News
Drug use and self-harm remain high at HMP Altcourse, inspectors find
A follow-up review of HMP Altcourse found leaders had responded positively to earlier criticism, but drug use, violence and self-harm had not fallen.
Prison profile
HMP Altcourse
Category BReception / local Privately operated
Population1,193of 1,194 operational places (100%)
Last inspectedJuly 2025Full inspection, unannounced
Latest inspection
At its last full inspection (July 2025; report published October 2025), inspectors found outcomes for prisoners were poor for purposeful activity; not sufficiently good for safety; reasonably good for respect and preparation for release. It held 1,193 people at the time, against an operational capacity of 1,194. It is run by Sodexo. An independent review of progress was published in August 2026.
Read our story Read the inspection report
Healthy prison tests: inspectors grade four areas from 1 (poor) to 4 (good).
Inspection history
- Follow-up visit assessing progress against the key concerns from the previous full inspection. Read the report (HM Inspectorate of Prisons, opens external site) ↗
- Safety: not sufficiently good · Respect: reasonably good · Purposeful activity: poor · Preparation for release: reasonably good Read our story
- Safety: not sufficiently good · Respect: reasonably good · Purposeful activity: reasonably good · Rehabilitation and release planning: not sufficiently good Read our story
Our reporting
News
Former prisoner wins ruling after jail recorded calls with his solicitor
The Investigatory Powers Commissioner has found a serious error after a clerk at HMP Altcourse logged a law firm's number as "in-laws", leading to the recording of nine hours of legal calls.
News
HMP Altcourse: inspectors rate purposeful activity poor as drugs fuel rising violence
Inspectors found strong relationships between staff and prisoners at the Liverpool jail, but a third of men had no work or education and a drug testing rate among the highest for similar prisons.
News
HMP Altcourse safety declined after eight self-inflicted deaths, inspectors found
A report published in February 2022 found safety at the G4S-run Liverpool prison had slipped to not sufficiently good, though inspectors praised strong staff-prisoner relationships and better time out of cell.