HMP Aylesbury

From county gaol to category C training prison

In shortAylesbury has been re-roled many times since 1847 and has been an adult male category C training prison since October 2022.

• Operational capacity402HMPPS
• Population379At 24 August 2026 (HMPPS)

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) gives a brief history of Aylesbury in its 2026 report.

The Chief Inspector describes it as largely built during the 19th century and notes that parts of the ageing estate undermine the overall environment, although the prison was clean and every prisoner had their own cell.

If you are new to the category system, our guide to prison categories explains what ‘category C training’ means in practice.

HMPPS’s own recruitment page describes the prison as a mile outside the market town of Aylesbury, accommodating adult males aged 21 and over.

Who is held and how the prison is organised

In shortA category C training prison of about 370 men, organised into six residential units plus a segregation unit.

• Men held (Feb 2026)370Operational capacity 402
• BAME prisoners43%HMIP
• Young adults26.5%Aged 21 to 29; the rest were 30 or older
• Receiving substance-use support75Prisoners (HMIP)

At the February 2026 inspection the prison held 370 men, against an operational capacity of 402 (figures provided by the prison). Over the previous year it had received 378 new prisoners and released 63 into the community, and it had 22 foreign national prisoners.

HMIP says leaders’ consultation with staff, prisoners and partners produced visible changes, including the Academy wing, the ISFL unit and the new provision for indeterminate-sentence prisoners, although several were at an early stage and not yet embedded.

A wing and C wing

General population.

B wing

An ‘Academy’ wing for prisoners involved in learning.

D wing

The Phoenix unit for prisoners serving indeterminate sentences.

F wing

An incentivised substance-free living (ISFL) unit.

G wing

The induction unit.

Providers (HMIP)

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust for physical and mental health, the Forward Trust for substance misuse treatment, Milton Keynes College for education, and GEOAmey as escort contractor.

• Category: C training prison (HMIP, February 2026)
• Operational capacity: 402; 379 held at 24 August 2026 (HMPPS monthly population bulletin)
• Education provider: Milton Keynes College (HMIP)
• Notable units: Academy wing, Phoenix unit, ISFL unit (HMIP)

What inspectors found in February 2026

In shortHMIP called Aylesbury an improving prison: safety and respect reasonably good, activity and release preparation not yet sufficiently good.

• SafetyReasonably good
• RespectReasonably good
• Purposeful activityNot sufficiently good
• Preparation for releaseNot sufficiently good

HMIP published its report on an unannounced inspection carried out on 2 to 12 February 2026 on 18 May 2026. At the previous full inspection in 2022 three of the four tests had been judged ‘insufficient’ and purposeful activity ‘poor’, so safety, respect and activity had all moved up.

The Chief Inspector concluded that Aylesbury ‘is an improving prison’ with committed staff and a clear sense of purpose from senior leaders. Inspectors identified 10 key concerns, four of them priorities. Ofsted graded the overall effectiveness of education, skills and work as ‘requires improvement’.

Staffing, leadership and the independent monitors’ view

In shortStaffing is the clearest change since 2022: HMIP now records the old staff-shortage concern as addressed.

• HMPPS 2025/26 rating62.8%‘Good performance’ (rating 3 of 4)
• Officers in post157 FTEBand 3 to 5 officers against a target of 160, at 30 June 2026

In 2022, HMIP’s lead priority concern was that a shortage of staff in all grades and disciplines was limiting outcomes, including time out of cell.

In February 2026 inspectors recorded that concern as ‘addressed’, and the leadership section says recruitment and retention had strengthened since the previous inspection, improving staffing stability and underpinning more consistent delivery.

The governor had been in post for just over 18 months and had introduced a four-year strategy that staff and prisoners recognised.

• The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) annual report for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, published in April 2026, points the same way: an improvement in staff numbers at all levels helped to ensure a more regular and predictable regime, and reception and induction had improved.
• The IMB also reports that illicit items remained a challenge, that a reduction in the education and training budget limited gains, and that career guidance was available for only five months of the year because of staff shortages.
• One of its recommendations to the Prison Service is a nationally funded scheme of structured support for newly qualified officers through their first 12 months.

Working here: pay, supplement and getting there

In shortNational pay zone with a Band 3 market supplement listed at £3,000 a year, so check the live pay page before relying on it.

Aylesbury is on the national pay zone and is one of the prisons listed for a Band 3 market supplement, which HMPPS’s pay page shows as £3,000 a year at 3 October 2026. See prison officer pay and the pay bands guide for the full 2026/27 tables.

To apply, use the become a prison officer route and choose Aylesbury from the vacancy search; the regional jobs guide shows how nearby prisons compare.

• The supplement is non-pensionable, and HMPPS says it is guaranteed to at least March 2027 and may be withdrawn.
• Our pay data records HMPPS’s first annual review of supplements as changing Aylesbury’s tier from ‘red plus’ to ‘red’ from 1 April 2026, so check the current figure on the live pay page before relying on a number.