ENGLAND — Charlie Taylor, HM inspector of prisons for England and Wales, will step down from his position in October. "Sadly, this year a lack of regular, purposeful activity for prisoners has been a key factor in a concerning rise in drug use and violence, as well as continued high rates of self-harm," Taylor said.

Taylor stated that basic services are being cut. "In one particular jail I can think of, there was something like 22 teachers and that went down to nine," he said. Some prisons have reduced frontline spending on education by as much as 50%.

Data from inspection reports between April 2025 and March 2026 indicates that 41% of men and 38% of women surveyed found it easy to obtain drugs in their respective jails. Violence increased in two-thirds of men's prisons inspected, and serious assaults rose in 40% of these facilities, according to the annual report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons.

Taylor described an instance where Allen keys and Gorilla Glue were used to unscrew window frames. "In one particular jail, for example, Allen keys were coming in with Gorilla Glue," Taylor said. "That was so prisoners could unscrew the window, the whole frame of the window, be able to receive a package, then put it back before people would even notice that the contraband had got into the prison."

"At a cost of £59,000 a year for each prison place, the taxpayer has the right to expect more for their money," Taylor said. He also noted that liaison between services within the prison and within the community are not as good as they want to see.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of Nacro, remarked that the report should serve as a "wake-up call." Solomon stated that many prisons subject individuals to long hours in cells, while organized crime gangs use drones to introduce drugs, which fuels violence. "This isn't an environment where rehabilitation can succeed," Solomon said.

Lord Timpson, the prisons minister, stated that the prison system has been stabilized following a previous near-collapse. He cited the construction of thousands of prison places, sentencing reforms, and investments in security. Timpson noted that 76% of recent prison inspections showed improvement. He also mentioned that former Conservative home secretary Amber Rudd has been asked to lead an independent review.