HMP Lowdham Grange making improvements under control of the Prison Service, say independent monitors

HMP Lowdham Grange was a prison in crisis after the contract to run it was handed from one private company to another. However, conditions have improved since it was taken back into public control under HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Despite this, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) notes in its 2024-25 annual report (published today, 18 June 2025) that the prison still has problems with the use of drugs and insufficient mental health support.

Among the main findings, the Board highlights that:

• Prisoners reported to the Board that drugs were readily available, and on average 38.2% of mandatory drug tests were positive. Prisoners were frequently found unresponsive after using powerful psychoactive substances, commonly called Spice.
• Although levels of prisoner-on-prisoner violence have fallen, assaults on staff rose by almost 25%.
• The use of force to restrain prisoners has increased significantly, from 414 incidents in the previous reporting year to 762 instances in the current reporting year.
• The psychology unit was disbanded under the previous contractor and the prison has had difficulty recruiting experienced senior staff to run the required courses to support prisoners in changing their behaviour.
• Despite an overall reduction in self-harm incidents, the number of prisoners self-harming increased; the IMB says that many of them have not had the care they need because of a shortage of trained psychiatric staff.

Chair of the Lowdham Grange IMB, John Andrew, says:

“From our observations, we believe that there has been progress in making the prison a generally safer place for prisoners since HMPPS took control from the private operator in August 2024.

Security has been stepped up considerably to prevent drugs getting in, but the use of drones to deliver illicit items has remained a serious problem.

The Board believes that the introduction of Naloxone, which counteracts the effect of opioid drugs, has saved several lives since it was made available on the wings. However, the Board continues to have concerns about the experiences of the most vulnerable prisoners. We understand additional staff are to be recruited to the mental health team, but without a team of regular nursing practitioners to work with, it is difficult to envisage lasting benefits for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm.”