Prison education cuts driving drug use, self-harm and violence, says watchdog

Report by HM inspector of prisons for England and Wales comes as spending on frontline education falls by up to 50%

“Brutal” cuts to prison education and training by Labour ministers are leading to an increase in drug use, self-harm and violence, a watchdog’s withering final annual report has said.

Charlie Taylor, who steps down as HM inspector of prisons for England and Wales in the autumn after six years, has also warned the authorities must keep a “close eye” on the impending release of thousands of prisoners later this year.

His warnings come after some prisons cut frontline spending on education by up to 50%, despite promises from Keir Starmer to improve “access to learning” in his general election manifesto.

Taylor, whose tenure in the job ends in October, said long lock-up times and poor regimes have barely improved since he first began the role during the pandemic.

“During my time as chief inspector of prisons I have had the privilege of seeing what is possible under the leadership of some outstanding governors.

“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.

“At a cost of £59,000 a year for each prison place, the taxpayer has the right to expect more for their money.”

Education and training cuts are driving despair and boredom, which in turn is leading to increased drug use and violence, he told reporters.

“In one particular jail I can think of, there was something like 22 teachers and that went down to nine. So these are real cuts in particular jails to the level of provision.

“And it’s some basic services that are unfortunately being cut. We know, for example, that many prisoners can’t read properly. We know that some of them don’t have the very basic maths and numeracy that they need in order to be able to be successful when they come out … Since the pandemic, things have got worse,” he said.

The public could be at increased risk when thousands of short-term prisoners are released under the provisions of the Sentencing Act, he said.

“Public protection arrangements are not as good as we would want to see. Liaison between services within the prison and within the community are not as good as we want to see.

“A lot of prisoners are going to be going out from jails in September, October, November. And we will watch very closely what the effect of that is in terms of reoffending rates and risk to the public,” he said.

In inspection reports published between April 2025 and March 2026, 41% of men and 38% of women reported that it was easy to get hold of drugs in their jail, with many crime gangs delivering packages to order, he said.

Prison drug dealers are now using drones to fly in Allen keys and super-strength glue so prisoners can remove and replace windows to allow in bigger drug packages, he said.

“In one particular jail, for example, Allen keys were coming in with Gorilla Glue. 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,” he said.

Violence had increased in two-thirds of the men’s prisons inspected and serious assaults had risen in 40%, Taylor said.

The annual report found there were “appalling” delays in transferring seriously mentally unwell patients to secure hospitals. One patient at HMP Swaleside waited 711 days, it said.

Responding to the report, Enver Solomon, the chief executive of Nacro, the social justice charity, said: “This report should be a wake-up call. Too many prisons have become places where people are locked in their cells for hours on end while organised crime gangs use drones to flood prisons with drugs, fuelling violence and fear. This isn’t an environment where rehabilitation can succeed.”

Prisons minister Lord Timpson said that while the report highlighted “serious challenges”, he noted that 76% of recent prison inspections had found improvement.

He said: “Two years ago, the prison system was on the verge of collapse. Today, we’ve stabilised it, building thousands of prison places, reforming sentencing and investing heavily in security so prisons cut crime and create fewer victims.

“There is much more to do, which is why we’ve also asked former Conservative home secretary Amber Rudd to lead an independent review.”