STREET CRIME UK / THE STORIES. THE CONSEQUENCES.INDEPENDENT UK CRIME REPORTING
STREET CRIMEUK
BRITISH CRIME.
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A PRACTICAL GUIDE / ALL FOUR NATIONS

The UK prison guide.
Know what to expect.

Find a prison, understand its role and daily regime, and check official visiting, contact and family support information.

117England
6Wales
17Scotland
4Northern Ireland

One directory. Clear starting points.

Search the official-directory prison profiles across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Open a guide for the establishment’s role, the facilities described by its official source, life inside and practical steps for visiting or supporting someone in custody.

Directory coverage checked on 21 October 2026. Northern Ireland’s Hydebank Wood College and women’s prison have separate guides within one establishment. Dartmoor is marked temporarily closed. Daily unlock, activities, visit slots and permitted property can change; confirm arrangements with the prison before travelling or sending anything.

01 / BEFORE A VISIT

Book first. Check the details.

Confirm the person’s location, booking route, approved visitors, identification and arrival time on the prison’s official page. Ask about accessibility and children’s visits in advance.

02 / LIFE INSIDE

A regime varies by prison.

Reception and induction, work or learning, exercise, association and healthcare form part of prison life. The precise timetable depends on the establishment, individual circumstances and operational conditions.

03 / KEEPING CONTACT

Use the right route.

Check official arrangements for letters, approved calls, money and video contact. For a concern about someone’s safety, use the prison’s published urgent welfare route.

144 prison profiles

Scotland

Addiewell

HMP Addiewell stands between Glasgow and Edinburgh in West Lothian, on land once occupied by a chemical works. Opened in 2008, it receives a broad male population, including men on remand, while excluding women and convicted young people from its stated allocation.

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England

Altcourse

Altcourse is a men's prison in Liverpool whose work extends beyond holding people in custody. Its regime includes education, practical training, employment activity and support intended to prepare prisoners for life after release.

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England

Ashfield

Ashfield is a Category C prison for adult men in Pucklechurch, on the north-eastern side of Bristol. The privately operated establishment accepts men convicted of sexual offences and combines custody with education, practical training and intervention work.

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England

Askham Grange

Askham Grange is an open prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over at Askham Richard, near York. Its regime brings education, family relationships and preparation for employment into the final stages of custody.

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England

Aylesbury

Aylesbury is an adult men's prison in Buckinghamshire. Although its older web address refers to a young offender institution, its current role is described as an adult male establishment.

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Scotland

Barlinnie

HMP Barlinnie in Riddrie, Glasgow, receives men from courts across the west of Scotland. Its population includes people awaiting trial and men serving sentences of different lengths, giving it a wider role than a prison dedicated to one sentence category.

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England

Bedford

Bedford Prison stands in the centre of Bedford and holds prisoners aged 18 and over. Its published regime combines reception and welfare checks with education, work and support for the move back into the community.

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Scotland

Bella Centre

The Bella Centre in Dundee's Hilltown area is part of Scotland's prison estate, although its accommodation is deliberately different from a conventional prison wing. Operational since 2022, it is a community custody unit for women assessed as requiring low supervision.

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England

Belmarsh

Belmarsh is a men's prison with accommodation organised across four main units and additional high-security, healthcare and segregation facilities. Prisoners live in a mixture of single and shared cells.

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Wales

Berwyn

Berwyn is a men's prison on Wrexham Industrial Estate in North Wales. Its accommodation uses single and shared cells, with a shower, toilet, basin and outgoing telephone provided in each.

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England

Birmingham

Birmingham Prison has 11 wings and a mixture of single and shared cells. Its accommodation includes a first-night centre and specialist provision for older prisoners.

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England

Brinsford

Brinsford is a prison and young offender institution in Featherstone, near Wolverhampton, for men aged 18 to 21. Its regime focuses on custody, education and the practical steps involved in preparing for adult life after release.

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England

Bristol

Bristol Prison is a men's establishment in Horfield. Its five main wings provide a mixture of single and shared accommodation, alongside facilities and services intended to support people during custody.

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England

Brixton

Brixton Prison is a men's establishment in Lambeth, south London. Its five residential wings sit alongside an education and employment regime that includes catering, painting and decorating, radio production and other practical skills.

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England

Bronzefield

Bronzefield is a privately operated women's prison in Ashford, Middlesex. Opened in 2004, the purpose-built establishment receives women from courts across southern England and combines secure custody with education and rehabilitation services.

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England

Buckley Hall

Buckley Hall is a men's prison in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Its four residential units contain single and shared cells, with communal areas and telephones supporting day-to-day life inside.

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England

Bure

Bure is a prison near Norwich in Norfolk for men convicted of sexual offences. Its role includes secure custody, education and programmes addressing offending behaviour.

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Wales

Cardiff

Cardiff Prison is a men's establishment in the centre of Cardiff. Its six residential units contain single and shared cells, with showers and telephones available on the units.

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Scotland

Castle Huntly

HMP Castle Huntly is Scotland's only open prison. It accommodates adult men assessed as requiring low supervision, with a stated capacity of 184, and accepts suitable prisoners from across Scotland rather than serving one local court area.

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England

Chelmsford

Chelmsford is a prison and young offender institution in Essex for men aged 18 and over. Prisoners live in single and shared cells and have access to a gym and library.

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England

Coldingley

Coldingley is an adult men's prison in Woking, Surrey. As a resettlement establishment, it accepts prisoners prepared to work full-time and participate in a programme aimed at preparing them for release.

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England

Cookham Wood

Cookham Wood is now described as a men's prison in Rochester, Kent. Its current role should be distinguished from older accounts and photographs showing the establishment as a youth institution.

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EnglandTemporarily closed

Dartmoor

Dartmoor Prison is temporarily closed while investigation and mitigation work relating to radon is carried out. As of 20 October 2026, its current public guidance does not give a confirmed reopening date.

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England

Deerbolt

Deerbolt is a Category C training prison near Barnard Castle, County Durham, for men aged 18 and over. Its role centres on secure custody, learning and preparation for employment after release.

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England

Doncaster

Doncaster is a Category B local resettlement prison operated by Serco. It holds a male population that includes adults and young men aged 18 to 20.

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England

Dovegate

Dovegate is a privately operated men's prison near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. Run by Serco, it holds men aged over 18 in Category B and Category C custody.

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England

Downview

Downview is a prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over in Sutton, Surrey. Each prisoner has her own cell, with residential wings serving different purposes.

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England

Drake Hall

Drake Hall is a prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over in Eccleshall, Staffordshire. Its accommodation combines single and shared cells, with a separate open unit outside the main perimeter.

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Scotland

Dumfries

HMP Dumfries performs two distinct jobs. It receives men from the courts of Dumfries and Galloway, while also providing accommodation for sentenced men from across Scotland who require separation because of the nature of their offences.

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England

Durham

Durham Prison is a men's establishment in the city of Durham. Much of its population is held on remand rather than serving a sentence, a distinction that matters when describing the people in custody.

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England

East Sutton Park

East Sutton Park is an open prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over near Maidstone, Kent. Its regime connects work, education and community experience with preparation for release.

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England

Eastwood Park

Eastwood Park is a prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire. Accommodation includes rooms for one, two or three prisoners, with telephones in every cell.

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Scotland

Edinburgh

HMP Edinburgh receives adult men predominantly from courts in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders, with admissions also coming from Fife. Its responsibilities cover remand, short sentences, long sentences, life sentences and people subject to an Order for Lifelong Restriction.

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England

Elmley

Elmley is one of three prisons on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Its six residential units include provision for new arrivals and prisoners with different support needs.

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England

Erlestoke

Erlestoke is a men's prison in the village of Erlestoke, Wiltshire. Its accommodation is spread across eight units, with most prisoners living in individual cells.

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England

Exeter

Exeter is a men's prison in the centre of the Devon city. Its residential accommodation includes single and shared cells, with units serving different purposes and support needs.

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England

Featherstone

Featherstone is a men's prison in the village of Featherstone, near Wolverhampton. Accommodation is organised across seven house units, with single and shared cells.

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England

Feltham

Feltham combines two different establishments in London. Feltham A is a young offender institution for boys aged 15 to 18, while Feltham B is a Category C prison and young offender institution for men over 18.

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England

Five Wells

Five Wells is a Category C resettlement prison for adult men in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. It opened in February 2022 on the site of the former Wellingborough prison.

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England

Ford

Ford is a men's open prison in Arundel, West Sussex. Its regime expects prisoners to work and prepare for the responsibilities they will face after release.

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England

Forest Bank

Forest Bank is a privately operated men's prison in Pendlebury, Salford. Run by Sodexo, it combines secure custody with education, practical skills and rehabilitation services.

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England

Fosse Way

Fosse Way is a Category C resettlement prison in Leicester, operated by Serco. It opened in 2023 on the site previously occupied by Glen Parva prison.

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England

Foston Hall

Foston Hall is a prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over in Derbyshire. Its residential accommodation is organised across seven units.

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England

Frankland

Frankland is a high-security men's prison in Brasside, County Durham. Its eight wings include single-cell accommodation, with each cell containing a toilet and basin.

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England

Full Sutton

Full Sutton is a high-security men's prison in the village of Full Sutton, near York. Its residential wings and specialist units provide individual cells for prisoners.

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Scotland

Glenochil

HMP Glenochil at Tullibody in Clackmannanshire accommodates convicted adult men. Unlike a local receiving prison, it does not take people directly from court: men arrive through transfer from other Scottish prisons after conviction.

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Scotland

Grampian

HMP and YOI Grampian opened in March 2014 on South Road in Peterhead. It was developed as Scotland's first purpose-built community-facing prison, with provision for more than 500 people and accommodation for both adult men and adult women from the north of Scotland.

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Scotland

Greenock

HMP Greenock manages adult men and women, including people on remand and those serving short and long sentences. It also has a national top-end function for selected men at a later stage of long-term custody.

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Northern Ireland

Hydebank Wood College

Hydebank Wood College is the young men's part of the Hydebank Wood establishment on Hospital Road in Belfast. The same campus also contains the women's prison, so descriptions of Hydebank need to make clear which population they concern.

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Northern Ireland

Hydebank Wood Women's Prison

Hydebank Wood Women's Prison occupies part of the Hydebank Wood campus in Belfast, alongside the college for young men. It is a distinct custodial function within an establishment that Northern Ireland records as a single prison site.

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Scotland

Inverness

HMP Inverness serves courts across the Highlands, Islands and Moray. Its catchment embraces widely separated rural and urban communities, making its role larger than the size of the establishment might suggest.

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Scotland

Kilmarnock

HMP Kilmarnock is a 500-cell establishment about three miles south-east of Hurlford in East Ayrshire. It acts as a local receiving prison, primarily taking people from the sheriff courts at Ayr and Kilmarnock, and accommodates a range of prisoner groups.

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Scotland

Lilias Centre

The Lilias Centre in Maryhill, Glasgow, is a community custody unit for women assessed as requiring low supervision. It became operational in 2022 and uses four shared houses, with a stated total capacity of 24.

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Scotland

Low Moss

HMP Low Moss in Bishopbriggs opened in March 2012. It manages men on remand and men serving short, long and life sentences, as well as those subject to an Order for Lifelong Restriction, primarily from the North Strathclyde area.

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Northern Ireland

Maghaberry

Maghaberry is a high-security prison for adult men at Ballinderry Upper near Lisburn. It holds both sentenced and unsentenced prisoners and operates with integrated and separated accommodation, making its responsibilities particularly varied within Northern Ireland's three-establishment prison estate.

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Northern Ireland

Magilligan

Magilligan is a medium-security prison at Point Road near Limavady in County Londonderry. It primarily accommodates sentenced adult men, with a role centred on progression through custody and preparation for release.

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Wales

Parc

HMP and YOI Parc is a privately operated prison and young offender institution in Bridgend, South Wales, managed by G4S. It opened in November 1997 and was the first UK prison built under the private finance initiative.

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Scotland

Perth

HMP Perth mainly receives men from courts in Perth and Kinross, Dundee, Angus and Fife. Its population spans remand, short sentences, long sentences, life sentences and Orders for Lifelong Restriction, with accommodation also managing men convicted of sexual offences.

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Scotland

Polmont

HMP and YOI Polmont is Scotland's national prison facility for young men aged 18 to 21. Its current population is broader than the familiar description of a young offender institution: it also accommodates adult men and adult women.

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England

Ranby

Ranby is a men's prison near Retford in Nottinghamshire. Its accommodation combines single and shared cells across eight houseblocks, with separate arrangements for induction and support for people experiencing substance misuse problems. A healthcare centre, library, gym and other sports facilities form part of the site.

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England

Risley

Risley is a men's prison near Warrington in Cheshire. Its residential accommodation is largely made up of single cells, and in-cell telephones provide a route for maintaining approved contact outside the prison. A multi-faith chaplaincy supports prisoners with different beliefs and needs.

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England

Rochester

Rochester is a prison and young offender institution for men aged over 18 in Rochester, Kent. Its accommodation includes single and shared cells, with showers in some cells. The establishment has a resettlement role, bringing education, vocational training and preparation for release into its stated purpose.

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England

Rye Hill

Rye Hill is a privately operated men's prison near Rugby, run by G4S. It is a category B training prison, and the 2024 inspection described its population as men convicted of sexual offences. Its purpose combines secure custody with work, education and programmes intended to address offending behaviour.

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England

Send

Send is a women's prison in the Woking area of Surrey. Much of its accommodation consists of individual cells with a toilet and shower, although one wing has shared cells and communal facilities. This variation matters when describing life inside: accommodation is not identical across the whole establishment.

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Scotland

Shotts

HMP Shotts stands in the countryside near the Lanarkshire village of Shotts, south of the M8. It is Scotland's only prison dedicated solely to long-term adult male prisoners, giving it a different function from establishments taking a broad population directly from court.

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England

Spring Hill

Spring Hill is a men's open prison at Grendon Underwood in Buckinghamshire. It shares management with neighbouring Grendon Prison, but its open-prison role is different. The emphasis is on preparing men for release through work, training, accommodation planning and increasing responsibility.

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England

Stafford

Stafford Prison stands in the centre of Stafford and holds men convicted of sexual offences. Its accommodation is arranged across seven wings, with many prisoners sharing cells. A multi-faith chaplaincy, sports hall, fitness facilities and outdoor pitch are among the services and facilities described for the site.

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England

Standford Hill

Standford Hill is a men's open prison in Kent and forms part of the Sheppey prison cluster with Elmley and Swaleside. Its role focuses on resettlement, including community work, training and paid employment as prisoners approach the end of their sentences.

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Scotland

Stirling

HMP and YOI Stirling is Scotland's national establishment for young and adult women on remand or serving sentences. It receives women directly from court and can transfer them to other establishments in the women's estate when appropriate.

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England

Stocken

Stocken is a men's prison near Oakham in Rutland. Its residential units include arrangements focused on induction, recovery, neurodiversity and wellbeing, engagement and longer sentences. These are intended to respond to different needs within the prison population rather than provide one identical environment for everyone.

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England

Stoke Heath

Stoke Heath is a men's prison and young offender institution in Shropshire. It has a category C training role, with education, practical work and preparation for release forming important parts of its purpose. Facilities include a library, gym and multi-faith chaplaincy.

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England

Styal

Styal is a prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Accommodation combines dormitories and individual cells. It also has a specialist mother and baby unit for women with babies up to 18 months, run with Action for Children.

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England

Sudbury

Sudbury is a men's rehabilitation and resettlement prison near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Its accommodation includes shared and single arrangements with communal washing facilities. The prison expects men to work or take part in education and training, with exceptions where age or disability prevents work.

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England

Swaleside

Swaleside is a high-security men's prison on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. It forms part of the Sheppey cluster with Elmley and Standford Hill, although the three establishments have different roles. Swaleside's accommodation is arranged across eight wings, with individual cells and in-cell phones and laptops described among its facilities.

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Wales

Swansea

Swansea Prison is a men's prison in the centre of Swansea, Wales. Accommodation is organised across six units. Its city location is part of its identity, but an explanation of the prison also needs to look at induction, learning, work and contact with family.

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England

Swinfen Hall

Swinfen Hall is a category C training prison and young offender institution near Lichfield in Staffordshire. Its stated specialism is supporting young adults aged 18 to 25. The term closed in its prison description refers to closed conditions; it should not be read as an announcement that the establishment has shut.

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England

Thameside

Thameside is a privately operated men's prison in Thamesmead, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Serco has run the establishment since it opened in 2012. It is a local category B resettlement prison next to Belmarsh and holds both men on remand and men who have been convicted.

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England

The Mount

The Mount is a men's prison in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire. Its accommodation is organised into specialist units, including provision for older prisoners and wellbeing. In-cell telephones support approved contact with people outside the prison.

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England

The Verne

The Verne is a men's prison on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, holding men convicted of sexual offences. Accommodation is arranged across six units, with common rooms and dining areas. Prisoners have keys to their own cells, while the prison remains a controlled custodial environment.

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England

Thorn Cross

Thorn Cross is a men's open prison and young offender institution in Warrington, Cheshire. Its role includes helping prisoners prepare for release through education, practical training and contact with employers. Open custody places particular emphasis on responsibility and managed progression.

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Wales

Usk

Usk is a men's prison in the town of Usk, South Wales, managed jointly with Prescoed Prison. Shared management should not obscure the fact that they are separate establishments. Usk's main accommodation includes shared cells across three wings and a separate dormitory-style unit for prisoners on enhanced privileges.

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England

Wakefield

Wakefield is a high-security men's prison in West Yorkshire, including men convicted of sexual offences. Its residential accommodation is arranged in four main units, with individual cells. Religious and medical diets, chaplaincy and gym access are among the services described for the establishment.

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England

Wandsworth

Wandsworth is a men's prison in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Its accommodation includes single and shared cells across five main wings, with other buildings housing visits, education, workshops, sports facilities and a library. These different areas are part of the establishment's everyday operation.

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England

Warren Hill

Warren Hill is an adult men's prison near Hollesley village in Suffolk. Its accommodation consists of single cells. Gym activities and a separate leisure area for prisoners who have earned additional privileges form part of the facilities described for the site.

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England

Wayland

Wayland is a men's prison near Thetford in Norfolk. Accommodation is spread across residential units with a mixture of single and shared cells. Some areas have in-cell showers or kitchen facilities, so the everyday environment differs across the establishment.

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England

Wealstun

Wealstun is an adult men's prison near Wetherby in Yorkshire. Most accommodation is in single cells, although shared cells are also used. Its stated provision brings together education, employment, healthcare and programmes intended to address offending behaviour.

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England

Werrington

Werrington is a young offender institution in Staffordshire for children and young people aged 15 to 18. It is therefore important to describe it as part of the youth custody system, where education, safeguarding and development have a central place.

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England

Wetherby

Wetherby is a young offender institution in Yorkshire for children and young people aged 15 to 18. Accommodation is in individual rooms across residential units, including induction and enhanced support provision. The institution's responsibilities include education and safeguarding as well as secure custody.

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England

Whatton

Whatton is a men's prison in Nottinghamshire for men convicted of sexual offences. Its accommodation is arranged across three main wings, with most prisoners in single cells. Its role brings together secure custody, education, practical skills and programmes intended to address offending behaviour.

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England

Whitemoor

Whitemoor is a high-security men's prison in March, Cambridgeshire. Its accommodation includes four main residential wings and the specialist Fens unit, with prisoners occupying individual cells. Sports provision includes a sports hall, weights facilities, fitness equipment and an outdoor artificial pitch.

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England

Winchester

Winchester is a men's prison and young offender institution in the centre of Winchester, Hampshire. The main prison is divided into four wings with a mixture of single and shared cells. Its role includes secure custody, education, work and preparation for release.

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England

Woodhill

Woodhill is a category B men's training prison in Milton Keynes, holding long-term prisoners with complex needs. Accommodation includes single and shared cells, with in-cell telephones for outgoing calls. Its stated education and work provision is designed to connect learning with future employment goals.

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England

Wormwood Scrubs

Wormwood Scrubs is a men's prison in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Accommodation combines single and shared cells across five main wings and smaller specialist units. Book rooms, gym facilities and multi-faith chaplaincy form part of its described services.

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England

Wymott

Wymott is a men's prison near Leyland in Lancashire, including men convicted of sexual offences. Accommodation is spread across 11 units, with several reserved for that part of the population. The prison also describes specialist facilities for older men and people with disabilities.

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Official prison directories

This is an independent guide. Establishments and support services control their own arrangements; the official prison page is the place to confirm a booking or a change.