Leicester prison struggling at near full capacity

Leicester prison remains under significant pressure from the large number of men being sent there by the courts or returned to prison for breach of their release licence. Population numbers fell in the summer of 2024, but by the end of January 2025 the prison was once again full. In its 2024/5 annual report published on 24 June 2025, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for HMP Leicester has found that prison staff were striving to manage the very high turnover of prisoners in an ageing prison that requires significant capital investment.

The IMB notes that:

• The windows are deteriorating, along with the window grills, and replacing them with perspex sheets with holes in is not a suitable solution. Not only does it allow for cold drafts in the winter but also increases drone access to deliver illicit items.  
• Violent incidents have risen by 31% compared with the previous reporting year.
• Substantial delays persist in transferring prisoners suffering from acute mental illness to hospital due to the shortage of available beds, with one prisoner waiting 175 days until a suitable placement was found.
• A third of men released from HMP Leicester had no accommodation to go to and are therefore much more likely to reoffend.

However, the Board is pleased to report that the prison is developing strong relationships with local employers to prepare men for employment following release.

Leicester IMB Chair, Trevor Worsfold, said:

“The constant ‘churn’ of prisoners at HMP Leicester makes it difficult for staff to keep them safe, respond to their needs and vulnerabilities, and sufficiently prepare men for release so they are less likely to reoffend. In the Board’s view, the prison is well led but the high turnover of men and ageing buildings make prison staff’s already challenging task much harder.”