Violence too high at city prison, report says

The Category B prison in Welford Road was built in the 19th Century

High levels of violence and drug use at an overcrowded Victorian prison continue to put staff and prisoners at risk, an inspection has found.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons reviewed HMP Leicester during unannounced visits between 18 and 25 August 2025.

A report into the findings said safety and purposeful activity had "deteriorated", with the jail recording the highest assault rate of any comparable reception prison.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said staff were "receiving extra training and working to reduce violence".

HM Inspectorate of Prisons found the positive mandatory drug test rate stood at 29%, with delays in providing substance misuse support and weak oversight of drug reduction work.

Violence, the watchdog's report said, remained "too high", with the assault rate standing at 821 per 1,000 prisoners, against a "comparator average" of 479.

In the previous 12 months, there had been 114 assaults on staff and 143 on prisoners, both of which had risen since the last inspection, and use of force was considerably higher than in similar reception establishments.

A reception prison takes in inmates directly from the courts, holding them for short periods before they move on to longer-term establishments.

Inspectors said the pressure of holding more than 300 men in an ageing Victorian building, designed for far fewer, meant prisoners were often locked up for long periods.

Many experienced cramped, poorly ventilated cells with damaged flooring and windows, and many men spent less than two hours out of their cells at weekends, the report said.

Some prisoners expressed frustration with the attitudes of less experienced officers, the report said

Despite the concerns, inspectors did highlight positives, including inmates having "good access" to social visits, including evening and weekend sessions, and they said the refurbished gym - now open seven days a week - was popular.

Staff-prisoner relationships were "generally respectful", and improvements in staff retention had helped steady the workforce following several challenging years - although some prisoners expressed frustration with the attitudes of less experienced officers.

The rate of self-harm had also reduced significantly since the last inspection and continued to fall year on year, despite still being high.

At the time of the review, 23% of prisoners said they felt unsafe, and 40% reported bullying or victimisation - both of which were broadly in line with other reception prisons "but still a cause for concern".

'Too many' released homeless

The inspection, which was carried out alongside the Care Quality Commission (CQC), also raised concerns about healthcare.

Strategic and local partnerships had "failed to address several longstanding issues", including missed appointments, poor supervision of medication hatches and patients waiting too long to transfer to specialist mental health beds.

Some prisoners with long-term conditions did not have appropriate care plans in place, and support for those with additional learning needs was described as "insufficient".

The report also said "too many" prisoners were ultimately released homeless after leaving the jail.

In addition, daily routines were unreliable, inspectors said, with delayed roll checks and inconsistent unlock times leaving staff unable to account for prisoners' whereabouts.

Education, skills and work were also judged "inadequate" with poor attendance, late arrivals and too few opportunities for prisoners to gain meaningful skills.

A spokesperson for the MoJ, which oversees HM Prison Service, said: "This government inherited a prison system in crisis - overcrowded, with violence and access to drugs at unacceptable levels.

"We are building 14,000 prison places and reforming sentencing, so our jails create better citizens, not better criminals.

"Staff at HMP Leicester are receiving extra training and working to reduce violence in the prison."