Elmley inspection report 2022
Report for Elmley Prison
Summary
HMP Elmley is a Category B reception and category C training prison located on the Isle of Sheppey. The category C prisoners, which made up 45% of the population, were housed on a separate wing. The relationships between staff and prisoners were better than we usually see in this sort of prison and during the inspection we were impressed by the way most officers interacted with the men. In spite of ongoing COVID-19 cases in prisoners arriving at the jail, the prison had worked hard to keep the regime going and those in work were out of their cells for more than seven hours a day. Even unemployed prisoners could expect to be unlocked for at least five hours. It was therefore disappointing that the provision of education was so poor, with Ofsted inspectors awarding their lowest grade in two areas and their second lowest in two more, with the quality of teaching and the lack of a proper needs assessment being particularly disappointing.