Last inspectedMarch 2023Full inspection, unannounced
Source: HM Inspectorate of Prisons report published 20 June 2023; visiting details from GOV.UK · last checked 29 October 2026
Latest inspection
At its last full inspection (March 2023; report published June 2023), inspectors found outcomes for prisoners were not sufficiently good for purposeful activity; reasonably good for respect and rehabilitation and release planning; good for safety. It held 406 people at the time, against an operational capacity of 468.
Healthy prison tests: inspectors grade four areas from 1 (poor) to 4 (good).
Inspection history
Safety: good · Respect: reasonably good · Purposeful activity: not sufficiently good · Rehabilitation and release planning: reasonably good Read our story
Inspectors praised real incentives that drew remand prisoners into work and education at the 19th-century inner-city jail. Overcrowded cells, a thin weekend regime and releases without housing remained concerns.
Prison News staff
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