News
HMP Northumberland bakery expansion creates 20 more training places
A charity-run bakery at HMP Northumberland has moved into a disused prison kitchen, tripling the number of men it can train from 10 to 30.
Prison profile
HMP Northumberland
Category C Privately operated
Population1,223of 1,236 operational places (99%)
Last inspectedSeptember 2025Full inspection, unannounced
Latest inspection
At its last full inspection (September 2025; report published December 2025), inspectors found outcomes for prisoners were reasonably good for safety, respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release. It held 1,223 people at the time, against an operational capacity of 1,236. It is run by Sodexo.
Read our story Read the inspection report
Healthy prison tests: inspectors grade four areas from 1 (poor) to 4 (good).
Inspection history
- Safety: reasonably good · Respect: reasonably good · Purposeful activity: reasonably good · Preparation for release: reasonably good Read our story
- Safety: reasonably good · Respect: reasonably good · Purposeful activity: not sufficiently good · Rehabilitation and release planning: poor Read our story
- Short scrutiny visit during the Covid-19 pandemic; not graded. Read the report (HM Inspectorate of Prisons, opens external site) ↗
Our reporting
News
HMP Northumberland rated reasonably good across all four tests despite rise in violence
Inspectors found a well-run training prison that had improved education and release planning, but warned that drugs were driving a significant increase in violence between prisoners.
News
HMP Northumberland safer but rehabilitation poor, inspectors found in 2022
An inspection report on HMP Northumberland, published in December 2022, found much less violence at the large Sodexo-run prison, but poor rehabilitation work, too little activity and a high number of self-inflicted deaths.