Region

Prisons in London

London has 10 establishments in our dataset: 9 run by HMPPS; 1 privately run (Serco: Thameside). By designation they are 7 HMP, 2 HMP & YOI, 1 HMYOI, and 1 holds women. The largest is HMP Wandsworth (1,478 places). 3 carry a Band 3 market supplement.

Prisons: 10
Operational capacity: 9,174
Market supplements: 3
Officer staffing vs target: -130 FTE

London in numbers

Across the 10 sites with an itemised figure, HMPPS reports an operational capacity of 9,174 and a population of 8,729 (95%) at 24 August 2026. The largest is HMP Wandsworth at 1,478; the smallest is HMP & YOI Downview at 356; the highest occupancy is HMP Pentonville at 100% of its operational capacity.

Of the 9 HMPPS-run prisons, 5 in the Outer London zone, 4 in the Inner London zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £41,290 (Belmarsh) to £45,290 (Downview) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Downview (£2,000), High Down (£2,000), Feltham (£2,000).

HMPPS's 2025/26 performance ratings cover 10 of them: 4 good, 1 of concern, 5 serious concern. The highest overall score is 63.5% (Belmarsh) and the lowest is 43.0% (Wormwood Scrubs).

10 prisons have an HMIP report on record; 10 have four graded tests from a full inspection. On safety the latest full inspections gave 1 good, 2 reasonably good, 4 not sufficiently good and 3 poor. 1 had every test at reasonably good or better (Downview). 6 were graded poor on at least one test. The newest report is High Down (September 2026) and the oldest is Brixton (April 2025).

Staffing against target (Band 3 to 5, hours-adjusted FTE, 30 June 2026) is published for 9 of them: 130 FTE short in total, with Feltham furthest below (-39) and 1 over target. A gap is a staffing measure, not advertised vacancies.

By HMPPS functional group the establishments split as 5 Reception, 3 Category C Trainer/Resettlement, 1 Female, 1 Category C Resettlement.

London pay zones: Downview (outer London), Isis (outer London), Belmarsh (outer London), Brixton (inner London), High Down (outer London), Pentonville (inner London), Wandsworth (inner London), Wormwood Scrubs (inner London) and Feltham (outer London). London differentials are fixed cash amounts above the national scale, up to £5,218 (Inner) and £3,432 (Outer) above the 37-hour national maxima from 1 April 2026.

Counted from our dataset, 3 October 2026.

Prison by prison: key numbers

Key numbers for prisons in London, largest first

Prison	Capacity	Full	HMPPS rating	HMIP safety	Latest HMIP report	39h entry pay (* with supplement)
Wandsworth	1,478	99%	1 of 4, 43.6%	poor	May 2025	£43,453
Thameside	1,232	99%	2 of 4, 55.0%	not sufficiently good	February 2026	Not HMPPS pay
Pentonville	1,205	100%	1 of 4, 43.5%	poor	April 2026	£43,453
Wormwood Scrubs	1,143	95%	1 of 4, 43.0%	not sufficiently good	April 2026	£43,453
High Down	1,133	92%	3 of 4, 61.0%	reasonably good	September 2026	£45,290 *
Belmarsh	773	95%	3 of 4, 63.5%	reasonably good	May 2025	£41,290
Brixton	673	91%	1 of 4, 50.2%	not sufficiently good	April 2025	£43,453
Isis	628	95%	3 of 4, 58.4%	not sufficiently good	March 2026	£41,290
Feltham	553	86%	1 of 4, 56.2%	poor	July 2026	£45,290 *
Downview	356	83%	3 of 4, 61.7%	good	May 2026	£45,290 *

Working in London

Apply via HMPPS Prison and Probation Jobs for public-sector prisons in England and Wales; each operator's own site for private prisons (Serco). Compare commute and pay in the prison finder; guides: jobs by region, pay by region, market supplements.

All prisons in London

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Prisons in London

Prison	Town	Type	HMPPS group	Run by	Capacity	Band 3 entry, 39h	Supplement
HMP & YOI Downview	Sutton	HMP & YOI	Female	Public (HMPPS)	356	£45,290	£2,000
HMP & YOI Isis	Thamesmead, London	HMP & YOI	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	628	£41,290	None
HMP Belmarsh	Thamesmead, London	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	773	£41,290	None
HMP Brixton	Brixton, London	HMP	Category C Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	673	£43,453	None
HMP High Down	Sutton	HMP	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	1,133	£45,290	£2,000
HMP Pentonville	Islington, London	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	1,205	£43,453	None
HMP Thameside	Thamesmead, London	HMP	Reception	Private	1,232	n/a	n/a
HMP Wandsworth	Wandsworth, London	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	1,478	£43,453	None
HMP Wormwood Scrubs	Hammersmith and Fulham, London	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	1,143	£43,453	None
HMYOI Feltham	Feltham	HMYOI	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	553	£45,290	£2,000

Other regions

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Prisons in London: FAQs

How many prisons are in London?

10: Downview, Isis, Belmarsh, Brixton, High Down, Pentonville, Thameside, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs and Feltham. 1 is privately run.

What do prison officers earn in London?

5 in the Outer London zone, 4 in the Inner London zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £41,290 (Belmarsh) to £45,290 (Downview) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Downview (£2,000), High Down (£2,000), Feltham (£2,000).

Which prisons in London pay a market supplement?

HMP & YOI Downview (£2,000), HMP High Down (£2,000) and HMYOI Feltham (£2,000), per the HMPPS pay page checked 3 October 2026. Supplements are non-pensionable and can be withdrawn.

What is the biggest prison in London?

HMP Wandsworth, with an operational capacity of 1,478 at 24 August 2026.

Which prisons in London have the best HMIP grades?

Downview had no test below reasonably good at their latest full inspection; some of those inspections are several years old.