HMP Lewes: Improved living conditions but ongoing safety concerns
Independent monitors say conditions at HMP Lewes have improved but concerns over safety, mental health provision and violence remain.
In its annual report for 2024/25, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) praised the East Sussex prison for significantly increasing time out of cells for activities like work, exercise and education, despite being frequently at full capacity.
The Board also noted cleaner wings and refurbished communal areas, crediting prisoners who carried out much of the redecoration themselves. But it warned the nearly 200-year-old building still suffers from unreliable heating and hot water, calling for further investment.
While prisoner-on-prisoner violence dropped 16%, staff assaults rose by 15%, and self-harm incidents increased by 5% to 651 cases. Use-of-force incidents also rose sharply, up 25% from the previous year.
Drugs, weapons and mobile phones remain easily accessible, and gaps in CCTV coverage continue to pose safety risks.
The IMB welcomed improvements to education, healthcare, and resettlement support for prisoners nearing release. But it raised alarm over the lack of psychiatric care, revealing there was effectively no psychiatrist at the prison for much of summer 2024.
Vice-chair Nick Fairclough said: “The prison has become a better place overall, with more time out of cell and a better atmosphere. But high levels of violence and self-harm persist, and without improved psychiatric support, further progress will be difficult.”
The Board is now calling for increased mental health staffing at HMP Lewes and more national secure mental health facilities to avoid long waits for transfers.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “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.”