HMP Addiewell

The one privately operated prison in Scotland

In shortHMP Addiewell is the only SPS-estate prison run by a private operator under contract.

• Public SPS prisons16Plus one privately operated prison under contract
• Opened2008On the site of a former chemical works (1860s to 1956)
• OperatorSodexo Justice ServicesSubcontracted by Addiewell Prisons Limited

The Scottish Prison Service says it runs 16 publicly managed prisons and one prison operated by a private sector operator under contract. That one is HMP Addiewell.

The Scottish Parliament research briefing on prisons, published on 11 June 2026, lists it as the only privately operated establishment since HMP Kilmarnock moved to the SPS on 17 March 2024.

The prison is in the village of Addiewell, near West Calder in West Lothian, in the central belt between Glasgow and Edinburgh. SPS visitor information says the railway station is a very short walk away, on the Glasgow Central to Edinburgh line.

The contract (2022 inspectors)

Between the SPS and a company called Addiewell Prisons Limited; the management and operation of the prison is subcontracted to Sodexo Justice Services.

Who is held and what the prison does

In shortAddiewell holds adult men on remand and sentenced, and was designed as a learning prison with 40 hours of activity a week.

According to the SPS, Addiewell houses all prisoner types except females and convicted young people. The inspectors in 2022 added that it serves the courts in Lanarkshire and West Lothian, holding men remanded in custody as well as convicted adult men.

It was designed as a learning prison, where people can address their offending behaviour and improve their employability, wellbeing and community support.

• The SPS page says the prison provides 40 hours of purposeful activity per person per week.
• Three areas: Learning and Skills, Jobs, and Programmed Interventions.
• Two large purpose-built house blocks with 12 separate wings of single and double cells, including accessible cells, plus a separation and reintegration unit.
• Independent monitors reported in 2024-25 that all cells have in-cell showers and that prisoners described the facilities as good.
• The visits hall can host up to 50 visits at a time, according to the SPS page.

The 2022 full inspection

In shortHMIPS rated three of nine standards poor in 2022, while praising several innovations and some dedicated staff.

• Inspection7 to 18 Nov 2022Report published under embargo on 4 May 2023
• Recommendations126Plus 25 examples of good practice
• Felt safe all or most of the time29%Anonymous pre-inspection survey
• Witnessed staff abusing, threatening, bullying or assaulting a prisoner60%40% said it had happened to them

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland carried out the full inspection. The Chief Inspector called it an unusual mix of leading-edge approaches contrasted with a real concern that long-standing challenges were affecting safety and security.

• The inspectors wrote that many of the survey concerns appeared justified, particularly on safety.
• They also saw several dedicated staff acting in a professional, respectful and caring way.
• They praised in-cell technology, body worn video cameras, peer mentors called Insiders, the Early Days Centre, the Learning Academy and the Recovery Café.

Staffing, relationships and the 2024 return visit

In shortExperience on the wings was the central 2022 concern; the April 2024 return visit found improvement but staff still inexperienced.

The central finding in 2022 was a shortage of experienced staff on the residential wings.

A later letter from the Chief Inspector explains that over half of the residential staff then had less than two years of experience, and that two prison custody officers were typically managing a hall of 60 to 70 prisoners who were unlocked for most of the day.

Inspectors made a return visit without notice in April 2024 and reported on it in a letter dated 17 May 2024.

What independent monitors reported for 2024-25

In shortMonitors called 2024-25 a mixed year with a positive headline, and flagged issues outside the prison management team’s control.

• Monitoring visits82Against 70 the year before
• Monitoring hours341Against 257 the year before
• Helped directly into work15By the employability team

Independent Prison Monitors, who are appointed under the HMIPS monitoring system, made these visits in 2024-25. Their annual report says the prison remained in a better place than the lows of a few years earlier.

Working at Addiewell

In shortJobs at Addiewell are with the operator, not the SPS, on different terms from the SPS officer routes.

Because the prison is operated by a private contractor, jobs there are with the operator, not the SPS. The SPS officer routes (Residential Officer and Operations Officer) describe work across the 16 publicly managed establishments. At Addiewell the front-line role is called Prison Custody Officer.