Leeds HMP a 'cluster site' for self-inflicted deaths and 'priority concerns' raised at Wetherby YOI in report

Armley Prison is a “cluster site” for self-harming and there are large numbers of children carrying weapons at Wetherby Young Offender Institute, a report has found.

A report compiled from feedback from the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) of prisons and YOIs across the country looking at the year 2025 concluded that there was a “consistent and deeply troubling picture” country-wide, stating: “Long standing failures are not being resolved but are instead being compounded.”

It said that year after year the same concerns are raised by monitoring boards but little change is being enacted, adding: “As a result, men, women and children in prisons and YOIs are living in increasingly unsafe and demoralising conditions, where failures once regarded as serious are at risk of becoming normalised.”

The concerns centre around drugs being the “single most destabilising factor across the adult estate” as they were “fuelling debt, violence, intimidation, self isolation and life threatening medical emergencies”.

It also said that the deteriorating buildings were “exposing prisoners to inhumane conditions” and that meaningful activity and education was becoming “increasingly restricted”. Mental health needs are “far outstripping available support”, it said.

Here’s what is written in the report about HMP Leeds, HMP Wakefield and Wetherby YOI.

HMP Leeds

In the section of the report that states that prisoners who self-harmed or self-isolated were going without “vital support”, it says:

“Self-inflicted deaths were a key concern in the men’s estate, and cluster sites continued to be difficult to address – as in 2024, Leeds remained a cluster site, with self-inflicted deaths occurring at an alarming frequency.”

HMP Wakefield

In the section that discusses how disabled, older and minoritised ethic prisoners faced “significant disadvantages”, it is highlighted that at Wakefield, specific training on race issues had not been delivered despite the fact that half of the prison’s discrimination incident reporting forms related to race.

It also states that prisoners waiting for mental health support were experiencing “excessively long delays” for transfer to secure facilities. It states: “For example, in August 2025, Wakefield IMB wrote to the Chief Operating Officer for prisons to escalate their concerns about a prisoner who had continuously resided in either the CSU or healthcare since June 2023, with minimal engagement with the regime or interaction with other prisoners. Members’ monitoring observations and assessment of the prisoner’s case notes led the Board to conclude that he was at risk of mental health crisis because his complex needs could not be met at Wakefield.”

Wetherby Young Offenders Institute

The report mentions Wetherby YOI numerous times when discussing the myriad issues in youth prisons across the country, such as children living in fear of assault and the large number of children carrying weapons.

The report states that steps were being taken to address problems in Wetherby about the lack of space but that the building as a whole, like many YOIs, was “fundamentally unsuitable” for the young population living there.

The report says that the provision offered for boys who had been separated at Wetherby was a “priority concern”, as they were spending “extended periods of time on the unit”.

It also says that the mental health support for those with complex needs was being “operated effectively” and staffed by “dedicated, experienced officers”, but said that a lack of suitable spaces led to sessions being disrupted.

The report also said that children were not receiving suitable support from the local authorities and that in Wetherby the “situation appeared to be worsening”.

‘Unavoidable questions’

Jane Leech MBE, Interim National Chair “This report raises unavoidable questions about effectiveness and accountability. The passage of time means the conditions described can no longer reasonably be framed as inherited or transitional. IMBs are statutory witnesses, not campaigners, and the evidence we present year after year shows that warnings are heard but too rarely acted upon. The result is a system that absorbs criticism but fails to correct its course. While IMBs do identify examples of good practice, these tend to be driven by the motivation of individuals rather than embedded consistently across the system.

“The bleakness of this picture matters because it is felt every day by people in custody. Poor conditions, limited regimes and unsafe environments damage mental and physical wellbeing, undermine rehabilitation, and erode dignity. They also affect public safety, the likelihood of reoffending, staff retention, and trust in the justice system. For both adults and children in custody, the prevailing experience is not one of progress, but of stagnation and decline. IMBs’ findings suggest that unless there is a decisive shift away from denial, short- term fixes and rhetorical reassurance, prisons and YOIs will continue to deteriorate, not through sudden collapse, but through the steady normalisation of failure.”