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HMP Send

Send is a women’s prison in Woking, Surrey. HMPPS places it in the "Female" functional group. Band 3 prison officer pay here starts at £39,131 on a 39-hour contract including the £2,000 market supplement (2026/27 rates).

Jobs at Send (HMPPS)Work out my take-home hereCompare with other prisons

HMP Send at a glance

  • It is one of the prisons listed for a Band 3 market supplement: £2,000 a year on top of base pay, non-pensionable, guaranteed to at least March 2027 and, on HMPPS's own wording, able to be withdrawn.
  • Its operational capacity of 255 ranks 16th of 18 in South East (1 = largest).
  • Among the 12 prisons in the HMPPS "Female" functional group with a published capacity, it ranks 10th by size.
  • Its latest full HMIP inspection (report published 1 July 2025) graded safety "good" and purposeful activity "reasonably good".
  • GOV.UK gives its nearest station as: Clandon.
Type
HMP
Holds
Women
Run by
HMPPS (public sector)
Nation
England
Region (geographic)
South East
HMPPS prison region
Women's EstateWorkforce statistics, June 2026
Town / county
Woking, Surrey
Postcode
GU23 7LJ
HMPPS functional group
FemaleA role label, not each prisoner's security category
Officer pay zone
National (all other locations)
Band 3 market supplement
£2,000 a yearHMPPS pay page, 3 October 2026
Operational capacity
255As at 24 August 2026
Latest HMIP report published
1 July 2025
Nearest railway station (GOV.UK)
Clandon

Official description (GOV.UK/SPS/NI Justice): “Send is a women’s prison in Woking, Surrey.” Official page.

A women's training prison with specialist units

In shortSend has been a women's prison since 1998, holding mostly long-sentence women, and has the only democratic therapeutic community for women.

  • Operational capacity255Ministry of Justice August 2026 bulletin
  • Held222Women at 24 August 2026
  • Sentences over four years80%At the March 2025 inspection; a third had indeterminate sentences
  • High risk of serious harmHalfAssessed as presenting a high risk of serious harm to others

HMIP records that HMP Send has been a women's prison since 1998 and holds up to 255 women, most serving long sentences up to and including life.

It has a psychologically informed planned environment (PIPE) unit and describes the prison as having the only democratic therapeutic community (DTC) for women. Since the previous inspection a new accommodation unit had replaced two dilapidated wings.

The HMPPS recruitment page says Send is one of eight public sector closed conditions women's prisons in England, in a rural setting about six miles from Woking. HMPPS's own page also says Send holds women serving short sentences for low-level offences as well as long-term prisoners.

  • 216 new arrivals in 12 months and about 10 releases a month
  • Over half of the women were receiving support for substance misuse
  • A quarter were from black and minority ethnic backgrounds
Residential units at HMP Send (HMIP, 2025)
UnitPurpose
A wingPIPE (psychologically informed planned environment)
B1General population
B2Democratic therapeutic community (DTC)
C wingGeneral population
D wingRetired prisoners
E and F wingsIncentivised substance-free living unit
J wingInduction and general population

What inspectors found in 2025

In shortA very good prison: good for safety, respect and release preparation, reasonably good for purposeful activity.

  • SafetyGood
  • RespectGood
  • Purposeful activityReasonably good
  • Preparation for releaseGood

HMIP's unannounced inspection (17 March to 3 April 2025, published 1 July 2025) found outcomes 'good' for safety, respect and preparation for release and 'reasonably good' for purposeful activity. The 2021 inspection had been good for safety and respect and reasonably good for preparation for release, with purposeful activity insufficient, so two tests improved.

The Chief Inspector wrote that Send is a very good prison, with an overwhelmingly rehabilitative ethos, excellent family contact support and a visible, ambitious governor. Self-harm was low, there was little violence, and there had been no self-inflicted deaths since 2010.

Six concerns, only one a priority

Strengths

  • Time out of cell was good, with 14% of women locked up in the working day against 21% before
  • Ofsted rated education, skills and work 'good' on every measure
  • Notable positive practice (five examples), including Brainkind training for staff on the impact of brain injury on behaviour
  • Neurodiversity support plans used in adjudication hearings to understand behaviour
  • A family support team including a pregnancy, mother and baby liaison officer and a social worker
  • A prison minibus collecting visitors from the nearby station

Concerns

  • Data not being used well enough to improve outcomes, for example in monitoring attendance and tracking segregation trends (the priority)
  • Poor practice by some staff when using force
  • Limited support for prisoners who speak little English
  • Too few opportunities for achievement at level 3 and above
  • Limited information sharing with offender managers on public protection

Leadership, staffing and culture

In shortProgress was sustained under four governors and retention was good, though the IMB recorded rising self-harm and use of force.

HMIP noted that four governors had run Send since the 2021 inspection, yet progress had been sustained and 70% of the previous recommendations achieved or partly achieved.

Inspectors said the current governor had set high standards, with a focus on care and compassion, though some staff were too ready to resort to punitive responses to poor behaviour.

They recorded that leaders had recruited more officers than they needed, that the proportion not available for operational duties was not excessive, and that retention was good, making the regime reliable.

Gaps and the monitors' view

HMIP gaps

  • The gym had only half the staff it needed, though provision was still impressive
  • Forensic psychology support was more limited because of recruitment difficulties in the specialist WEPS team

IMB, April 2024 to March 2025

  • Management and staff made a great effort to keep women safe and observed positive, respectful relationships
  • Self-harm up about 20%
  • New ACCT documents rising from 158 to 234
  • Use of force incidents rising from 45 to 101
  • More assaults, particularly between prisoners

Working at Send: pay, supplements and travel

In shortA £2,000 a year market supplement is listed as at 3 October 2026, though it is non-pensionable and not guaranteed beyond March 2027.

  • Supplement£2,000A year, at 3 October 2026
  • Officers in post102 FTEBand 3 to 5 officers against a target of 117 at 30 June 2026
  • HMPPS rating67.9%2025/26 performance rating: 'good performance'

HMPPS's recruitment page for Send says women-specific challenges are part of the job: many women in custody have had traumatic experiences that triggered their offending, so supporting people with emotional and mental health difficulties matters.

Send is one of the prisons listed on the HMPPS market supplement tables, with a £2,000 a year supplement shown as at 3 October 2026, non-pensionable and not guaranteed beyond March 2027. See our market supplements guide and women's prisons guide.

  • Two specialist units (a therapeutic community and a unit for prisoners with personality disorders)
  • A range of learning and work from farms and gardens to catering and hairdressing
  • Staff benefits including free on-site parking and a free on-site gym
  • For more on the role see our guide to women prison officers

Officer pay at HMP Send

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

Band 3, 39 hours, entry£39,131£37,131 + £2,000 market supplement
Band 3, 37 hours, entry£36,928Trainee contract
Band 3, 41 hours, top pay point£43,417Highest Band 3 option here
Band 3 prison officer pay at HMP Send, 2026/27 (£ a year, base rates before supplement)
Contract hoursEntry (pay point 1)Maximum (pay point 3)Entry with supplementMax with supplement
37 hours (trainee contract) incl. 20% unsocial hours£34,928£36,778£36,928£38,778
39 hours (2 additional committed hours)£37,131£39,097£39,131£41,097
41 hours (4 additional committed hours)£39,334£41,417£41,334£43,417

PSPRB 25th Report, Appendix E. Supplement per the HMPPS jobs site, 3 October 2026; non-pensionable, may be withdrawn.

Other grades at HMP Send (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.

Other South East prisons on the supplement list: 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 Send

Capacity, performance and staffing

At 24 August 2026: operational capacity 255, population 222 (87%), certified normal accommodation in use 256. HMPPS monthly population bulletin.

HMPPS performance rating, 2025/26

RatingGood performance
Overall score67.9%
Functional groupFemale

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

Officer staffing against target

At 30 June 2026: 102 FTE Band 3 to 5 officers against a target of 117 (-16, hours-adjusted). A gap against target is not a count of advertised vacancies. HMPPS workforce statistics, June 2026.

Female is HMPPS's functional-group label for the prison's role, not any prisoner's security category. See prison categories explained or all Female prisons.

Latest inspection

HMIP's most recent report on Send was published 1 July 2025 (full inspection report); that is the publication date, not the visit date.

safetygood
respectgood
purposeful activityreasonably good
preparation for releasegood

Grades from the latest full inspection report, published 1 July 2025.

Of the 122 prisons with full HMIP grades, 36 share its "good" safety grade and 22 its "reasonably good" purposeful-activity grade. 27 of the 122 had no test below "reasonably good".

Read the HMIP report

Working at HMP Send and how to apply

HMP Send has its own HMPPS recruitment page. Read the live advert for closing dates and assessment-centre details.

Postcode: GU23 7LJ. View on a map. Nearest railway station, per GOV.UK: Clandon.

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 (Female)

Compare Send side by side in the prison finder

Related guides

HMP Send: frequently asked questions

How much does a prison officer earn at HMP Send?

From £39,131 a year on 39 hours at the entry pay point (including the £2,000 supplement), rising to £41,097 (National zone, 2026/27).

What category is HMP Send?

HMPPS lists it in the "Female" functional group, a label for the prison's role rather than the category of each prisoner.

How many prisoners can HMP Send hold?

Operational capacity 255, population 222 at 24 August 2026 (HMPPS bulletin).

When was HMP Send last inspected?

HMIP's latest report, published 1 July 2025, is a full inspection. Grades at the latest full inspection (1 July 2025): safety good, respect good, purposeful activity reasonably good, preparation for release good.

How do I apply to work at HMP Send?

Through the HMPPS recruitment page for HMP Send on the Prison and Probation Jobs site (linked above).

What is the nearest train station to HMP Send?

GOV.UK gives: Clandon.

Does HMP Send pay a market supplement?

Yes. As at 3 October 2026 the HMPPS prison officer pay page lists Send with a £2,000 a year market supplement on top of national Band 3 pay. It is non-pensionable, guaranteed only to at least March 2027 and may be withdrawn, so do not treat it as permanent. The base pay figures are on our pay page.

How do staff get to HMP Send?

HMPPS's recruitment page says there is plenty of free on-site parking and good road links, with Guildford and Woking a 15 to 20 minute drive. Trains run every 30 minutes from London Waterloo to Clandon station, two miles from the prison, and Woking station is about six miles away. Shift patterns may not match train times.

What did HMIP say about HMP Send in 2025?

HMIP found outcomes good for safety, respect and preparation for release and reasonably good for purposeful activity, and called Send a very good prison with a rehabilitative ethos. Concerns included data use, some poor practice in use of force and limited support for women who speak little English. Only one of six concerns was a priority.

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: Whether HMIP has reinspected Send since 2025, and the IMB's 2025-26 report; Detached duty and transfer arrangements at this prison; Local housing or cost-of-living information from an official source.