Swaleside inspection report 2022
Report for Swaleside Prison
Summary
HMP Swaleside is a category B training prison for adult men and is part of HM Prison and Probation Service’s (HMPPS) long term and high security estate. Built mostly in the late 1980s and located on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, the prison was holding just under 1,000 prisoners at the time of our inspection, some way short of its operating capacity of 1,090. Our last full inspection of the prison was in 2018, which was followed by an independent review of progress in 2019. Overall, and notwithstanding the very real challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, outcomes for prisoners at Swaleside remained disappointing. In safety and purposeful activity, for example, outcomes were still not sufficiently good. They had deteriorated in respect to not sufficiently good and in rehabilitation and release planning they remained poor.