Leeds inspection report 2025
Report for Leeds Prison
Summary
HMP Leeds, a busy category B reception and resettlement prison receiving around 500 new arrivals a month, continued to operate under significant strain. Despite the efforts of a committed leadership team, outcomes for prisoners had deteriorated across every healthy prison test since our last visit in 2022. The prison continued to face many challenges, including overcrowding, a transient population and rising levels of vulnerability among those held. Safety was a serious concern, with high levels of mental health need and substance misuse. Leeds had recorded the highest number of self-inflicted deaths in all adult male prisons over the last three years, with 16 since our last inspection. While leaders had taken steps to respond to Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) recommendations – including the of random CCTV checks and a taskforce chaired by senior leaders – many of the underlying issues persisted.