HMP Kirkham

A former RAF training centre

In shortA category D open prison for adult men on a former RAF technical training site, in use as a prison since 1962, with an operational capacity of 618.

The IMB places it seven miles west of Preston and 12 miles east of Blackpool. GOV.UK gives Kirkham and Wesham, about two miles away, as the nearest station. HMPPS’s August 2026 figures show an operational capacity of 618.

How the site is laid out and who is held

In short672 men were held in small billets at the September 2024 inspection, with extensive farm and workshop work.

• Held, September 2024672
• Receptions / releases a month~86 / ~59
• Billets27Holding 21 to 46 men; five temporary, with en-suite facilities. The IMB later counted 29 occupied

Residential accommodation also includes a 77-bed admissions unit that includes reception, and a secure holding and assessment building that is the only cellular accommodation on site.

• Work on extensive land around the prison, including cattle, pigs and a market garden.
• A timber workshop that builds furniture for other prisons and sheds for the farm shop.
• Workshops run by outside agencies.
• The IMB lists education delivered by Novus, library provision from Lancashire County Council, and health and substance misuse services from Practice Plus Group.

Pressure from early-release and recategorisation schemes

In shortKirkham has taken more early-recategorisation prisoners than any other open prison, leaving staff exhausted though coping well.

• TPRS intake since 2023~400Category C prisoners, more than all other open men’s prisons combined (HMIP)
• TPRS, first seven months of 2025640Against 335 in the whole of 2024; the highest of the 13 open prisons (IMB)

A theme of both HMIP and the IMB is the effect of national capacity measures on Kirkham’s role as an open resettlement prison. HMIP records that the temporary presumptive recategorisation scheme (TPRS), introduced in 2023, brought in many category C prisoners with only months left to serve and some unsuitable for open conditions.

• The IMB’s report for 1 January 2024 to 31 July 2025 says staff coped well but were left exhausted.
• Prisoners were returned to closed conditions on a regular basis.
• The Minister’s February 2026 reply thanked the prison for its commitment and resilience.

What inspectors found in 2024

In shortReasonably good for safety only; drugs, poor relationships and weak ROTL arrangements were priority concerns.

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

HMIP’s unannounced inspection in September 2024 (report published 10 December 2024) identified 11 key concerns, seven of them priorities. The inspection came a few weeks after a new acting governor took over.

The July 2025 review visit

In shortRelationships and ROTL improved, but the drug problem worsened.

• Concerns reviewed8Good 2, reasonable 2, insufficient 2, no meaningful progress 2
• Random drug tests positiveAbove 40%The problem had worsened
• At the jail under six monthsOver three-quartersHard to build an open-prison ethos

HMIP returned on 28 to 30 July 2025 for an independent review of progress (published 1 September 2025). Relationships between staff and prisoners had improved, particularly on the specialist and refurbished units, though inspectors still saw few interactions on some billets.

• Improved access to good-quality work and a stronger employment hub.
• More enrichment, including cycling and beach cleaning on ROTL, and better gym provision.
• Improved public protection and ROTL processes.
• The IMB reported that the offender management unit was processing ROTL without backlogs.

Working at Kirkham

In shortA public-sector prison on the national Band 3 pay scale, with no market supplement listed as at 3 October 2026.

Kirkham is a public-sector prison on the national Band 3 pay scale with no market supplement listed on the HMPPS pay page as at 3 October 2026; see the pay hub and prison officer pay bands guide for the 2026/27 figures.

• We found no establishment-specific recruitment page on the Prison and Probation Jobs site, so use the national route in becoming a prison officer.
• Open-prison work is different from closed-prison work: the emphasis is on relationships, supervision of ROTL and resettlement rather than physical barriers.
• Our guide to prison categories explains the distinction, and prison officer jobs by region compares nearby options such as Haverigg and Lancaster Farms.