HMP Liverpool

A Victorian prison in Walton

In shortBuilt in 1855, Liverpool is a category B reception and resettlement prison, fully operational as a reception prison since 2025.

• Built1855
• Living units10Including first night and induction (IMB 2025)
• Inpatient health care18 beds
• Operational capacity~800 / 840Around 800 through 2025; HMPPS figures for 24 August 2026 show 840

HMIP records that its main function is as a reception prison serving Liverpool Crown Court and Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Courts, with a resettlement role for prisoners due for release to the local area.

The IMB calls it a Victorian prison that continues to face significant challenges from the infrastructure of the original building, and says that in 2025 it became fully operational as a category B reception prison after changing from standard category B status in 2024.

• GOV.UK gives Walton and Rice Lane as the nearest station.
• The IMB’s 2025 report also lists a care and separation unit, and drug rehabilitation and vulnerable prisoner units.

Who is held and how fast people move

In shortA fast-turnover population of about 830 men, with up to 40% changing in one month.

• Held, 2025830
• New prisoners a year~4,085About 340 a month, with about 160 released monthly
• Substance misuse support256
• Mental health referrals a month~300

The IMB says that in one month 40% of the population can change, with remand prisoners, licence recalls and onward transfers arriving or leaving daily, so engagement opportunities are reduced.

• A wing (drug dependency), B wing (first night centre), F wing (vulnerable prisoners).
• J wing (well-being and incentivised substance-free living).
• Mainstream wings H, I and K, with G wing closed for refurbishment.
• A mock café named The Lock Inn, run with Marston’s Brewery, where prisoners learn hospitality skills and can interview for a role on release (IMB).

What inspectors found in 2025

In shortSafety and activity scores fell: the transient, remand-heavy population, drones and a stalled refurbishment all contributed.

• SafetyNot sufficiently goodDown from reasonably good in 2022
• RespectReasonably good
• Purposeful activityPoorDown from not sufficiently good
• Preparation for releaseReasonably good

HMIP’s unannounced inspection was published on 10 November 2025. Inspectors said the re-role had been well managed, but the more transient, more remand-heavy population contributed to lower scores. Of 13 key concerns, seven were priorities.

Staffing: what the Inspectorate said

In shortGood relationships and better-than-average retention, but the highest staff sickness of any prison and visa worries for overseas recruits.

This is the most relevant part for candidates. The Chief Inspector wrote that good relationships between officers and prisoners were a ‘real strength’, and that staff retention at Liverpool was much better than at most other jails.

The May 2026 review visit

In shortSickness and self-harm fell and staffing was sufficient, but Ofsted found insufficient progress on all four education themes.

• Concerns reviewed9Good 1, reasonable 4, insufficient 4 (18 to 20 May 2026; published 29 June 2026)
• Self-harm-33%Support for prisoners in crisis: good progress
• Staff sickness13.8 daysDown by about a third from a peak average of 22 days per person per year
• Random drug-test positives35%From 46%; still the third highest for reception prisons

Staffing levels were now sufficient for the regime to run consistently, according to the report. A dedicated attendance lead and extra well-being support had been introduced.

Ofsted found insufficient progress on all four education themes, citing curriculum, attendance, quality assurance and reading, and noting the effect of recent cuts to education provision.

Working at Liverpool

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

Liverpool 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 our pay hub and prison officer pay bands guide for the 2026/27 figures.

• We found no Liverpool-specific recruitment page on the Prison and Probation Jobs site, so apply via the national route in becoming a prison officer.
• Reception prisons carry a high turnover of prisoners, which is the main driver of the workload described above.
• Our guide to prison categories explains how reception prisons differ, and prison officer jobs by region and the prison finder help compare other Merseyside and North West options.