HMP Durham

A reception prison with a long history

In shortDurham is a reception and resettlement prison serving the courts of the North East and Cumbria, holding mostly remand and newly sentenced men for short stays.

• New prisoners5,724In the year to the April and May 2024 inspection; an average of 477 a month
• Transferred on3,500+To other prisons
• Remanded or unsentenced89%At the 2024 inspection; 47.0% at October 2025 per the IMB
• Average population96197.6% of operational capacity (IMB 2024-25)

In its 2024 report the Inspectorate says the prison serves the courts of Tyneside, Teesside, Durham and Cumbria. GOV.UK describes it simply as a men's prison in the city of Durham.

Reception prisons receive people straight from court, so most of the men held are on remand or newly sentenced and many stay only a short time.

The prison's independent monitoring board (IMB) says the change in courts, together with early release schemes, gave Durham temporary relief on places at times.

• Opened 1819; reception and resettlement role since May 2017 (HMIP, 2024).
• Court catchment in 2024: Tyneside, Teesside, Durham and Cumbria (HMIP, 2024).
• Four courts moved to HMP Holme House from January 2025 (IMB annual report 2024-25, published March 2026).
• Remand and unsentenced share of the population: 89% at the 2024 inspection; 47.0% at October 2025 per the IMB.

What inspectors found in 2024

In shortThe 2024 inspection found a crowded, ageing jail with a very restricted regime, though a new leadership team was bringing stability.

• SafetyNot sufficiently goodFallen since 2021
• RespectNot sufficiently good
• Purposeful activityPoorFallen since 2021
• Preparation for releaseReasonably good

HMIP inspected Durham between 30 April and 16 May 2024 and published its report on 19 August 2024. The Inspectorate listed 12 key concerns, six of them priorities, and it described the jail as ageing and overcrowded.

Staff and prisoner relationships

In shortStaff-prisoner relationships were a strength in 2024, though the restricted regime frustrated officers and use of PAVA was the highest of any reception prison.

• Prisoners saying they had a key worker65%Better than similar prisons on one measure, but too few sessions
• Governors in quick successionThreeFrom 2022

For anyone thinking of applying, the inspectors' comments on staff-prisoner relationships are the most useful part of the 2024 report. HMIP said almost all prisoners it spoke to were positive about staff, that it saw friendly interactions, and that it received very few complaints about the way staff treated prisoners.

Relationships on smaller units such as the health care inpatient unit and the integrated support unit were described as very good.

The January 2025 review of progress

In shortThe January 2025 review found reasonable progress on one of six concerns and no meaningful progress on three; it does not re-score the healthy prison tests.

• Concerns revisited6One reasonable, two insufficient, three no meaningful progress
• Positive random drug test rate18% to about 24%
• Locked in cells in working day36%Against 40% in 2024
• Men sharing cells for oneAbout 820

HMIP returned for an independent review of progress on 6 to 8 January 2025 and published the result on 10 February 2025. A review of progress follows up selected concerns and does not re-score the four healthy prison tests.

Reasonable progress was found on releases into homelessness, insufficient progress on drugs and violence and on overcrowding, and no meaningful progress on early days in custody, mental health transfers and time out of cell. Ofsted judged reasonable progress on all three education themes it followed up.

• 340 missed health screenings in the previous six months.
• Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults up almost 60% while assaults on staff stayed comparatively low.
• The governor and deputy appointed before the 2024 inspection remained in post, but there were major changes in leaders at every other level and too many people in temporary positions.

What the IMB reported for 2024-25

In shortThe IMB's report for November 2024 to October 2025 records improvements in first nights, self-harm and decency, but staffing shortages and constrained regime throughout.

• Time in cellsAround 21.5 hours a dayMen were still spending
• Planned education cut25%A further cut, after two national budget cuts

The IMB's annual report for 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025, published in March 2026, is the most recent public view of day-to-day conditions. The board describes Durham as a large, sprawling prison whose wings of up to five landings limit mobility access.

Working here

In shortDurham is in the national pay zone with no Band 3 market supplement listed on 3 October 2026; ask at interview what the current core day looks like.

• Officers, 30 June 2026253 FTEBand 3 to 5, against a target of 276
• Market supplementNone listedHMPPS list checked 3 October 2026

Durham is in the national pay zone and does not appear on the HMPPS Band 3 market supplement list we checked on 3 October 2026, so the pay table on this page shows the full published pay for the role.

We did not find an establishment-specific recruitment page for Durham on the HMPPS jobs site, so vacancies appear through the national prison officer search.

Getting to the prison

In shortGOV.UK gives Durham station as about a 20-minute walk, with no visitors' car park; staff arrangements are not covered.

That is visitor information rather than staff guidance, so check parking and travel arrangements for staff directly with the prison before applying.

• The GOV.UK establishment page, last updated on 31 July 2026, gives the closest railway station as Durham, around a 20-minute walk away, or a taxi.
• Durham bus station is around a 15-minute walk from the prison.
• No visitors' car park and no dedicated disabled visitors' car park, although two disabled bays are available on a first-come, first-served basis.