AIM Recognised Again by HMIP for Supporting Safer Custody

HM Inspectorate of Prisons has once again highlighted Unilink’s AIM as notable positive practice in its latest report on HMP Five Wells.

AIM (Alert, Intervene, Monitor) was used at the prison to alert staff to prisoners at risk of social isolation or increased self-harm. The report also notes that the safety team used AIM to analyse behaviour through data including visits attended, phone use, shop purchases and attendance at activities, helping to identify changes, such as increased isolation, that may warrant intervention.

HMIP’s recognition of AIM at HMP Five Wells adds to a growing record of independent inspection references, following previous recognition at HMP/YOI Peterborough Women, HMP Forest Bank, HMP Fosse Way and HMP/YOI Bronzefield, with reports describing how AIM gives staff earlier visibility of isolation, withdrawal and changes in engagement.

• At Peterborough Women, HMIP highlighted a digital tool that helped staff to identify women at risk of self-isolation by monitoring kiosk interactions, such as booking visits, buying phone credit and ordering shop items.
• At Forest Bank, HMIP noted that AIM identified prisoners who appeared to be withdrawing from the regime and may be vulnerable, with additional support provided through key work and welfare checks.
• At Fosse Way, HMIP listed AIM as notable positive practice, stating that the software was used effectively to alert staff to prisoners at risk of social isolation or increased harm, while also describing how AIM analysed patterns of behaviour in visits, phone use, shop purchases and attendance at activities.
• At Bronzefield, HMIP reported that AIM helped to analyse information across several systems, and used a traffic-light system to highlight potential concerns, such as when a prisoner was no longer making phone calls, engaging in visits, or attending education, training or work. Staff were able to review this information daily and intervene and safeguard the prisoner as needed.

A wider good practice thematic paper on data, published by the UK National Preventive Mechanism in 2026, also refers to the use of data analysis through the AIM application in many prisons. Using Bronzefield as an example, the paper describes how AIM highlighted potential concerns, such as someone no longer making phone calls, receiving visits, or attending activities, with staff using that information to safeguard them.

AIM was created in collaboration with Serco, first deployed at HMP Bronzefield, a Sodexo-operated prison, and implemented across all Serco- and Sodexo-operated prisons in 2023.

HMIP’s reports add an independent inspection view, describing how AIM is being used by staff to identify withdrawal, isolation and changes in engagement earlier.

An independent evaluation led by Professor Danielle McDermott of Leeds Trinity University further found that AIM strengthens early identification and intervention for people at risk of self-harm and suicide, using behavioural and transactional data to identify signs of vulnerability, isolation and distress.

AIM, Unilink’s Alert, Intervene, Monitor tool, has been extensively tested and successfully deployed across the privately operated prison estate, helping staff identify risk and intervene earlier to protect prisoners and recognised by HMIP. Yet, despite AIM being available at no charge, it has not so far been adopted by any publicly operated prison. This represents an important and readily achievable opportunity for the Ministry of Justice to extend an established prisoner-safety tool across the public estate, evaluate its impact at scale and make its benefits available to many more prisoners and frontline staff.

At its core, AIM does not replace staff judgement, but equips custody teams with another view of behaviour and engagement, helping them to see when patterns begin to change and where support may be needed.

Safer custody will always depend on people: staff knowing those in their care, recognising vulnerability and acting when something changes. The opportunity for technology is to help them see those changes sooner.

The growing body of inspection and research evidence around AIM suggests that bringing everyday behavioural signals together can give staff an earlier opportunity to ask an important question: has something changed for this person, and do we need to act?

If you would like to find out more about AIM, speak to the Unilink team.