Prison told to reduce inmate self-harm

A privately-run prison needs a "sharper focus on reducing self-harm", a prison report has found.

The HM Inspectorate of Prisons said Five Wells, in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, which opened in 2022, had made "real progress" since its last "concerning" inspection in 2024, but its healthcare still needed improving.

Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said it had "come some way since its turbulent early period".

A HMP Five Wells spokesperson said it was working on improvements and it would "make better use of data to identify root causes".

The full inspection took place from 11- 21 May at the site where 1,742 prisoners are held, and it has a capacity for 1,769.

About 57% of its population are serving a sentence for sexual offences, and they are fully integrated with other prisoners.

Its main findings said: "The prison had made real progress, with improvement evident in clear and visible leadership, better staff-prisoner relationships, and significantly reduced levels of violence between younger prisoners.

"However, concerns persisted about high levels of self-harm, the lack of spaces in education and work, and insufficient work to prepare men for release."

It said there had been no self-inflicted deaths since it opened; the rate of self-harm was reducing, but it still "remained high compared to similar prisons".

At its last inspection, in January 2024, 15 areas of concern were found.

Since then, seven have been addressed, five partially addressed, and three not addressed.

Those included "too little meaningful and regular support for prisoners involved in incidents of violence and antisocial behaviour".

Its library service was found to be inadequate, and work to "reduce reoffending was weak and not all prisoners were getting the support they needed".

A 15-point action plan has now been created.

Taylor said: "The experienced director and his team have succeeded in stabilising the prison and creating a more positive and ordered environment.

"They now need a sharper focus on reducing self-harm, improving access to health care, and, crucially, strengthening the systems that support progression and resettlement."

An inmate survey conducted for the report found that 54% of prisoners said it was easy to get hold of drugs, and there had been one drug-related death since the last inspection.

The report also said that it was concerned about overcrowding as "some cells designed for one prisoner now held two and were very cramped".

It found that prisoners were prepared for release, but there had been some "serious mistakes in calculating release dates".

Since April 2025, six prisoners had been released early, and 14 had been detained much longer than they should have been.

A HMP Five Wells spokesperson said it was "proud" that inspectors had described it as "calm and well ordered".

"We are also working on the areas that were highlighted for improvement," they added.

"For example, to further reduce self-harm incidents, we will continue to develop both our active listener and peer-to-peer support schemes, and make better use of data to identify root causes."

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