Prison Accommodation

Question

The operational capacity of the prison estate is best understood by the number of places rather than number of cells, and this is how data is recorded by HMPPS.

On 12 January 2023, we advised that since 2010 approximately 10,000 permanent prison places have opened. This includes expansions to existing prisons and the opening of new prisons, including HMP Five Wells which opened in February 2022 and provides up to c.1700 prison places. Additionally, since 2010, around 1,000 places have changed function from holding immigration detainees in two Immigration Removal Centres, to holding prisoners in permanent prison places.

Since this date, a further 48 places have been delivered at HMP Norwich through use of Rapid Deployment Cells (RDC). The units have been designed to help meet current demand while permanent and long-term capacity is being built.

Furthermore, the brand new HMP Fosse Way will open in Spring this year and construction is well underway on our newest prison, HMP Millsike, at Full Sutton in Yorkshire which will open in 2025. These prisons will deliver over 3,000 places between them.

The below table provides a summary of the number of prison places which have a) opened and b) closed in each year since 2010. Please note that, for simplicity, all places relating to a prison opening are included in the year that the prison opened. In practice, a new prison may take more than a year before reaching its final operational capacity.

*Information correct as of 21 April 2023

** Re-role of HMP The Verne (2018) and HMP Morton Hall (2021) from Immigration Removal Centres to Adult Male Prisons.