HMP Liverpool and Altcourse have both been inspected during a tumultuous 12 months for Merseyside’s prison network
HMP Liverpool(Image: Liverpool Echo)
What started as an anonymous tip-off quickly grew into a disturbing insight into life behind bars at HMP Liverpool. The problems inside the UK’s prisons are not new and have been well-documented – overcrowding, crumbling infrastructure, lack of rehabilitation and terrible living conditions.
But in the early weeks of 2025, ECHO contacts began to raise concerns about a different issue. How inexperienced and overworked prison officers were struggling to deal with an increase in violence. A weeks-long investigation published on February 1 revealed how staff members, past and present, had claimed the prison was in “crisis” and was increasingly unsafe for them and the inmates.
Multiple sources at the category B prison claimed experienced officers were going off sick due to workload and an increased threat of serious violence, with one officer having her head split open after being assaulted with a tap. The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) called the governor’s position “untenable”, with the senior official later being quizzed by a parliamentary committee about the ECHO’s reporting.
During the second half of 2025, the headlines were largely stolen by the privately-run HMP Altcourse following the culmination of the trial of a former inmate who shot dead prison officer Lenny Scott following an internal dispute from years before. Multiple sources at the prison came forward in the wake of Elias Morgan’s conviction and sentence, alleging concerns about staff safety were still not being taken seriously even after the murder of a colleague.
Both of Merseyside’s prisons have been visited by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in 2025. Inspectors found issues at both Altcourse and Walton, with both battling violence, organised crime groups, the influx of drugs and failing infrastructure. But there were also positives from both prisons, which the wider network and the families of those inside the jails will hope indicates a corner has been turned after the issues of earlier in the year.
HMP Liverpool
The inspectors found prisoners at the Walton jail were “lying on their beds watching daytime TV and taking drugs to pass the time“. Inspectors found the prison had seen the highest rate of positive drug tests of any jail of its kind nationally, with 46% of tests coming back positive.
The inspection from August found the prison had been “continuously targeted” by organised crime groups who were delivering drugs into the prison by drone. The report said the illicit drug economy in the prison “posed an ongoing threat to the safety and stability of the prison”.
The inspector also found that high levels of self-harm showed that there had “not been enough focus” on supporting the most vulnerable men in the prison population, many of whom were addicted to drugs or alcohol. The watchdog noted there had been over 600 incidents of self-harm and there had been seven suicides at the jail since 2022.
Some of the prison buildings were described as “old and dilapidated” after a “thorough” refurbishment of the prison stalled when the firm contracted to do the work, ISG, went bust last year. Inspectors found their had been “no progress” on the works and poor conditions had been exacerbated by a “lack of effective maintenance”.
Fences and walls at HMP Liverpool have been described as “vulnerable” by inspectors as the prison is flooded with drugs delivered by drone. (Image: HM Inspectorate of Prisons)
The inspector wrote: “The facilities management contractor was not sufficiently responsive to an extensive list of outstanding maintenance jobs. Staff regularly reported problems, such as a lack of hot water, but these issues were often unresolved.”
The inspectors found staff retention at HMP Liverpool was considerably better than other jails. But they also found the prison had the highest staff sickness rates of any prison in the country, echoing what we had reported months before.
The senior leadership at the prison was praised and inspectors were optimistic that further improvements would be made to ensure standards were raised.
Addressing issues at Walton, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This government inherited a prison system in crisis – with drugs and violence rife. While we welcome inspectors’ recognition of HMP Liverpool’s progress to drive down violence, we acknowledge there is more to do.
“We are taking action by investing £40m in new security measures this year alone to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars – including £10m on anti-drone measures such as exterior netting and reinforced windows. On top of this, the prison is taking immediate action to support staff through bolstered training and mentoring.”
HMP Altcourse
Inspectors who visited Altcourse the month before also found a considerable amount of its inmates were using drugs and at risk of gang-related violence. The prison was found to have one of the highest rates of drugs among similar jails in the country.
Inspectors found drugs had resulted in a “major threat” to safety and security, with prisoner-on-prisoner assaults having increased steadily over the past two years, largely fuelled by debt collection. Nearly three quarters of prisoners felt debt was the main cause of violence.
HMP Altcourse, Liverpool(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Inspectors found debt issues started almost as soon as prisoners arrived at the reception jail. Prisoners who arrived with no money were offered a vape or a sweet pack from the prison shop on the understanding it would be repaid weekly on a nominal rate once they were earning money. But prisoners received only £1 a day during their induction to the prison, with many waiting too long to be able to buy further items, increasing the risks of borrowing and debt.
Inspectors found there had been six self-inflicted deaths since the previous inspection in 2021 and a concerning rise in the self-harm rate. Like HMP Liverpool, Altcourse has a number of outstanding Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) investigations.
However inspectors found relationships remained a strength at Altcourse with prisoners commenting on how supported they felt. These relationships had resulted in much lower rates of staff assaults than similar jails. Inspectors also found the governance and oversight of the use of force by officers had improved considerably.
An Altcourse spokesperson said: “We welcome the chief inspector’s report and take on board the feedback and recommendations. We are pleased that the report recognises the hard work undertaken by our team during a period of change and we are fully committed to making improvements in the areas identified.”