United Kingdom · Midlands · Lincoln
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UK YOI prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.
Capacity
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Current population
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Occupancy
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Year opened
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Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 7 Jul 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
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Region
Midlands
Security level
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Death-row facility
No
With a rating of reasonably good across all four of our healthy prison Levels of violence, drug ingress and self-harm are lower than comparators in a prison where a well-motivated staff team maintained good standards of Turnover of staff was much lower than we see in other prisons and at the time these vulnerable men, and also to help new arrivals to sort out concerns such Despite the age of the building, leaders made sure that standards of cleanliness extremely limited regime at the weekend, although it was good to see some and a strong senior leadership team. It sets a standard to which other reception — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction During the reporting year there have been on average 222 prisoners arriving each month from a variety of custodial establishments. The highest number was in August 2024 when 282 prisoners arrived, and the lowest number was September with 162 arrivals. The first night centre (FNC) can accommodate a total of 28 prisoners in 14 shared cells, plus three in high-risk cells, [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food It is important to note that Lincoln prison is a Victorian building with all the issues that brings with it. The prison is a listed building, with the exception of E wing. The cleanliness and appearance of the accommodation and recreational areas continues generally to have been well maintained over the reporting period. The prisoners were regularly seen cleaning [...] Purposeful activity: HMP Lincoln’s priority continues to protect the public and reduce reoffending. The contribution to reducing reoffending includes preparing the prisoners for entering the employment market or further education with confidence and commitment on release. This included providing knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes, values and progression to succeed. The education, skills and work curriculum was [...] Preparation for release: Supporting people after remand or conviction (SPARC), continues to support individuals who have been remanded or sentenced to HMP Lincoln. The support provided includes help and immediate support in the prison reception and especially during their early days in prison. The practitioners help prisoners to resolve practical issues such as contacting employers, family members and landlords to advise [...]
There were some easily fixed difficulties with family contact that meant that
prisoners were unable to make phone calls, even if supervised, to tell loved ones where they were, and phone numbers took longer than in other jails to get
well and deal quickly with any low-level rule breaking. Keywork, that is almost this work to support prisoners with their sentence progression by linking more Ofsted scored education to be good, one of only two reception prisons in the country with this grade. Attendance here and at workshops were good, and I observed prisoners working well. The jail has a well-integrated reading strategy with some impressive work to engage non- and low-level readers, although with However, the Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) team worked hard to support Time out of cell for many men was not good enough and the prison operated an extremely limited regime at the weekend, although it was good to see some
Levels of violence, drug ingress and self-harm are lower than comparators in a
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 13. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 9 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
With a rating of reasonably good across all four of our healthy prison assessments, Lincoln is the best performing reception prison in the country. Levels of violence, drug ingress and self-harm are lower than comparators in a prison where a well-motivated staff team maintained good standards of behaviour and cleanliness on the wings. Turnover of staff was much lower than we see in other prisons and at the time of this inspection there were no officers in training. Led by capable custody managers, an experienced and competent team of officers know their prisoners well and deal quickly with any low-level rule breaking. Keywork, that is almost non-existent in many jails we inspect, was impressive at Lincoln. Prisoners appreciated the regular sessions from a named officer that helped to build relationships and deal with emerging issues. There is scope to further extend this work to support prisoners with their sentence progression by linking more closely with the offender management unit. Ofsted scored education to be good, one of only two reception prisons in the country with this grade. Attendance here and at workshops were good, and I observed prisoners working well. The jail has a well-integrated reading strategy with some impressive work to engage non- and low-level readers, although with only two one-to-one sessions a week for these men, there is scope for this to develop further. The support for prisoners who were at risk of harming themselves was not good enough, with care plans limited and some interventions ending too quickly. However, the Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) team worked hard to support these vulnerable men, and also to help new arrivals to sort out concerns such as tenancy arrangements or care for pets. There were some easily fixed difficulties with family contact that meant that prisoners were unable to make phone calls, even if supervised, to tell loved ones where they were, and phone numbers took longer than in other jails to get put on the system. Prisoner consultation was very limited which was a missed opportunity to engage and motivate men to make suggestions and take greater responsibility for the way the prison operated. Some systems, such as applications, were disorganised and minority ethnic prisoners had little faith that discrimination complaint forms would be responded to appropriately. Despite the age of the building, leaders made sure that standards of cleanliness were maintained and there was an active team of prisoners who decorated cells and communal areas. The prison did have a serious cockroach problem and there had been long delays with getting a new boiler, which meant the prison had relied for years on a temporary solution which had cost far more than getting a replacement. Time out of cell for many men was not good enough and the prison operated an extremely limited regime at the weekend, although it was good to see some activities laid on for well-behaved prisoners in the evenings. Lincoln is an impressive prison led by an effective and experienced governor and a strong senior leadership team. It sets a standard to which other reception prisons should aspire and there is plenty of scope for things to improve further. Charlie Taylor HM Chief Inspector of Prisons July 2025
4.1 Reception and induction During the reporting year there have been on average 222 prisoners arriving each month from a variety of custodial establishments. The highest number was in August 2024 when 282 prisoners arrived, and the lowest number was September with 162 arrivals. The first night centre (FNC) can accommodate a total of 28 prisoners in 14 shared cells, plus three in high-risk cells, one in a disabled cell and one cell for constant watch. Board members have observed prisoners in reception and have monitored several inductions throughout the reporting period. Every prisoner is seen by healthcare in reception. They undergo a body scan when they arrive and those that pass the body scan are then taken to the first night centre (FNC), where they will stay until induction at 9am the following morning. Those that continue to fail the body scan, are taken to the care and separation unit (CSU) until they show a clear body scan. At induction, every prisoner is seen by chaplaincy, We are With You (the drug and alcohol rehabilitation service) and education. Depending on availability of spaces in FNC, prisoners may spend one or two nights there before being transferred to the main wings. The Board saw a high level of professionalism and care from staff and prisoner peer mentors. Prisoners are frequently transferred to Lincoln late in the evening. The prisoners then need to be processed and have checks in a thorough way, which means those working in reception and those who [...]
HMP Lincoln’s priority continues to protect the public and reduce reoffending. The contribution to reducing reoffending includes preparing the prisoners for entering the employment market or further education with confidence and commitment on release. This included providing knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes, values and progression to succeed. The education, skills and work curriculum was designed to complement prison work, as well as focus on employability skills that are relevant to the local and national employment market. There is an opportunity for the prisoners with special educational needs and/or disabilities to learn essential skills of reading and writing. This is identified through the induction process. Prisoners can work towards getting maths and English qualifications, improve existing English, maths and ICT skills, acquire new skills and build on existing knowledge. There have been times during the year when prisoners have transferred to another establishment part way through their course. As a result, they did not get their qualification, which seems to defeat the resettlement progression. The two libraries are well stocked with a wide range of material that include: fiction, non-fiction, reference material, CDs, large print books, quick reads, audio books, literature in varied languages, black, Asian and minority ethnic material and LGBTQ+ interest. For those on enhanced status they can also borrow DVDs from the library. All the prisoners have an [...]
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food It is important to note that Lincoln prison is a Victorian building with all the issues that brings with it. The prison is a listed building, with the exception of E wing. The cleanliness and appearance of the accommodation and recreational areas continues generally to have been well maintained over the reporting period. The prisoners were regularly seen cleaning on the wings, including mopping and polishing the floors. There is a rolling programme of painting on the wings, and there has been the addition of some wall murals. Several murals have been completed by prisoners in the first night centre and pensioners’ room. Temporary boilers continue to be a problem. The current temporary boilers have been in place in Lincoln for eight years. The boiler rooms had been refurbished but this will need to be completed again. The water and heating system continue to be temperamental. The heating system does not allow for any temperature control other than it being switched on or off for the whole establishment. This can make it uncomfortable on the wings and in the workshops, when the weather changes temporarily and the heating cannot be turned up or down or even off for a few days or weeks. The water continues to be regularly tested for legionella and showers and taps are regularly offline until the tests show the water is clear. Cockroaches have been reported this year on the main wings and administrative room off the wing. These can take weeks to [...]
Supporting people after remand or conviction (SPARC), continues to support individuals who have been remanded or sentenced to HMP Lincoln. The support provided includes help and immediate support in the prison reception and especially during their early days in prison. The practitioners help prisoners to resolve practical issues such as contacting employers, family members and landlords to advise of the initial imprisonment. The practitioners also provide emotional support and ensure that each person can access the services they need to progress. The team’s aim is to safeguard individuals new to the prison by addressing any immediate concerns they may have. The aim is to reduce the risk of suicide or self-harm and violence withing the first few weeks of custody. The team follow up with individuals the next working day to support them to navigate life in HMP Lincoln. The SPARC team works 9am to 7pm to ensure they are available to cover the first night inductions and work in reception. This initial support can then transfer to other LAT services available within the prison. Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT), provide the family with services within HMP Lincoln, maintaining family ties whilst a family member/friend is in prison. The support provided is offered through a number of platforms, which include supporting with social visits, family days and undertaking casework with prisoners/families and a number of planned interventions such as the ‘Being a Dad’ workshop. Support [...]
Full inspection of HMP Lincoln (2019-12-09)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Lincoln. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-lincoln
"HMP Lincoln." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-lincoln.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-lincoln,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Lincoln},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-lincoln},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}