New £400m UK prison plagued by chaos, understaffing in first 18 months

HMP Millsike opened its gates in March 2025 as a showcase for the future of British corrections. The government had invested roughly £400 million in the facility, a category C prison in East Yorkshire designed around rehabilitation and education, with space for 1,500 inmates. It was meant to set a new standard. Eighteen months later, the prison is operating in a state of persistent disorder, according to seven former employees who spoke to the BBC about conditions inside.

The problems began almost immediately. Staff shortages have been chronic. Many of the 600 or so workers Mitie, the private company running the prison, was supposed to hire came from backgrounds entirely outside the prison system—supermarkets, fast-food chains, the military. While all operational staff complete more than eight weeks of training, including shadowing in other facilities, the sheer volume of inexperienced workers has created gaps that other staff have had to fill. Non-prison officers found themselves assigned to watch vulnerable prisoners at risk of self-harm, work they had no training for. One maintenance worker, Steve Richardson, described being thrown feces and urine by inmates, having to "mix in" with other staff to handle situations beyond his role, and never receiving control and restraint training—the DoJo instruction that teaches prison staff how to respond to violence.

The incidents have been serious and frequent. In November 2025, an inmate "absolutely lost it," Richardson recalled, throwing pool balls and cues around the recreation area, smashing six windows and attempting to climb a fence before an elite response unit arrived to restrain him. That same month, a sewage pumping station failed, with reports that inmates had flushed clothes down toilets—Mitie denied this was the cause. In July 2026, residents near the prison saw a bomb squad vehicle enter the site, followed by a loud explosion. Inmates sent messages describing alarms and the sound of a blast. Police and fire services attended with an explosive ordnance disposal team; Mitie said no viable device was found. The Ministry of Justice data shows the Operational Response and Resilience Unit, a specialist team with dogs and tactical equipment, was called to Millsike seven times in nine months during 2025. By comparison, other privately run category C prisons saw far fewer deployments: Oakwood eight times, Fosse Way three times, Northumberland three times.

Safety concerns have extended beyond incidents. In January 2026, the Independent Monitoring Board, which oversees prison conditions, reported that its members visited in pairs because they felt unsafe on the prison wings. They noted doors and gates left open. The following month, the prison's director, Samantha Pariser, was replaced; Mitie said she had moved to a "new strategic role." A female prison officer was convicted in June 2026 of an inappropriate relationship with an inmate, receiving an eight-month suspended sentence. The Prison Reform Trust has received calls from prisoners about safety concerns, some of which staff described as "worrying and concerning."

Joe Chapman, a former prison officer who set up a support group for Millsike prisoners, families, and staff, believes the facility was "pushed forward for opening far too early by the government." He said Mitie had failed to be transparent with prisoners, families, or even its own staff about the difficulties. "They are trying, but at this moment in time, in my opinion, failing," Chapman said. Concerns have also been raised about education and rehabilitation work—the prison's stated purpose. Former workers described running sessions without adequate equipment.

Mitie has maintained that safety is its highest priority and that it is operating in line with plans agreed with the Ministry of Justice. The company declined to disclose how many staff positions remain vacant. During a public meeting in June, the interim prison director told local residents that recruitment was difficult and that 90 percent of employees had never worked in the prison sector before. Mitie said it recruits from diverse backgrounds and that call-outs to the specialist response unit were in line with expectations.

The Ministry of Justice called Millsike "a vital part of our plans to build 14,000 new prison places" and said it would "act when standards fall short." An annual report from the Independent Monitoring Board, expected within weeks, is likely to provide a fuller picture of the safety and security issues that have defined the prison's first year and a half. Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, acknowledged that new prisons face challenges and "it takes time," but the pattern of incidents and staff concerns at Millsike suggests the gap between the government's ambitions and operational reality remains wide.