HMP Stafford

History and role in the estate

In shortStafford is a publicly run category C prison for men convicted of sexual offences, on a site with roots in the 12th century.

• MoJ bulletin, 24 August 2026756 / 761Prisoners against operational capacity

GOV.UK describes it as a prison in the centre of Stafford for men convicted of a sex offence. It is publicly run and sits within the HMPPS West Midlands group.

Who is held and what is on site

In shortStafford held 753 men at inspection, mostly long-stay, on seven wings with a specialist care unit.

• Held (2025)753 men
• Received and released279 in, 130 outPrevious year; around 23 and 11 a month. HMIP noted it is not set up or funded as a resettlement prison
• Substance misuse support70 menAn average of 25 a month referred for a mental health assessment
• Foreign nationals3914% were from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds

There are seven wings, A to G, with D wing as the induction unit. The modern buildings include reception, the visits hall, education, kitchen, G wing and the sports hall, and a site next door was developed in 1986 as an industrial workshop complex.

• In November 2021 G wing was converted into a specialist care unit in which eight cells have been modified as a regional resource for prisoners needing social and palliative care; inspectors rated its standard of care excellent
• Prisoners run a bistro that cooks meals for visiting families
• Music and gym enrichment

What inspectors found (report published 10 March 2025)

In shortHMIP judged safety and respect good and purposeful activity and release preparation reasonably good, the same scores as in 2020.

• SafetyGood
• RespectGood
• Purposeful activityReasonably good
• Release preparationReasonably good

The Chief Inspector described a prison that was immaculate, calm and safe, where relationships between prisoners and staff were good and attendance at education, skills and work was very good.

Ofsted found the quality of education much better than it usually sees, though workshops were less good, with many men on mundane tasks and poor pay. Drug use was exceptionally low, to the point that mandatory testing absorbed staff time unproductively, in the Chief Inspector's view.

Staff expertise, retention and culture

In shortThe prison was fully staffed with mostly experienced officers, but the biggest concern was officers' understanding of prisoners' offences.

• Band 3 to 5 officers (FTE)161 / 168Against target, workforce statistics at 30 June 2026
• Staff saying priorities were clear82%HMIP's survey

Stafford's report speaks directly to what officers do. Retention was good, but sickness absence was high.

Leaders had introduced well-being events, regular training days and monitored 'touch point' meetings between staff and line managers, with more than three-quarters of surveyed staff meeting someone at least every three months.

Performance rating and working at Stafford

In shortStafford is rated 'good performance' by HMPPS and is on the national pay zone with no market supplement.

• HMPPS annual rating75.3%Good performance; Category C Trainer group, Annual Prison Performance Ratings for 2025/26 (published 30 July 2026)
• Starting pay£34,928 to £39,334Band 3, 37 to 41 hours; not on the HMPPS market supplement tables as at 3 October 2026

These measures differ from HMIP's tests; the March 2025 report is the latest inspection we found. For anyone weighing a role here, the position is stable, with the central challenge the specialist knowledge needed to work with people convicted of sexual offences.