Hollesley Bay inspection report 2024

Summary

Hollesley Bay is a category D prison in the Suffolk countryside that, at the time of our inspection, held an expanded population of 627 men who were coming to the end of their sentences. Under the excellent leadership of a thoughtful, innovative governor and his strong team this safe, decent establishment had become one of the most impressive in the country. At the centre of this was the sequencing of the prisoner journey through the jail. At induction, new arrivals were shown how they could earn trust and work towards moving into the best accommodation and opportunities to work off site. Even on the older units, prisoners lived in clean and well-ordered conditions, mostly in single rooms, with standards maintained at a weekly meeting of leaders. Prisoners who had proved themselves trustworthy lived in new pod accommodation, which was some of the best in the prison estate.

Inspection ratings