.

The report said the Category C prison also suffered from an "ineffective" sewage arrangement and malfunctioning heating and hot water systems - issues which have "presented challenges to the staff and have negatively impacted prisoners".

However, the IMB found Stocken Prison to be a "generally safe place for both prisoners and staff".

The prison has a capacity of 1,285, mostly inmates serving medium to long-term sentences.

Other problems included seriously mentally ill prisoners being housed in inappropriate accommodation where their needs could not be met, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The prison also released some 400 prisoners directly into the community, despite not being designated or funded as a resettlement prison, the report said.

Acts of violence recorded by the prison rose year on year from 188 to 257, with prisoner on prisoner assaults going from 68 to 103.

The flow of illicit drugs into the prison was "a concern", the report said, with drones posing "a particular challenge".

Inspectors also noted the prison used contractors to unblock drains and empty septic tanks on a daily basis, resulting in a "disgusting stench".

Stuart Williams, the IMB chair at Stocken Prison, said: "Throughout the reporting year, prisoners and staff faced significant challenges, including staffing shortages, an increase in violence, delays in transfers for seriously mentally ill prisoners and ongoing issues with the prison's infrastructure.

"Despite the shortages of officers and other resources, the Board continues to observe the high levels of morale and the determination to turn prisoners' lives around displayed daily by prison staff."

According to the report, staff shortages resulted in a 54% drop in key working support sessions - noted as particularly important for prisoner safety and rehabilitation - between 2024 and 2025, in favour of "other operational requirements".

Early 2026 data suggests this year's figure could drop even further.

But the report also highlighted a downward trend in self-harming incidents, from 718 to 607, and enhanced medical provisions as particularly strong improvements.

Vocational training and prison industries workshops also continued to provide prisoners with valuable skills and qualifications, it said.

Alongside this, the prison provides good support for employment and housing to prisoners on release.

The IMB has written to the relevant government minister seeking resolutions to the prison's challenges.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "The government inherited a prison system in crisis, but this report recognises the hard work of staff at HMP Stocken, whose efforts are helping to put this prison on a more stable footing.

"We know more must be done, which is why former Home Secretary Amber Rudd is leading an independent review of the prison system, which will help develop a long-term plan to deliver safer prisons, reduce reoffending, and better protect the public."

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