HMP Ashfield

At its last full inspection (April 2026; report published July 2026), inspectors found outcomes for prisoners were not sufficiently good for purposeful activity; good for safety, respect and preparation for release. It held 412 people at the time, against an operational capacity of 415.

Read our story Read the inspection report

Healthy prison tests: inspectors grade four areas from 1 (poor) to 4 (good).

1. July 2026 · Full inspectionSafety: good · Respect: good · Purposeful activity: not sufficiently good · Preparation for release: good Read our story
2. January 2024 · Full inspectionSafety: good · Respect: good · Purposeful activity: poor · Preparation for release: good Read our story

News

HMP Ashfield rated good for safety, respect and release, but education still lags

Inspectors found very low violence and strong staff relationships at the Serco-run prison near Bristol. Purposeful activity improved from poor but remained not sufficiently good.

Prison News staff20 Jul 2026

News

HMP Ashfield rated good on safety but poor on education and work, inspectors found

A report published in January 2024 praised strong leadership and staff-prisoner relationships at the Serco-run prison, but found education so weak that men waited more than a year for English and maths places.

Prison News staff15 Jan 2024