HMP & YOI Peterborough

A privately operated prison holding men and women

In shortPeterborough is run by Sodexo, so staff are employed by Sodexo, not HMPPS, and it is the only prison in England and Wales holding men and women on the same site.

• Men's site capacityUp to 944906 on the roll at January 2024 inspection
• Women's site capacityUp to 392350 held at November 2023 inspection
• Combined operational capacity1,3041,240 held on 24 August 2026 (HMPPS August 2026 bulletin, one combined figure)

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) records that Peterborough opened in 2005 and has operated since then under a 25-year contract with the private company Sodexo, according to HMIP's profile. GOV.UK's establishment page says simply that the prison is managed by Sodexo.

HMIP's 2024 review of progress described a large men's prison and a separate, adjacent women's facility within the same perimeter. The HMPPS performance ratings treat them as two units.

• The men's site is a reception and resettlement prison serving courts in Eastern England.
• The women's site holds women from a large catchment across the eastern counties and southern Midlands.

The men's site: inspected in January 2024, reviewed in October 2024

In shortHMIP found significant deterioration at the men's site in January 2024, with staff unavailability the first priority concern and mixed progress by October 2024.

• SafetyReasonably goodAn improvement on 2018
• RespectNot sufficiently good
• Purposeful activityPoor
• Preparation for releaseNot sufficiently good

HMIP's unannounced inspection ran from 8 to 18 January 2024. The Chief Inspector said Peterborough had been highlighted at earlier inspections as one of the better reception and resettlement prisons, but that findings suggested significant deterioration. Staff-prisoner relationships were generally respectful, although many staff were inexperienced and lacked confidence in enforcing rules.

• The first priority concern was staffing: about a third of officers were typically unavailable for duty, so the regime was often cancelled or curtailed.
• 42% of prisoners were found locked in cells during the working day.
• Recruitment and retention difficulties among clinicians were also undermining healthcare.
• A quarter of random drug tests were positive, and the prison was overcrowded by about a third.
• Ofsted rated education provision on the men's site inadequate in 2024 but found reasonable progress by October 2024.

The women's site: inspected in November 2023

In shortHMIP called the women's prison competent, capable and generally safe in November 2023, though purposeful activity was poor.

• SafetyGoodA significant improvement on 2017
• RespectReasonably good
• Purposeful activityPoor
• Rehabilitation and release planningReasonably good

HMIP's unannounced inspection ran from 6 to 16 November 2023 and was published on 26 February 2024. Staff-prisoner relationships were supportive: most women had a staff member they could turn to, though formal key work was disappointing.

• Inspected at a time of transition after several changes in senior leadership, including the departure of the longstanding Director.
• A key challenge for leaders was to make sure operational practices appropriate in the men's prison were not adopted unthinkingly for women.
• Over a third of women were allocated to menial domestic work, and Ofsted rated provision inadequate.
• Most women were serving short sentences or were on remand, which placed great pressure on offender management and resettlement staff.
• HMIP's profile lists two house blocks of five self-contained wings each, a 12-room mother and baby unit, and a role as a designated foreign national centre.

Independent Monitoring Board 2024/25 and recent change

In shortThe IMB reported greater stability under a new Director, while the men's site was re-roled in November 2024 to hold over 80% remand prisoners.

• Men's site, HMPPS 2025/262 of 457.1%; "performance of concern"
• Women's site, HMPPS 2025/263 of 460.3%; "good performance"
• Remand share after re-roleMore than 80%Luton and Bedford catchment, November 2024

A single Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reports on both sites. Its report for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 covers the period.

• Staffing pressures had restricted the basic regime in the previous year but many root causes were addressed in 2024.
• A new Director had brought greater stability, and a large-scale recruitment exercise had been followed by more of a focus on staff retention.
• The move to a remand population, including prisoners from Bedford and Luton courts, had added pressure in managing different gang affiliations, though the Board judged the prison generally safe.
• The Board asked what steps the Prison Service was taking to resource the men's prison for the changed role.

Working at Peterborough

In shortJobs are advertised by Sodexo, not on the HMPPS jobs site, and this page could not verify current vacancies, pay or terms.

HMIP's 2024 reports show the working environment on each site: a fast-moving remand and reception population on the men's side, and a women's prison with high levels of complex need and mostly short sentences. HMIP and the IMB both describe recruitment and retention as a focus after staffing pressures in 2023 and 2024.