HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales annual report 2011-12

During the reporting year, the prison population had grown by more than 2,000 persons.

This resulted in greater strain on the prison system's attempts to deliver positive outcomes for prisoners and society.

The first section of the report focuses on various prison themessafer custody; first days in custody; foreign nationals; race relations; healthcare; activities; resettlement; substance useand emphasizes good practice.

The next section deals with the various types of prison establishments, and gives the findings from the many inspections, announced and unannounced, carried out during the year.

Other inspections, of immigration detention centers, and the Military Corrective and Training Centre at Colchester, are detailed in a further section.

The report is completed by a series of appendices giving statistical and other information on various topics including the number of self-inflicted deaths, key safety questions, comparative survey benchmarks, inspect