Leicester Prison

Justice · Prison or young offender institution

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First report 11 Jul 2016•Latest report 11 Jul 2016

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Reports naming this recipient by issue year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Reports
1

Naming this recipient

Published responses
0%

Found for named reports

Concerns addressed
0

Across all linked responses

Stated actions
0

Described in responses

Concerns and recipient responses

Statements from Leicester Prison linked to the concerns in each report. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

  1. Leicester City and South Leicestershire

    AI-generated summary

    Michael Williams · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Michael Williams died by hanging in his locked prison cell on 15 September 2015 while subject to four observations per hour and after he had threatened to take his life, appeared tearful and anxious, and blocked the observation panel. The concerns included missed and predictable observations, the lack of an explanation for missed checks, and an approximately one-hour delay before the cell was opened after he became unobserved.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Leicester Prison; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to maintain visual observation when the observation panel is blocked

    Wider context from the report

    “Mr Williams should have been observed 4x every hour during the evening of 15th September 2015. Several of these checks were missed, and after he blocked the observation panel, he could only be heard, not seen. a) Observations (where they were carried out) were documented at precise 15 minute intervals, commencing on the hour, and were therefore predictable. This is not best practice and should be discouraged. b) There was no explanation for the missed observations. c) Mr Williams was unobserved for approximately 1 hour before the cell door was opened, and he was found deceased. The jury found this was inappropriate delay and I agree with them. Clear guidance and training should be provided, and regularly repeated, to assist the Prison Officers in managing such situations in a timely way. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Leicester Prison; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Delays in responding when a prisoner is unobserved

    Wider context from the report

    “Mr Williams should have been observed 4x every hour during the evening of 15th September 2015. Several of these checks were missed, and after he blocked the observation panel, he could only be heard, not seen. a) Observations (where they were carried out) were documented at precise 15 minute intervals, commencing on the hour, and were therefore predictable. This is not best practice and should be discouraged. b) There was no explanation for the missed observations. c) Mr Williams was unobserved for approximately 1 hour before the cell door was opened, and he was found deceased. The jury found this was inappropriate delay and I agree with them. Clear guidance and training should be provided, and regularly repeated, to assist the Prison Officers in managing such situations in a timely way. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Leicester Prison; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Predictable timing of documented observations

    Wider context from the report

    “Mr Williams should have been observed 4x every hour during the evening of 15th September 2015. Several of these checks were missed, and after he blocked the observation panel, he could only be heard, not seen. a) Observations (where they were carried out) were documented at precise 15 minute intervals, commencing on the hour, and were therefore predictable. This is not best practice and should be discouraged. b) There was no explanation for the missed observations. c) Mr Williams was unobserved for approximately 1 hour before the cell door was opened, and he was found deceased. The jury found this was inappropriate delay and I agree with them. Clear guidance and training should be provided, and regularly repeated, to assist the Prison Officers in managing such situations in a timely way. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Leicester Prison; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to complete scheduled observations

    Wider context from the report

    “Mr Williams should have been observed 4x every hour during the evening of 15th September 2015. Several of these checks were missed, and after he blocked the observation panel, he could only be heard, not seen. a) Observations (where they were carried out) were documented at precise 15 minute intervals, commencing on the hour, and were therefore predictable. This is not best practice and should be discouraged. b) There was no explanation for the missed observations. c) Mr Williams was unobserved for approximately 1 hour before the cell door was opened, and he was found deceased. The jury found this was inappropriate delay and I agree with them. Clear guidance and training should be provided, and regularly repeated, to assist the Prison Officers in managing such situations in a timely way. ”
    Open source report
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Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026