Reception prisons
Reception-function prisons typically take people direct from court, including those on remand and those newly sentenced, before they are sent on or released. The Reception group has 30 prisons in our dataset: 26 run by HMPPS; 4 privately run (Serco: Doncaster, Thameside and Sodexo: Altcourse, Forest Bank). By designation they are 25 HMP, 5 HMP & YOI. This is HMPPS's role label for the prison, not the security category of any individual prisoner.
- Prisons
- 30 4 privately run
- Operational capacity
- 26,363 Itemised sites, 24 Aug 2026
- Market supplements
- 4 HMPPS pay page, 3 Oct 2026
- Regions
- 10 Geographic regions
The Reception group in numbers
Across the 30 sites with an itemised figure, HMPPS reports an operational capacity of 26,363 and a population of 25,529 (97%) at 24 August 2026. The largest is HMP Wandsworth at 1,478; the smallest is HMP Leicester at 303; the highest occupancy is HMP Forest Bank at 100% of its operational capacity.
Of the 26 HMPPS-run prisons, 22 in the National zone, 1 in the Outer London zone, 3 in the Inner London zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £37,131 (Swansea) to £44,131 (Bullingdon) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Bullingdon (£3,500), Elmley (£3,500), Bedford (£2,000), Winchester (£2,000).
HMPPS's 2025/26 performance ratings cover 30 of them: 16 good, 7 of concern, 7 serious concern. The highest overall score is 73.6% (Doncaster) and the lowest is 43.0% (Wormwood Scrubs).
30 prisons have an HMIP report on record; 30 have four graded tests from a full inspection. On safety the latest full inspections gave 1 good, 8 reasonably good, 16 not sufficiently good and 5 poor. 2 had every test at reasonably good or better (Lincoln, Cardiff). 16 were graded poor on at least one test. The newest report is Leicester (September 2026) and the oldest is Swansea (June 2023).
Staffing against target (Band 3 to 5, hours-adjusted FTE, 30 June 2026) is published for 26 of them: 345 FTE short in total, with Bullingdon furthest below (-30) and 3 over target. A gap is a staffing measure, not advertised vacancies.
Geographically the group is spread across London (5), North West (4), South East (4), East of England (3), Yorkshire and the Humber (3), East Midlands (3), West Midlands (2), South West (2), Wales (2), North East (2).
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wandsworth | 1,478 | 99% | 1 of 4, 43.6% | poor | May 2025 | £43,453 |
| Forest Bank | 1,470 | 100% | 3 of 4, 62.2% | not sufficiently good | March 2025 | Not HMPPS pay |
| Thameside | 1,232 | 99% | 2 of 4, 55.0% | not sufficiently good | February 2026 | Not HMPPS pay |
| Pentonville | 1,205 | 100% | 1 of 4, 43.5% | poor | April 2026 | £43,453 |
| Doncaster | 1,145 | 98% | 3 of 4, 73.6% | reasonably good | December 2025 | Not HMPPS pay |
| Altcourse | 1,144 | 99% | 3 of 4, 62.7% | not sufficiently good | August 2026 | Not HMPPS pay |
| Wormwood Scrubs | 1,143 | 95% | 1 of 4, 43.0% | not sufficiently good | April 2026 | £43,453 |
| Holme House | 1,123 | 98% | 3 of 4, 69.4% | reasonably good | June 2023 | £37,131 |
| Bullingdon | 1,112 | 98% | 2 of 4, 56.7% | not sufficiently good | May 2026 | £44,131 * |
| Leeds | 1,090 | 98% | 2 of 4, 53.1% | poor | May 2026 | £37,131 |
| Hewell | 1,074 | 91% | 2 of 4, 56.3% | not sufficiently good | September 2025 | £37,131 |
| Hull | 1,017 | 97% | 3 of 4, 58.4% | reasonably good | May 2025 | £37,131 |
| Birmingham | 1,003 | 99% | 1 of 4, 51.5% | not sufficiently good | August 2026 | £37,131 |
| Durham | 965 | 96% | 3 of 4, 61.1% | not sufficiently good | February 2025 | £37,131 |
| Nottingham | 960 | 99% | 1 of 4, 47.5% | not sufficiently good | April 2025 | £37,131 |
| Elmley | 923 | 99% | 3 of 4, 64.9% | not sufficiently good | March 2026 | £44,131 * |
| Liverpool | 840 | 95% | 3 of 4, 59.8% | not sufficiently good | June 2026 | £37,131 |
| Cardiff | 777 | 92% | 2 of 4, 65.1% | reasonably good | May 2024 | £37,131 |
| Belmarsh | 773 | 95% | 3 of 4, 63.5% | reasonably good | May 2025 | £41,290 |
| Norwich | 712 | 91% | 3 of 4, 60.8% | reasonably good | April 2026 | £37,131 |
| Preston | 680 | 100% | 3 of 4, 60.7% | reasonably good | June 2023 | £37,131 |
| Chelmsford | 639 | 98% | 3 of 4, 59.2% | not sufficiently good | May 2024 | £37,131 |
| Winchester | 637 | 96% | 1 of 4, 48.3% | not sufficiently good | May 2026 | £41,131 * |
| Lewes | 627 | 98% | 3 of 4, 60.8% | not sufficiently good | September 2025 | £37,131 |
| Bristol | 580 | 95% | 2 of 4, 52.2% | poor | August 2024 | £37,131 |
| Lincoln | 576 | 89% | 3 of 4, 60.8% | reasonably good | August 2025 | £37,131 |
| Swansea | 447 | 89% | 3 of 4, 65.9% | good | June 2023 | £37,131 |
| Bedford | 378 | 96% | 1 of 4, 48.1% | poor | October 2024 | £41,131 * |
| Exeter | 310 | 97% | 3 of 4, 59.9% | not sufficiently good | March 2026 | £37,131 |
| Leicester | 303 | 93% | 2 of 4, 56.3% | not sufficiently good | September 2026 | £37,131 |
All Reception prisons
| Prison | Region | Town | Type | HMPPS group | Run by | Capacity | Band 3 entry, 39h | Supplement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMP & YOI Chelmsford | East of England | Chelmsford | HMP & YOI | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 639 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP & YOI Doncaster | Yorkshire and the Humber | Doncaster | HMP & YOI | Reception | Private | 1,145 | n/a | n/a |
| HMP & YOI Hull | Yorkshire and the Humber | Hull | HMP & YOI | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,017 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP & YOI Lincoln | East Midlands | Lincoln | HMP & YOI | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 576 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP & YOI Norwich | East of England | Norwich | HMP & YOI | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 712 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Altcourse | North West | Liverpool (Fazakerley) | HMP | Reception | Private | 1,144 | n/a | n/a |
| HMP Bedford | East of England | Bedford | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 378 | £41,131 | £2,000 |
| HMP Belmarsh | London | Thamesmead, London | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 773 | £41,290 | None |
| HMP Birmingham | West Midlands | Birmingham (Winson Green) | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,003 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Bristol | South West | Bristol (Horfield) | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 580 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Bullingdon | South East | Bicester | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,112 | £44,131 | £3,500 |
| HMP Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 777 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Durham | North East | Durham | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 965 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Elmley | South East | Isle of Sheppey | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 923 | £44,131 | £3,500 |
| HMP Exeter | South West | Exeter | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 310 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Forest Bank | North West | Pendlebury, Salford | HMP | Reception | Private | 1,470 | n/a | n/a |
| HMP Hewell | West Midlands | Tardebigge, near Redditch | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,074 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Holme House | North East | Stockton-on-Tees | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,123 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Leeds | Yorkshire and the Humber | Leeds (Armley) | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,090 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Leicester | East Midlands | Leicester | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 303 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Lewes | South East | Lewes | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 627 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Liverpool | North West | Liverpool (Walton) | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 840 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Nottingham | East Midlands | Nottingham (Sherwood) | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 960 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Pentonville | London | Islington, London | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,205 | £43,453 | None |
| HMP Preston | North West | Preston | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 680 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Swansea | Wales | Swansea | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 447 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Thameside | London | Thamesmead, London | HMP | Reception | Private | 1,232 | n/a | n/a |
| HMP Wandsworth | London | Wandsworth, London | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,478 | £43,453 | None |
| HMP Winchester | South East | Winchester | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 637 | £41,131 | £2,000 |
| HMP Wormwood Scrubs | London | Hammersmith and Fulham, London | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,143 | £43,453 | 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.
- East Midlands
- East of England
- London
- North East
- North West
- South East
- South West
- Wales
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire and the Humber
Other functional groups
Reception prisons: FAQs
What is a Reception prison?
Reception-function prisons typically take people direct from court, including those on remand and those newly sentenced, before they are sent on or released. 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 Reception group?
Chelmsford, Doncaster, Hull, Lincoln, Norwich, Altcourse, Bedford, Belmarsh, Birmingham, Bristol, Bullingdon, Cardiff, Durham, Elmley, Exeter, Forest Bank, Hewell, Holme House, Leeds, Leicester, Lewes, Liverpool, Nottingham, Pentonville, Preston, Swansea, Thameside, Wandsworth, Winchester and Wormwood Scrubs.
Do Reception prisons pay officers more?
22 in the National zone, 1 in the Outer London zone, 3 in the Inner London zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £37,131 (Swansea) to £44,131 (Bullingdon) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Bullingdon (£3,500), Elmley (£3,500), Bedford (£2,000), Winchester (£2,000).
Are any Reception prisons privately run?
Yes: HMP & YOI Doncaster (Serco), HMP Altcourse (Sodexo), HMP Forest Bank (Sodexo) and HMP Thameside (Serco), with operators confirmed from recent HMIP reports and contract announcements. Their staff are employed by the operator, not HMPPS.
How big is the Reception group?
30 establishments with an operational capacity of 26,363 across those with an itemised figure (24 August 2026).