Category C Foreign National prisons
Category C foreign national prisons typically hold sentenced foreign national prisoners. The Category C Foreign National group has 3 prisons in our dataset: 3 run by HMPPS. By designation they are 3 HMP. This is HMPPS's role label for the prison, not the security category of any individual prisoner.
- Prisons
- 3 All publicly run
- Operational capacity
- 1,426 Itemised sites, 24 Aug 2026
- Market supplements
- 1 HMPPS pay page, 3 Oct 2026
- Regions
- 2 Geographic regions
The Category C Foreign National group in numbers
Across the 3 sites with an itemised figure, HMPPS reports an operational capacity of 1,426 and a population of 1,367 (96%) at 24 August 2026. The largest is HMP Maidstone at 553; the smallest is HMP Morton Hall at 353; the highest occupancy is HMP Maidstone at 97% of its operational capacity.
Of the 3 HMPPS-run prisons, 3 in the National zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £37,131 (Morton Hall) to £40,131 (Huntercombe) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Huntercombe (£1,500).
HMPPS's 2025/26 performance ratings cover 3 of them: 3 good. The highest overall score is 73.8% (Morton Hall) and the lowest is 65.1% (Huntercombe).
3 prisons have an HMIP report on record; 3 have four graded tests from a full inspection. On safety the latest full inspections gave 2 good, 1 reasonably good, 0 not sufficiently good and 0 poor. None had every test at reasonably good or better. The newest report is Maidstone (March 2026) and the oldest is Huntercombe (November 2023).
Staffing against target (Band 3 to 5, hours-adjusted FTE, 30 June 2026) is published for 3 of them: 28 FTE short in total, with Huntercombe furthest below (-14). A gap is a staffing measure, not advertised vacancies.
Geographically the group is spread across South East (2), East Midlands (1).
Counted from our dataset, 3 October 2026.
Prison by prison: key numbers
| Prison | Capacity | Full | HMPPS rating | HMIP safety | Latest HMIP report | 39h entry pay (* with supplement) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maidstone | 553 | 97% | 3 of 4, 71.6% | reasonably good | March 2026 | £37,131 |
| Huntercombe | 520 | 95% | 3 of 4, 65.1% | good | November 2023 | £40,131 * |
| Morton Hall | 353 | 95% | 3 of 4, 73.8% | good | February 2024 | £37,131 |
All Category C Foreign National prisons
| Prison | Region | Town | Type | HMPPS group | Run by | Capacity | Band 3 entry, 39h | Supplement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMP Huntercombe | South East | near Henley-on-Thames | HMP | Category C Foreign National | Public (HMPPS) | 520 | £40,131 | £1,500 |
| HMP Maidstone | South East | Maidstone | HMP | Category C Foreign National | Public (HMPPS) | 553 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Morton Hall | East Midlands | Swinderby, near Lincoln | HMP | Category C Foreign National | Public (HMPPS) | 353 | £37,131 | None |
Related
Read prison categories explained for how Category A to D and the functional groups fit together, the UK prisons list, the Category A prisons guide, or compare sites in the prison finder.
Other functional groups
Category C Foreign National prisons: FAQs
What is a Category C Foreign National prison?
Category C foreign national prisons typically hold sentenced foreign national prisoners. The label is HMPPS's functional group from its 2025/26 performance ratings: it describes a prison's role, not the security category of each prisoner.
Which prisons are in the Category C Foreign National group?
Huntercombe, Maidstone and Morton Hall.
Do Category C Foreign National prisons pay officers more?
3 in the National zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £37,131 (Morton Hall) to £40,131 (Huntercombe) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Huntercombe (£1,500).
Are any Category C Foreign National prisons privately run?
No. All are publicly run.
How big is the Category C Foreign National group?
3 establishments with an operational capacity of 1,426 across those with an itemised figure (24 August 2026).