HMP Maidstone

A prison re-roled for foreign national men

In shortMaidstone was built in 1819 and has been a designated foreign national prison since 2013, one of three such jails.

• Operational capacity553Ministry of Justice August 2026 bulletin
• Held539At 24 August 2026

HMIP records that Maidstone prison was built in 1819 and was re-roled in 2013 as a designated prison for foreign nationals.

In its January 2026 summary the Chief Inspector described it as one of three jails in the country specialising in housing foreign national men, many of whom are nearing the end of their sentence and likely to be removed from the UK.

HMPPS places it in the 'Category C Foreign National' functional group. Inspectors said Kent unit was barely fit for purpose.

Kent

Built in 1850 and holds up to 174 prisoners in single cells.

Thanet

Built in 1909, extended in the 1970s, and holds up to 174 in single cells.

Medway

Built in 1966 and holds 101 in single cells.

Weald

Refurbished in 2009 and holds 162 in single and double cells.

Segregation unit

Can hold nine prisoners plus two constant supervision cells.

Who is held, and what makes the role different

In shortMany men arrive anxious about the future, with language barriers and family separation, so communication skills shape the work.

• Held (Dec 2025)526At the December 2025 inspection
• New arrivals a month150Average
• BAME prisonersOver half
• Aged under 30About 40%

The Chief Inspector observed that many had arrived anxious about the future, with language barriers and separation from family. This shapes daily work: HMIP found staff understood the needs of foreign national prisoners better, but that professional interpreting services, although available, were used inconsistently, and translated materials were missing in some areas.

Inspection findings, December 2025

In shortReasonably good on safety and respect, not sufficiently good on activity and release planning, in a well-led prison with ageing buildings.

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

HMIP's unannounced inspection ran from 1 to 11 December 2025 and the report was published on 23 March 2026.

The Chief Inspector described a prison that was well led overall, with steady improvement since the previous inspection in 2022, but with weaknesses in basic processes, in the poor condition of much of the estate and in challenges inherent in its function.

Inspectors recorded 11 key concerns, four of them priorities. They also noted three self-inflicted deaths since 2022, no accredited offending behaviour programmes, and overcrowded cells holding two prisoners in space designed for one. Violence had increased but remained low.

Staff retention, supervision and leadership

In shortHigh retention is the clearer positive, with gaps in early days provision, night staffing and drugs.

• HMPPS rating71.6%2025/26 performance rating: 'good performance'
• Officers in post133 FTEBand 3 to 5 officers against a target of 142 at 30 June 2026

Inspectors wrote that staff effectiveness was helped by a high retention rate, with only one prison officer still in their probationary period, and that leaders were concentrating on the traditional skills of the role: constructive interaction with prisoners and getting the basics right.

A united leadership team had developed a more positive staff culture, and leaders were quick to act on suggestions made during the inspection.

• Inconsistent and sometimes substandard staff performance in early days provision and at night, with night staff lacking confidence in emergency procedures
• A tolerance of some low-level rule-breaking on wings
• Leaders were aware of the prevalence of drugs, especially cannabis, and mobile phones, and an experienced senior leader had recently been appointed to lead on drug strategy

Working here and getting there

In shortNational Band 3 scale with no market supplement, and no dedicated Maidstone jobs page found as at 3 October 2026.

We did not find a dedicated Maidstone page on the official prison and probation jobs site as at 3 October 2026, so apply through the national route described in our become a prison officer guide.

Maidstone is on the national Band 3 scale and is not listed on the HMPPS market supplement tables, so see our pay page and pay bands guide for the full published rates.

Our category explainer covers what category C means. HMIP names the prison group as Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

• Apply through the national route
• National Band 3 scale applies; no market supplement listed