United Kingdom · North-East · Doncaster
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UK Closed female 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
—
Region
North-East
Security level
Medium
Death-row facility
No
This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP Lindholme healthy prison outcomes in 2017 and 2023 In July 2023, outcomes for prisoners were reasonably good in respect, not sufficiently good in safety and poor in both purposeful activity and the prison was the ingress of drugs. I am sorry to report that this problem has remained every bit as serious and continues to affect outcomes in many areas. Half of the prisoners in our survey told us it was easy to get drugs and, most concerningly, 21% said they had developed a problem since coming to the jail. — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody Sadly, there were three deaths in custody during the reporting year. The recommendations from all the death in custody reports are collated into an action plan and reviewed quarterly. The Board’s observations of this indicate that it is working well and appropriate and necessary actions have been taken. During the reporting year, self-harm incidents [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Accommodation • Accommodation at Lindholme consists of two large wings, six spurs and two dedicated wings, one for induction and the other for drug rehabilitation. • According to the IMB prisoner survey, 55% of those who responded said their cell would be improved with better temperature control. The prison has put in place a plan to improve this by servicing the [...] Purposeful activity: Education within the prison is delivered by Novus, which operates under the Prison Education Framework (PEF). The model of education and work focuses on assessment, engagement and employability skills, and is based on the five core principles of teamwork, communication, self-management, problem solving and presentation. Monitoring of this important function of the prison has been hampered by the [...] Preparation for release: Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners In recent annual reports, the Board has submitted recommendations to both the Minister and the Director of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) regarding IPP prisoners. The Board acknowledges that, during this reporting year, much work has taken place at both national and regional level to improve opportunities for this unique group, such that [...]
This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last
leaders and the opportunity to email family and friends. Family days were very
Note: rehabilitation and release planning became ‘preparation for release’ in October 2023. not sufficiently good in safety and poor in both purposeful activity and It was heartening to see prisoners unlocked for longer than we have seen in failed to make sure there were sufficient places in education to meet the high that had contained workshops further limited the offer, although the very good part-time activities or were underemployed in wing work and there were not The offender management unit (OMU) was staffed by a hard-working team, but There were some notable positives at the jail: good work had been done to Our lowest score of ‘poor’ for our healthy prison tests of purposeful activity and
the prison was the ingress of drugs. I am sorry to report that this problem has Half of the prisoners in our survey told us it was easy to get drugs and, most As well as being the cause of most deaths at the prison in recent years, drugs and increasing levels of violence. The size of the site meant that drones were often able to fly in contraband drug supply in other prisons. to do, and boredom encouraged drug-taking to pass the time.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 24. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 20 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
1.1 HMP Lindholme is a category C training prison in South Yorkshire holding about 900 male prisoners. A former Royal Air Force base, it is spread across a large site with an extensive perimeter wall. 1.2 This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last inspection of HMP Lindholme in 2023. What we found at our last inspection 1.3 At our previous inspections of HMP Lindholme in 2017 and 2023 we made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP Lindholme healthy prison outcomes in 2017 and 2023 Note: rehabilitation and release planning became ‘preparation for release’ in October 2023. 1.4 In July 2023, outcomes for prisoners were reasonably good in respect, not sufficiently good in safety and poor in both purposeful activity and
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Accommodation • Accommodation at Lindholme consists of two large wings, six spurs and two dedicated wings, one for induction and the other for drug rehabilitation. • According to the IMB prisoner survey, 55% of those who responded said their cell would be improved with better temperature control. The prison has put in place a plan to improve this by servicing the ventilation slots. This work has almost been completed as the reporting year ends. • The lack of cleanliness and staining of the cell toilets has been of particular concern to the Board. Whilst progress has been made in sourcing suitable cleaning materials, the physical cleaning process is ongoing and slow; this will require continued monitoring in order to reach an acceptable standard. • In the IMB survey (see Annex A1/Q3), 76% of respondents stated that their cell did not have a privacy curtain. The replacement work to remedy this issue has been ongoing for some time and we will continue to monitor it. • The majority of cells are fitted with a lock that allows the prisoner to lock their cell from the inside and also, using a courtesy key, lock their cell from the outside. The prison staff have keys that can override this in order to enter the cell. However, over time, the vast majority of these courtesy keys are not available. The consequence of this is that prisoners are unable to lock their cell when they leave it unattended, thus relying on staff, who are not always available, [...]
4.1 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody Sadly, there were three deaths in custody during the reporting year. The recommendations from all the death in custody reports are collated into an action plan and reviewed quarterly. The Board’s observations of this indicate that it is working well and appropriate and necessary actions have been taken. During the reporting year, self-harm incidents increased from 474 to 755 (see Annex B), although there was no significant change in the number of new assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) plans opened (these are used to support prisoners who are at risk of self-harm and suicide). The Board’s view is that there appears to be a link between the number of illicit drugs entering the prison and the incidences of self-harm and mental health issues. The Board considers that this is yet another pressure on prisoners and staff, which is preventing a stable environment that would allow staff to manage issues much more effectively. Results from the IMB survey indicate that 75% of prisoners (Annex A.1/Q7) know how to access a Listener (a prisoner trained by the Samaritans to offer confidential emotional support to other prisoners), if required. 4.2 Violence and violence reduction, self-isolation Since last year’s report, a supportive regime has been put in place to manage more safely those prisoners choosing to self-isolate. This has resulted in those prisoners being less likely to go un-noticed and monitored by staff. Nevertheless, [...]
Education within the prison is delivered by Novus, which operates under the Prison Education Framework (PEF). The model of education and work focuses on assessment, engagement and employability skills, and is based on the five core principles of teamwork, communication, self-management, problem solving and presentation. Monitoring of this important function of the prison has been hampered by the reduced size of the Board and the need to prioritise other areas. All prisoners are assessed during their induction period to determine their suitability for employment or educational courses; twice-weekly sequencing meetings attended by key stakeholders then decide on the appropriate pathway for each individual prisoner. Courses available include catering, welding, plastering, digital media and barbering, with the opportunity in barbering and catering for them to progress through to Level 3. However, places are limited and there is a waiting list. As reported last year by the Board, there are still too few courses being offered within the prison to provide and support meaningful training and progression. Throughout the reporting year, session attendance was not consistently high enough. Although there have been attempts by management to sanction prisoners who do not attend or whose attendance is poor, it often takes far too long to remove them and also reduces the opportunities for those on waiting lists. The IMB survey showed that 60% of respondents (the same as last year) did not [...]
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners In recent annual reports, the Board has submitted recommendations to both the Minister and the Director of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) regarding IPP prisoners. The Board acknowledges that, during this reporting year, much work has taken place at both national and regional level to improve opportunities for this unique group, such that they may be able to demonstrate a reduced risk to society and be better prepared for release. For instance, at HMP Lindholme, a prisoner forum with IPP prisoners takes place quarterly in order to give these men a voice. The Board has seen the action plans that are intended to achieve these objectives and believes they are both comprehensive and achievable. However, there are challenges ahead, given that a recent survey of IPP prisoners, with over 50 responses across five prisons, suggested that 91% felt a deeper sense of hopelessness than a year ago, and 72% did not understand the outside world and were fearful of release. Consequently, communication with this group will be key to successful outcomes, and this communication should highlight progress made with IPP prisoners, both in custody and post-release. Finally, a word of caution is needed, as it is imperative that action at the prison level is consistent with the stated objectives of the action plan and that the needs of each individual prisoner are considered. The Board believes it is a mistake to concentrate on targets at the [...]
Lindholme is a category C training prison that sprawls across a large, open site in South Yorkshire. At our last inspection in 2017, the biggest challenge facing the prison was the ingress of drugs. I am sorry to report that this problem has remained every bit as serious and continues to affect outcomes in many areas. Half of the prisoners in our survey told us it was easy to get drugs and, most concerningly, 21% said they had developed a problem since coming to the jail. As well as being the cause of most deaths at the prison in recent years, drugs had also been responsible for debt problems that drove the higher than average and increasing levels of violence. The size of the site meant that drones were often able to fly in contraband undetected and there was no routine searching of staff or X-ray machines at the gate. Inexplicably and despite bids from the jail, the prison service had failed to put in place the technological and physical solutions that have helped to reduce drug supply in other prisons. It was heartening to see prisoners unlocked for longer than we have seen in most recent category C prison inspections, but there was not enough for them to do, and boredom encouraged drug-taking to pass the time. Leaders had failed to make sure there were sufficient places in education to meet the high demand, particularly in English and maths. The closure of two large hangers that had contained workshops further limited the offer, although the very good training kitchen and café continued to operate well. Too many prisoners were in part-time activities or were underemployed in wing work and there were not enough qualifications on offer. The offender management unit (OMU) was staffed by a hard-working team, but they were woefully under-resourced, with nothing like enough team members to be able to provide for any more than the most urgent cases. When I walked round the jail, almost every prisoner I spoke to complained about the lack of support from the OMU. Many had a feeling of helplessness, unable to progress with their sentence or complete the non-existent accredited programmes that featured on many of their sentence plans. It was disappointing to find things even worse in this area than in 2017, when we also noted long-term failings. Most prisoners complained about the food, particularly the lack of variety and small portions. This was compounded by price rises in the shop which meant that many men could not afford to supplement their limited diet. Health care provided a good service for those who were able to get appointments, but staff shortages meant waits were far too long – up to five weeks to see a GP and 26 weeks to see an optician. There were some notable positives at the jail: good work had been done to improve the treatment of new arrivals, a compassionate and professional team ran the segregation unit, and the governor and other leaders were active and visible around the site. Each prisoner had a laptop and we saw better functionality and use than in other prisons, with good communication from leaders and the opportunity to email family and friends. Family days were very popular and there were some excellent initiatives, such as charity runs that brought prisoners and staff together. It was good to see the opportunities for independent living on the enhanced spurs where prisoners could cook for themselves and were not locked in their cells. One of the more positive parts of this inspection was the quality of the staff and the excellent relationships that many of them had with prisoners. Our lowest score of ‘poor’ for our healthy prison tests of purposeful activity and
Scrutiny inspection of HMP Lindholme (2020-10-27)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Lindholme. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-lindholme
"HMP Lindholme." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-lindholme.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-lindholme,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Lindholme},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-lindholme},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}