Peterborough

Role and background

HMP Peterborough is a privately operated prison in Westwood, Peterborough, run by Sodexo.

Opened in 2005 on the former Baker Perkins works site, it contains separate male and female prisons on one campus. Men and women are kept separate at all times. The site includes a local Category B prison, a Category C extension and a closed women's prison.

Inside the prison and daily life

The women's side includes a mother-and-baby unit. The men's side has twelve wings across three houseblocks; the women's main accommodation has two houseblocks. Early-days centres and trained prisoner peers support new arrivals.

Trained prisoner peers, known as Insiders, can explain routines and help new arrivals find support. That role complements staff checks, particularly when someone feels uncertain about asking for help during their first days.

Education is planned around individual starting points and vocational pathways, with a focus on qualifications and future employment. Peterborough also operates Outside Links, a community hub supporting former prisoners and other vulnerable people. Understanding the campus requires keeping the men's and women's functions distinct while recognising their shared management.

Visiting and family contact

Family contact is another part of the picture. Before travelling, relatives should confirm current booking arrangements, identification requirements, accessibility support and rules on permitted items. Timetables and available services can change, so an overview should be used alongside up-to-date visiting information.

Practical advice before you make arrangements

Use Peterborough's official page below for its current booking route, required identification, permitted items and travel instructions.

Confirm that the person is still at Peterborough and that your visit has been accepted before making travel arrangements. Ask the prison in advance about disability access, medication or children's needs.

Select the correct men's or women's side when arranging contact; shared management does not mean shared accommodation or identical visit procedures.