New figures from the Ministry of Justice reveal a rise in prison violence and a sharp increase in the number of people released into homelessness.
The data, covering April 2024 to March 2025, shows that nearly half (49.6%) of prisons in England and Wales were rated as a concern or serious concern for overall performance.
Wiltshire is home to HMP Erlestoke, a category C prison near Devizes with capacity of 524 men.
A total of 22 prisons were rated as of serious concern – the highest number since ratings were first published.
On average, 1,070 people were released from prison into homelessness each month – a 40% rise on the previous year.
Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of Nacro, said this is the result of a broken system.
“Every month, around 1,070 people leave prison into homelessness, many rough sleeping, doubling their risk of reoffending, and contributing to the £23.6 billion cost of reoffending to the UK economy,” he said.
“Despite recent investment, these figures show that further action is needed. Long-term joined-up support and housing are essential if we want people to rebuild their lives and reduce reoffending.”
Violence and safety in custody also remain major concerns. An average of one person died in custody each day last year, a 30% rise.
While self-inflicted deaths fell slightly to 86, rates of self-harm increased by 6% and assaults by 9%.
Mr Robb said: “Today’s data reveals that nearly half of our prisons are rated either of concern or of serious concern … a further stark reminder of the desperate state of our prisons.
“We urgently need to tackle the overcrowding crisis and implement recommendations from the Independent Sentencing Review to ensure we have safe, effective and rehabilitative prisons.”
The data did show some improvement in employment outcomes. The proportion of people in work six months after release rose from 31% to 34.5%.
Nacro says employment remains one of the most important factors in reducing reoffending but warned that more must be done to increase work and training opportunities both inside and outside of prison.
“The Government should now increase the focus on developing better work opportunities for people whilst they are in prison as currently a third of people in prison are not taking part in any purposeful activity,” Mr Robb said.
“Increasing workshops and industry in prison, introducing a working day which reflects a working day on the outside, and giving more people who are eligible the chance to work in the community on day release would all help prepare people for work on the outside.”
