HMP Kirklevington Grange

A small open prison with a resettlement purpose

In shortKirklevington Grange is a small category D open resettlement prison near Stockton-on-Tees, holding adult and young adult men, many serving lengthy sentences.

• Held, HMIP 2024Up to 207August 2026 bulletin: operational capacity 187, 179 held
• Planned expansion152 placesThree more accommodation units planned by HMPPS

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) describes HMP Kirklevington Grange as a category D resettlement prison for adult and young adult men. It is an open prison near Stockton-on-Tees and a former closed detention centre for young people.

GOV.UK says the prison aims to prepare prisoners for release by addressing their resettlement needs, and encourages them to keep and develop links with families and the wider community.

• Category D open prison for adult and young adult men (HMIP, September 2024).
• Close to Kirklevington village, in North Yorkshire, with a Yarm, Cleveland postal address (IMB 2025; GOV.UK).
• Part of the North East prison group with HMP Durham, HMP Holme House and HMP Deerbolt (IMB, 2025).
• Open conditions are explained in open prisons explained, and the wider category system in prison categories explained. HMPPS lists the prison in its Open functional group.
• The August 2026 bulletin gives an operational capacity of 187 and 179 held, compared with the 207 HMIP recorded in 2024; we have not found a source explaining the difference.

1. In the final stages of a sentence, men can work or study outside the prison.
2. After an initial three-month period they are risk assessed for release on temporary licence (ROTL).
3. If suitable, they complete at least 30 days of community work placements before moving on to employment or education.

The September 2024 HMIP inspection

In shortHMIP rated all four healthy prison tests good in September 2024, describing a safe, well-ordered prison, with serious concerns about strip searching and ROTL risk management.

• SafetyGood
• RespectGood
• Purposeful activityGood
• Preparation for releaseGood

HMIP's unannounced inspection took place on 2 to 12 September 2024 and the report was published on 2 December 2024. This was the first full inspection since August 2019. Both recommendations about key concerns from 2019 had been achieved.

Inspectors noted there were 205 prisoners at the time, around 23 arrivals a month, and about 15 releases a month.

Staff and working conditions

In shortStaffing was a clear positive: almost fully staffed, very good retention and high morale, with an outstanding 2025/26 performance rating.

• Officers53 FTEAt 30 June 2026, Band 3 to 5, against a target of 55 (two below)
• 2025/26 performance ratingOutstanding4 of 4, score 90.8%
• Interview to starting on siteUp to nine monthsIMB recruitment concern

In the staff survey, nearly all staff said they understood and supported the prison's priorities, and staff were very positive about morale and the support they received from managers. The inspectors wrote that the prison was almost fully staffed and staff retention was very good.

They also saw leaders encouraging staff to bring hobbies into work, such as model making, and staff and prisoners playing football and basketball together.

• The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) report for 2025, published in May 2026, agrees that staffing levels were good without many peaks of sickness, and that any sickness absence was well covered by staff from other establishments.
• It raises one recruitment concern for the Prison Service: the time between interview and starting on site, which it says can amount to nine months. If you are applying, our guide on how long prison officer vetting takes sets out what to expect.
• The prison is an ageing establishment; new showers and flooring were fitted by an in-house contractor, and a self-defence training facility (a 'DOJO') was added late in 2025.

Release on temporary licence and resettlement results

In shortROTL is central to the officer role at an open prison: high volumes and few failures, but HMIP found boards not always thorough and no community spot checks.

• ROTL instances14,899By 216 individuals in six months, with only 24 failures
• In paid employment49 prisonersAbout a quarter, with 14 different employers
• Employed six weeks after releaseAlmost halfRising to 60% at six months
• Releases in the year18080% of those due out within three months said they were being helped to prepare

The work of an officer at an open prison is closely tied to ROTL, so the figures matter. Most men accessed ROTL within nine to 12 weeks of arrival, and prisoners ran a café and car wash just outside the main gate.

On outcomes, HMIP found almost half of those released in the previous year were in employment six weeks after release, rising to 60% at six months, which it called good. All but one prisoner leaving in the previous 12 months had accommodation to go to, mostly with family and friends.

Applying and getting there

In shortKirklevington Grange is a public sector prison in the national pay zone with no market supplement listed on 3 October 2026; apply through the national route.

That is visitor guidance rather than staff travel advice, and GOV.UK gives no local housing or commuting information. The prison's switchboard number on GOV.UK is for general enquiries rather than recruitment.