A Lancashire prison has been praised for the work it does preparing inmates to go into work upon release, but a report also raised a number of concerns around life at the jail.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for HMP Lancaster Farms has published its annual report for the reporting year 2023/24.

The IMB's report also praised relationships between staff and inmates, but did raise concerns around overcrowding and the amount of mental health support available for men at the prison who need it.

HMP Lancaster Farms, based just outside Lancaster, is a men's Category C resettlement prison with accommodation for 560 inmates.

It provides a range of learning and skills activities for inmates and works in partnership with outside organisations, with good relationships with its surrounding community.

On positives, the IMB's report states: "Relationships between staff and prisoners appear to be positive and men seem to be treated fairly by staff.

"The Board remains impressed by the employment hub and the development of new employment opportunities for men on release, supporting the prison in its function as a resettlement prison."

The report said prisoners are largely positive about the opportunities available and uptake is increasing,

However, it did find a number of concerns.

The IMB said: "The prison, like those elsewhere across England and Wales, is full to capacity.

"This has resulted in some men sharing cells designed to accommodate one, with little privacy, particularly when using the in-cell toilet and telephony.

"Use of force incidents increased by 96 per cent over the reporting year.

"A number of men who are in need of specialist mental health support remain within the prison due to a lack of specialist secure settings for them to be transferred to.

"Prisoners’ personal property continues to go missing on transfer, leaving some men without their belongings when they arrive at the prison."

Concerns over the prison's changing population were also noted, with the impact it has on inmates' daily lives.

The report said a majority of prisoners now come from outside the Lancashire and Cumbria areas - mainly Manchester and Liverpool - and often still have long sentences left to serve.

Despite this, the report noted that in the main the prison is a safe place and prisoners are treated fairly and humanely - despite use of force incidents almost doubling - though this was put down to the changing prison population.

On mental health, the report said: "The provision of mental healthcare within the prison continues to face many challenges.

"Mental health staff provide excellent care and support for prisoners, but given the high incidence of mental health issues amongst prisoners, the Board questions whether there should be further investment in mental health support.

"Difficulties remain in finding suitable alternative specialist accommodation at other prisons for those with serious mental health difficulties."

Robin Talbot, IMB chair of HMP Lancaster Farms, said: “We see good interaction between staff and prisoners on our regular visits to the prison.

"This is even more relevant when you realise the enormous pressure the prison estate is under as a whole.

"While the Board has reported a number of positive findings, there are recommendations for the new Prisons Minister to address.

"There is a clear need to increase the number of specialist secure settings to care for those prisoners with complex and enduring mental health conditions.

"More resources are required to maintain a prison now over 30 years old and to support the accommodation of its increased population.

"In addition, something needs to be done about the amount of personal property that goes missing on transfer between prisons.”