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UK Local prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.
Background
HM Prison Exeter is a category B local and resettlement men's prison, located in Exeter in the county of Devon, England. It holds men sentenced by the courts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset. There are also prisoners from further afield who have been transferred from other prisons. Exeter Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
challenges, but one where determined leadership and a more stable staff group highlighted grave weaknesses in safety, decency and the protection of those one that was no longer overwhelmed. Leaders had brought clarity and purpose This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP Exeter healthy prison outcomes in 2018 and 2022 Poor We were particularly concerned about the care given to prisoners in their first proper leadership oversight despite there having been 10 self-inflicted deaths heath care staff. Most vulnerable prisoners spent their early days at Exeter on a wing with the general population, which put their wellbeing at risk.
Visiting
resettlement function, holding 306 prisoners at the time of our visit. receptions each month, and, during our visit, about 85% of men had This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last supervision with medication and detoxification were not regularly visited by
Mailing
areas. The governor, who took up post in 2023, had commendably shown a made to upgrade the pay for the deputy’s post. In addition, there have been 8
Practical info
to the work of the jail, and the benefits of this were visible in several important resettlement function, holding 306 prisoners at the time of our visit. Exeter is a men’s reception prison with a small resettlement function that held potentially promising work, the levels of care, particularly for the most more men than at similar prisons had mental health and substance misuse who had mental health needs were not getting the support they needed. Elsewhere, the quality of purposeful activity had declined and was now poor. Prisoners were locked up for long periods of time and very few attended work or education despite the availability of places.
Known issues
proper leadership oversight despite there having been 10 self-inflicted deaths prisoners outside shouted abuse at him. He had not received a proper induction The levels of self-harm were the highest of all male reception prisons and
Contact & address
HMP Exeter 30 New North Road Exeter EX4 4EX See map Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey ., Exeter EX4 4EX
Higher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Capacity (beds)this: 530 · peers avg: 573 (8%)
Reports
HMIP9 Mar 2026
HMP Exeter remained a prison facing deep rooted and longstanding
challenges, but one where determined leadership and a more stable staff group
was beginning to make a real difference. When we last inspected in 2022, the
prison was in serious difficulty, culminating in an Urgent Notification that
highlighted grave weaknesses in safety, decency and the protection of those
most at risk. At that time, the prison was struggling to keep people safe, and too
many were spending long periods locked behind their doors with little to do.
This inspection found a prison that was still far from where it needs to be, but
one that was no longer overwhelmed. Leaders had brought clarity and purpose
to the work of the jail, and the benefits of this were visible in several important
areas. The governor, who took up post in 2023, had commendably shown a
level of commitment to the prison that was desperately needed; he had built a
1.1
Built in 1853, HMP Exeter has a radial design, with three wings
positioned around the centre. It is a men’s reception prison with a small
resettlement function, holding 306 prisoners at the time of our visit.
There was a high turnover of prisoners with an average of 190 new
receptions each month, and, during our visit, about 85% of men had
been at Exeter for less than three months.
1.2
This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last
inspection of HMP Exeter in 2022.
What we found at our last inspection
1.3
At our previous inspections of HMP Exeter in 2018 and 2022, we made
the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners.
Figure 1: HMP Exeter healthy prison outcomes in 2018 and 2022
Good
Reasonably
good
Not sufficiently
good
Poor
Exeter is a men’s reception prison with a small resettlement function that held
388 prisoners at the time of our inspection. It has had a troubled recent history
and in 2018 was subjected to an urgent notification because of its inability to
keep the prisoners in its care safe. Four years on, I am disappointed to report
that things have not improved at anything like the rate that we would have
expected. Although this report points to some small improvements and some
potentially promising work, the levels of care, particularly for the most
vulnerable, were still nowhere near good enough. As a result, I was left with no
alternative but to invoke the urgent notification again, the first time this has
happened in consecutive inspections of an adult prison.
We were particularly concerned about the care given to prisoners in their first
days and weeks in the jail. This is a critical and risky time in reception prisons
during which prisoners feel frightened, overwhelmed, and are more likely to take
their own lives. Support for new arrivals was particularly important at Exeter as
more men than at similar prisons had mental health and substance misuse
needs. The induction process at Exeter, however, was chaotic and lacked
proper leadership oversight despite there having been 10 self-inflicted deaths
since our last inspection. This was compounded by failures in the substance
misuse service, which meant that some arrivals assessed as requiring
supervision with medication and detoxification were not regularly visited by
heath care staff. Most vulnerable prisoners spent their early days at Exeter on a
wing with the general population, which put their wellbeing at risk. One prisoner,
charged with a sexual offence, who had not been in prison before, described
being locked up on C wing for days on end, with meals served at his door while
prisoners outside shouted abuse at him. He had not received a proper induction
outlining what would happen next, and he thought that this was how he was
going to serve his entire sentence.
The levels of self-harm were the highest of all male reception prisons and
although the jail had recently put some processes in place reduce this, it
remained too high. Staff shortages in health care meant that the many prisoners
who had mental health needs were not getting the support they needed.
Elsewhere, the quality of purposeful activity had declined and was now poor.
Prisoners were locked up for long periods of time and very few attended work or
education despite the availability of places. Long delays to education induction
meant that many prisoners did not even have the chance to put themselves
forward to join an activity. There seemed to be an assumption amongst staff
that prisoners did not want to work, but inspectors talked to many who were
bored and desperate to get off the wing and do something with their time. The
learning and skills curriculum on offer was not appropriate for the jail, meaning
that the completion rates for courses were astonishingly low.
The support from the prison service for Exeter did not appear to have matched
that given to other prisons that have been subject to an urgent notification. Staff
attrition in key management positions was high – the prison had a total of 8
deputy governors since the last inspection, one of whom left to take up a
position with the Prison Group Director. Only recently had a decision been
made to upgrade the pay for the deputy’s post. In addition, there have been 8
heads of safety in a prison that had previously been assessed as fundamentally
unsafe by inspectors. In 2018 inspectors noted that CCTV was not working
properly, four years later it had got worse. Astonishingly, during this inspection,
four officers were on detached duty elsewhere in the estate, suggesting a lack
of awareness by the prison service of the serious weaknesses at Exeter.
