Liverpool inspection report 2025
Report for Liverpool Prison
Summary
Since our 2022 inspection, Liverpool had been recategorised back to being a reception prison. This disruption had been impressively managed with good commitment from the experienced staff team. The change in population to a more unstable group of prisoners with a higher proportion on remand had, in part, led to the disappointing reduction in our healthy prison scores in three areas. Safety had dropped from reasonably good to not sufficiently good, respect had gone from good to reasonably good and purposeful activity had fallen from not sufficiently good to poor, with preparation for release staying at reasonably good. The prison was being continuously targeted by serious organised crime gangs who were frequently using drones to deliver drugs and other contraband to the jail. Leaders at the prison were liaising closely with the police and other agencies to try to stem the flow; however, 46% of mandatory drug tests completed in the last year were positive, the highest of all reception prisons nationally.