HMP Leyhill

An open prison with a long history

In shortLeyhill is a category D open prison for men in Tortworth, Gloucestershire, opened in 1946 and rebuilt in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) records that HMP Leyhill is in the parish of Tortworth in Gloucestershire. GOV.UK describes it as an open prison for men near Wotton-under-Edge.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) places it a short distance from junction 14 of the M5, between Bristol and Gloucester, in spacious, well-maintained grounds. HMIP’s Chief Inspector wrote in 2023 that the well-cared-for grounds contributed to a calm and settled feel.

Who is held

In shortLeyhill holds a highly complex, older population, and men convicted of sexual offences had risen to 72% by the end of the IMB’s reporting year.

• Held, June 202343746% over 50; 41% on indeterminate sentences; 52.5% convicted of a sexual offence, though all lived communally (HMIP)
• Life sentences (IMB)11269 of them on IPP sentences; 361 on determinate sentences
• Over 60s28%About 39% had declared a disability
• Convicted of sexual offences72%End of IMB reporting year

The IMB’s report for 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2026, published in August 2026, describes ‘a highly complex population’. It says Leyhill is one of only four establishments in the open estate that accept men convicted of sexual offences irrespective of sentence length.

Pressure on the closed estate meant occupancy was above 99% towards the end of the year, and the prison had been required to accept some prisoners who would usually go elsewhere. HMPPS’s figures for 24 August 2026 show 468 prisoners against an operational capacity of 474.

What inspectors found in June 2023

In shortHMIP found safety and respect good but purposeful activity poor in June 2023; this is now a three-year-old report.

• SafetyGoodHMIP’s highest assessment
• RespectGood
• Preparation for releaseReasonably good
• Purposeful activityPoorFallen from good

HMIP inspected from 12 to 22 June 2023 and published its report on 20 September 2023. It was the first full inspection since 2016.

The Chief Inspector called the inspection ‘positive’ overall, noting that violence was rare, self-harm was very low, absconds were the lowest of comparable prisons and release on temporary licence (ROTL) was very successful.

The IMB’s 2025-26 picture

In shortThe IMB says Leyhill is in a transitional phase, with a capacity expansion under way and a low-incident year.

• Rapid deployment cells97 placesPhased occupation expected from November 2026
• Predicted operational capacity585
• Self-harm incidents5One death in custody (in hospital, from natural causes) and no serious incidents

Demolished residential units await replacement, and the refurbishment of Cedar 1 to meet fire regulations has been completed. The budget for two planned 120-bed units had been withdrawn, though planning permission was progressing.

Work, training and daily life

In shortPrisoners can gain work experience and qualifications across a wide range of workshops and trades, with ROTL work placements and pre-release support.

Education is provided through Weston College. Some prisoners qualify for ROTL to gain work experience in the local community, and the prison’s pre-release team supports housing, employment, finance and relationships. The charity PACT supports family ties.

• Work experience and qualifications (GOV.UK): wood machine shop, printing shop, laundry, retail warehouse, kitchen, farm and garden, market garden and gym.
• Training: catering and hospitality, barbering, painting and decorating and dry stone walling.
• The IMB lists a large number of voluntary and charity partners, including Age UK, the Prison Advice and Care Trust, the Prisoner Education Trust, SSAFA, Walking with the Wounded and Weston College.
• In 2023, HMIP noted the prison’s staff-prisoner relationships were good but that prisoners’ perception of respectful treatment was lower than in similar prisons and that more officer visibility around the house blocks was needed.

Working at Leyhill

In shortLeyhill is a public-sector prison on the Band 3 scale in the national pay zone, rated 4 of 4 by HMPPS, with no dedicated recruitment page that we found.

• Band 3 to 5 officers (FTE), 30 June 202666Full-time-equivalent Band 3 to 5 officers against a target of 65
• HMPPS performance rating4 of 42025/26; overall score 82.2%

Leyhill is a public-sector prison, so officers are employed by HMPPS on the Band 3 scale and apply through the national prison and probation jobs service.

It is in the national pay zone and was not on the HMPPS Band 3 market supplement list we checked on 3 October 2026, so the standard figures on our pay and prison officer pay bands pages apply.

We found no dedicated HMPPS recruitment page for Leyhill.

• GOV.UK says the closest mainline station is Bristol Parkway, about 30 minutes by taxi.
• The closest local station is Yate, where there is a bus to Leyhill except on Sundays, plus a free visitors’ car park with Blue Badge spaces.
• For comparison with other regional sites see prison officer jobs by region.