A new report from independent monitoring boards (IMBs) has lifted the lid on the grim reality inside the UK's prisons and immigration removal centres. The findings, covering all of 2025, paint a stark picture of neglect, safety failures, and questionable practices.
Immigration Centres Under Scrutiny
IMBs monitor not only prisons but also short-term holding facilities (STHFs) and immigration removal centres (IRCs) run by the Home Office. One particularly eye-catching section of the report describes two incidents in summer 2025 when staff at an STHF wore England flags on their uniforms. The board expressed concern that this 'risked perceptions of bias or even intimidation among detained people, especially in the light of recent anti-immigration protests in which flag displays were prominent.'
The report also highlights cases where children were detained at Heathrow for almost two weeks due to delays in age assessment, despite the principle that 'detention should be avoided at all costs.' At Gatwick IRC, 20% of those subject to age disputes under the 'one in, one out' deal with France were assessed to be children, a rate the board called 'strikingly high' and indicative of 'serious safeguarding gaps.'
A Home Office spokesperson rejected the findings, stating: 'We do not accept this report's findings. We accept nothing but the highest standards of safety, welfare provision and staff behaviour for those in our care. This government inherited an under-resourced detention estate from the previous government. Since taking office, we have made significant improvements, including increased staffing levels and refurbishment of our facilities to improve conditions and safeguards.'
Prison Conditions: A Stark Picture
The report details numerous incidents highlighting the dire state of prisons. At HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire, a spider infestation led to two inmates being hospitalised and another being told he could lose his leg. At HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale, repair delays meant 80 prisoners had to share four showers and 150 had to share one washing machine.
Perhaps most shocking is the case of a prisoner who died in a cell fire at HMP Garth in Lancashire after an alarm apparently failed to activate. Prisons Minister James Timpson acknowledged 'positive improvements across the estate thanks to strong leadership' but admitted 'more needs to be done.' He added: 'To meet the challenge, our landmark sentencing reforms, alongside £4bn for 14,000 new prison places by 2031, will ease pressure, and we are tackling violence and drugs behind bars with over £40m invested in physical security to clamp down on contraband.'
