Staff assaults rise despite prison improvements

Assaults by prisoners on staff at HMP Lewes have risen despite improvements to living conditions, a report found

Assaults on prison staff by prisoners at Lewes Prison have risen despite better living conditions, a report has found.

Incidents involving prisoners attacking staff rose by 15% in the space of a year to 79 assaults over 12 months, with prisoner self-harm also increasing by 5% to 651 cases during the same period.

However, the report from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) also found that prisoner-on-prisoner violence fell by 16% to under 200 incidents between February 2024 and January 2025.

A Prison Service spokesperson welcomed the progress highlighted in the report but said it is "ramping up efforts to tackle the root causes of violence".

An IMB spokesperson said issues persisted despite better living conditions at the prison, with prisoners spending more time out of their cells and more opportunities for education and exercise.

Nick Fairclough, IMB Lewes vice-chairman, said there was "clear evidence that the prison has become a better place".

He added: "However, the board is still concerned about high levels of violence and rates of prisoner self-harm, though we welcome some recent signs of improvement."

Prison officers also felt required to use force against prisoners in 25% more incidents, amounting to 721 cases, the report found.

'Significant challenges'

The IMB added it was concerned about the high proportion of cases involving force against younger prisoners and prisoners from minority ethnic backgrounds.

A third of incidents involving force were against prisoners from a Caribbean, African or other black background but there was no evidence of bias or prejudice, the report said.

Problems with heating and hot water supply meant that the prison had at times been "unacceptably hot or cold" for prisoners and staff alike, the report added.

Other issues in the report included a lack of CCTV in areas of the prison and "significant challenges" with illicit items.

Items worth more than £1.5m including drugs and mobile phones were intercepted at the prison, with 35% more weapons and nearly double the amount of "illicitly brewed alcohol" also seized.

Issues with mental health were also raised, with the prison having no psychiatrist for most of summer 2024, the report found.

The Prison Service added: "We are pleased the IMB has recognised the progress being made at HMP Lewes.

"But we know more needs to be done and are ramping up efforts to tackle the root causes of violence including through landmark sentencing reforms to reduce pressure on our prisons."

A report in May 2024 from HM Inspectorate of Prisons said HMP Lewes was "trapped" in a cycle of rising violence, self-harm and drug problems.

The report stated that only a third of prisoners were engaged in education or employment and while the institution had "clear plans to improve", many inmates spent just two hours a day out of their cells or as little as 90 minutes working.