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HMP & YOI Rochester

Rochester is a prison and young offender institution for men over 18 in Rochester, Kent. HMPPS places it in the "Category C Trainer/Resettlement" functional group. Band 3 prison officer pay here starts at £37,131 on a 39-hour contract (2026/27 rates). Its operational capacity of 766 ranks 5th of 18 in South East (1 = largest).

HMPPS prison officer jobsWork out my take-home hereCompare with other prisons

HMP & YOI Rochester at a glance

  • Its operational capacity of 766 ranks 5th of 18 in South East (1 = largest).
  • Among the 26 prisons in the HMPPS "Category C Trainer/Resettlement" functional group with a published capacity, it ranks 14th by size.
  • Its latest full HMIP inspection (report published 12 November 2024) graded safety "not sufficiently good" and purposeful activity "poor"; a later HMIP review report followed on 21 July 2025.
  • GOV.UK gives its nearest station as: Rochester.
Type
HMP & YOI
Holds
Men
Run by
HMPPS (public sector)
Nation
England
Region (geographic)
South East
HMPPS prison region
Kent, Surrey & SussexWorkforce statistics, June 2026
Town / county
Rochester, Kent
Postcode
ME1 3QS
HMPPS functional group
Category C Trainer/ResettlementA role label, not each prisoner's security category
Officer pay zone
National (all other locations)
Band 3 market supplement
None listedHMPPS pay page, 3 October 2026
Operational capacity
766As at 24 August 2026
Latest HMIP report published
21 July 2025
Nearest railway station (GOV.UK)
Rochester

Official description (GOV.UK/SPS/NI Justice): “Rochester is a prison and young offender institution for men over 18 in Rochester, Kent.” Official page.

The 2024 Urgent Notification

In shortA full inspection in August 2024 found the lowest assessment on three of four tests and triggered an Urgent Notification.

At its full inspection in August 2024 HMIP awarded its lowest healthy prison assessment in three of the four tests: respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release. These poor outcomes led the Chief Inspector to write to the Secretary of State and invoke the Urgent Notification process.

The IMB's annual report places this in context: the prison was without a permanent governor for almost the whole of its 2024-25 reporting year.

What the July 2025 review recalls inspectors found in 2024

  • Rochester fundamentally failing in its rehabilitative purpose
  • Less than a third of the population in purposeful activity
  • Poorly supervised wings and rising violence
  • High use of force and widespread illicit drug use
  • Dilapidated accommodation and ineffective offender management

What the June 2025 review found

In shortProgress was good or reasonable on two thirds of concerns, but drugs and health care were still problematic.

  • Good progress2Of nine HMIP concerns followed up
  • Reasonable progress4
  • Insufficient progress1
  • No meaningful progress2

HMIP's independent review of progress took place from 2 to 4 June 2025 and was published on 21 July 2025. A review is not a full inspection, so it does not re-award the four healthy prison grades, and we could not find a full HMIP inspection of Rochester published since.

Ofsted followed up four themes, finding reasonable progress on two and insufficient progress on two.

  • Good progress: safety (self-harm and violence strategy) and living conditions
  • Reasonable progress: leadership visibility and staff induction, use of force scrutiny, health care governance
  • Insufficient or no progress: illicit drugs, fair treatment and inclusion, medicines management; Ofsted found insufficient progress on activity places and attendance

Headline improvements and weak areas

Improved

  • Reported self-harm incidents fell by 42% and recorded violence by 33% since the inspection
  • Prisoner-on-prisoner violence among the lowest in the category C estate
  • Cells and communal areas cleaner, brighter and free of graffiti with the vermin problem much reduced

Weakest

  • Drugs: a 48% positive random drug test rate over six months (the second highest of category C prisons)
  • Health care: the Care Quality Commission served a warning notice on the provider on 25 June 2025

Staffing, induction and the officer experience

In shortStaffing was lower than in 2024, though HMPPS now records officers above target and rates performance as of concern.

  • Officers in post229 FTEBand 3 to 5 officers against a target of 214 at 30 June 2026, which is above target
  • HMPPS rating53.7%2025/26 performance rating: 'performance of concern'

The review found staffing lower than at the 2024 inspection, with cross-deployment of specialist teams and a temporary staffing profile introduced to deliver a reliable regime. Inspectors still saw prisoners vaping and verbally abusing one another in communal areas without challenge.

The monitoring board's report adds that on paper Rochester had a full establishment of officers, but temporary promotions, high sickness and other absences often produced shortages and restricted regimes, and that many officers had under two years' experience.

Induction for new officers (HMIP review)

  • Enhanced with an additional week of shadowing an experienced colleague plus tasks to build relationships across departments
  • Feedback from those completing it was positive
  • Leaders had introduced weekly staff meetings at both Rochester and Cookham Wood

Working here

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

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

Rochester 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.

Our category explainer covers what a category C training prison involves. GOV.UK's visitor guidance says the closest railway station is Rochester, with a taxi or a walk to the prison.

At interview

  • Because the prison now operates alongside Cookham Wood and holds a mix of populations, ask which site and cohort you would work with
  • Ask how detached duty or cross-deployment between the two sites is used; our guides to detached duty and transfers explain the general rules

Officer pay at HMP & YOI Rochester

National (all other locations) zone; Band 3 rates from 1 April 2026, including the 20% unsocial hours allowance.

Band 3, 39 hours, entry£37,131No market supplement listed
Band 3, 37 hours, entry£34,928Trainee contract
Band 3, 41 hours, top pay point£41,417Highest Band 3 option here
Band 3 prison officer pay at HMP & YOI Rochester, 2026/27 (£ a year, base rates before supplement)
Contract hoursEntry (pay point 1)Maximum (pay point 3)
37 hours (trainee contract) incl. 20% unsocial hours£34,928£36,778
39 hours (2 additional committed hours)£37,131£39,097
41 hours (4 additional committed hours)£39,334£41,417

PSPRB 25th Report, Appendix E. No supplement listed on the HMPPS jobs site, 3 October 2026.

Other grades at HMP & YOI Rochester (2026/27, £ a year)
GradeContractFromUp to
Band 2 Operational Support Grade37 hours incl. 25% unsocial hours£31,761£31,761
Band 4 Supervising / Specialist Officer37 hours incl. 20% unsocial hours£41,328£41,328
Band 5 Custodial Manager39 hours incl. 2 pensionable committed hours£47,327£49,600

Supplements apply to Band 3 only. PSPRB 25th Report, Appendix E.

Supplements are paid at other South East prisons: Aylesbury (£3,000), Bullingdon (£3,500), Coldingley (£2,000), Elmley (£3,500), Grendon (£1,500), Huntercombe (£1,500).

Turn these into take-home with the pay calculator, or see what the journey costs with the commute cost calculator. Band 3 pay explained.

Open the calculator pre-filled for Rochester

Capacity, performance and staffing

At 24 August 2026: operational capacity 766, population 734 (96%), certified normal accommodation in use 759. HMPPS monthly population bulletin.

HMPPS performance rating, 2025/26

RatingPerformance of concern
Overall score53.7%
Functional groupCategory C Trainer/Resettlement

Scale 4 (outstanding) to 1 (serious concern). HMPPS prison performance ratings 2025/26.

Officer staffing against target

At 30 June 2026: 229 FTE Band 3 to 5 officers against a target of 214 (+15, hours-adjusted). A gap against target is not a count of advertised vacancies. HMPPS workforce statistics, June 2026.

Category C Trainer/Resettlement is HMPPS's functional-group label for the prison's role, not any prisoner's security category. Official wording: “C (training and resettlement)”. See prison categories explained or all Category C Trainer/Resettlement prisons.

Latest inspection

HMIP's most recent report on Rochester was published 21 July 2025 (independent review of progress / review visit); that is the publication date, not the visit date.

safetynot sufficiently good
respectpoor
purposeful activitypoor
preparation for releasepoor

Grades from the latest full inspection report, published 12 November 2024; the later report above is a follow-up review that does not re-grade the tests.

Of the 122 prisons with full HMIP grades, 42 share its "not sufficiently good" safety grade and 38 its "poor" purposeful-activity grade. Only 41 of those 122 prisons were graded "poor" on at least one test, and this is one of them.

Read the HMIP report

Working at HMP & YOI Rochester and how to apply

There is no Rochester-specific page on the HMPPS jobs site; adverts are listed by location. Read the live advert for closing dates and assessment-centre details.

Postcode: ME1 3QS. View on a map. Nearest railway station, per GOV.UK: Rochester.

Other prisons in South East and similar prisons

These establishments are in the same county or region (20 listed in South East). See all of them in one table.

Similar by HMPPS functional group (Category C Trainer/Resettlement)

Compare Rochester side by side in the prison finder

Related guides

HMP & YOI Rochester: frequently asked questions

How much does a prison officer earn at HMP & YOI Rochester?

From £37,131 a year on 39 hours at the entry pay point, rising to £39,097 (National zone, 2026/27).

What category is HMP & YOI Rochester?

HMPPS lists it in the "Category C Trainer/Resettlement" functional group, a label for the prison's role rather than the category of each prisoner. GOV.UK/HMIP wording: "C (training and resettlement)".

How many prisoners can HMP & YOI Rochester hold?

Operational capacity 766, population 734 at 24 August 2026 (HMPPS bulletin).

When was HMP & YOI Rochester last inspected?

HMIP's latest report, published 21 July 2025, is a progress review. Grades at the latest full inspection (12 November 2024): safety not sufficiently good, respect poor, purposeful activity poor, preparation for release poor.

How do I apply to work at HMP & YOI Rochester?

There is no Rochester page on the HMPPS jobs site, so use the general HMPPS prison officer page, where adverts are listed by location.

What is the nearest train station to HMP & YOI Rochester?

GOV.UK gives: Rochester.

Has HMP Rochester improved since its Urgent Notification?

HMIP's June 2025 independent review found good or reasonable progress on about two thirds of its concerns, including falls of 42% in self-harm and 33% in violence, and better living conditions. Illicit drugs and health care remained serious problems. It was a progress review, not a full inspection, so the overall healthy prison grades have not been re-awarded.

What is Cookham Wood's connection to Rochester?

HMP Cookham Wood reopened as an adult institution in 2024 under Rochester's leadership, adding up to 180 spaces, and the IMB says both prisons now sit under one governor. HMIP noted the merger created additional challenges. Staff may work across both sites, so ask about this when applying.

Does HMP Rochester pay a market supplement?

No. As at 3 October 2026 Rochester is not on the HMPPS market supplement tables, so national Band 3 rates apply with no extra payment. Supplements elsewhere are guaranteed only to at least March 2027 and can be withdrawn. Check the HMPPS pay page, which is the authority, before relying on any figure.

Sources and method

Data as at 3 October 2026; see our methodology. Independent of HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice and the POA; not legal or financial advice. Out of date? Tell us.

Not verified for this prison: A full HMIP inspection after the June 2025 review (none found), so current overall healthy prison grades are unknown; A dedicated HMPPS recruitment page for Rochester (none found as at 3 October 2026); How staff are shared between Rochester and Cookham Wood, and detached-duty practice; Local travel and parking arrangements for staff from an official source.