Region

Prisons in North West

North West has 15 establishments in our dataset: 13 run by HMPPS; 2 privately run (Sodexo: Altcourse, Forest Bank). By designation they are 12 HMP, 3 HMP & YOI, and 1 holds women. The largest is HMP Forest Bank (1,470 places). None is on the HMPPS market supplement list.

Prisons: 15
Operational capacity: 11,373
Market supplements: 0
Officer staffing vs target: -126 FTE

North West in numbers

Across the 15 sites with an itemised figure, HMPPS reports an operational capacity of 11,373 and a population of 10,995 (97%) at 24 August 2026. The largest is HMP Forest Bank at 1,470; the smallest is HMP & YOI Thorn Cross at 429; the highest occupancy is HMP & YOI Thorn Cross at 100% of its operational capacity.

Of the 13 HMPPS-run prisons, 13 in the National zone. All start Band 3 officers on £37,131 (39 hours, entry pay point). None carries a market supplement.

HMPPS's 2025/26 performance ratings cover 15 of them: 2 outstanding, 11 good, 1 of concern, 1 serious concern. The highest overall score is 97.5% (Haverigg) and the lowest is 49.1% (Garth).

15 prisons have an HMIP report on record; 15 have four graded tests from a full inspection. On safety the latest full inspections gave 3 good, 5 reasonably good, 6 not sufficiently good and 1 poor. 2 had every test at reasonably good or better (Thorn Cross, Haverigg). 5 were graded poor on at least one test (Hindley, Altcourse, Garth, Liverpool, Manchester). The newest report is Risley (August 2026) and the oldest is Lancaster Farms (December 2022).

Staffing against target (Band 3 to 5, hours-adjusted FTE, 30 June 2026) is published for 13 of them: 126 FTE short in total, with Manchester furthest below (-44) and 2 over target. A gap is a staffing measure, not advertised vacancies.

By HMPPS functional group the establishments split as 4 Reception, 3 Open, 2 Category C Trainer, 2 Category B, 2 Category C Resettlement, 1 Category C Trainer/Resettlement, 1 Female.

Counted from our dataset, 3 October 2026.

Prison by prison: key numbers

Key numbers for prisons in North West, largest first

Prison	Capacity	Full	HMPPS rating	HMIP safety	Latest HMIP report	39h entry pay (* with supplement)
Forest Bank	1,470	100%	3 of 4, 62.2%	not sufficiently good	March 2025	Not HMPPS pay
Altcourse	1,144	99%	3 of 4, 62.7%	not sufficiently good	August 2026	Not HMPPS pay
Wymott	1,144	98%	3 of 4, 61.2%	reasonably good	April 2024	£37,131
Risley	1,034	97%	3 of 4, 66.9%	good	August 2026	£37,131
Liverpool	840	95%	3 of 4, 59.8%	not sufficiently good	June 2026	£37,131
Garth	791	92%	1 of 4, 49.1%	not sufficiently good	June 2025	£37,131
Preston	680	100%	3 of 4, 60.7%	reasonably good	June 2023	£37,131
Kirkham	618	96%	3 of 4, 72.6%	reasonably good	September 2025	£37,131
Hindley	600	98%	3 of 4, 59.4%	not sufficiently good	September 2024	£37,131
Lancaster Farms	584	96%	3 of 4, 65.8%	reasonably good	December 2022	£37,131
Manchester	572	96%	2 of 4, 56.8%	poor	April 2026	£37,131
Haverigg	544	94%	4 of 4, 97.5%	good	July 2025	£37,131
Buckley Hall	469	96%	3 of 4, 68.8%	reasonably good	May 2024	£37,131
Styal	454	85%	3 of 4, 67.6%	not sufficiently good	March 2025	£37,131
Thorn Cross	429	100%	4 of 4, 84.2%	good	August 2023	£37,131

Working in North West

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

All prisons in North West

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Prisons in North West

Prison	Town	Type	HMPPS group	Run by	Capacity	Band 3 entry, 39h	Supplement
HMP & YOI Hindley	Bickershaw, near Wigan	HMP & YOI	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	600	£37,131	None
HMP & YOI Styal	Wilmslow	HMP & YOI	Female	Public (HMPPS)	454	£37,131	None
HMP & YOI Thorn Cross	Appleton Thorn, Warrington	HMP & YOI	Open	Public (HMPPS)	429	£37,131	None
HMP Altcourse	Liverpool (Fazakerley)	HMP	Reception	Private	1,144	n/a	n/a
HMP Buckley Hall	Rochdale	HMP	Category C Trainer	Public (HMPPS)	469	£37,131	None
HMP Forest Bank	Pendlebury, Salford	HMP	Reception	Private	1,470	n/a	n/a
HMP Garth	near Leyland	HMP	Category B	Public (HMPPS)	791	£37,131	None
HMP Haverigg	near Millom	HMP	Open	Public (HMPPS)	544	£37,131	None
HMP Kirkham	Kirkham	HMP	Open	Public (HMPPS)	618	£37,131	None
HMP Lancaster Farms	Lancaster	HMP	Category C Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	584	£37,131	None
HMP Liverpool	Liverpool (Walton)	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	840	£37,131	None
HMP Manchester	Manchester (Strangeways)	HMP	Category B	Public (HMPPS)	572	£37,131	None
HMP Preston	Preston	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	680	£37,131	None
HMP Risley	Warrington	HMP	Category C Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	1,034	£37,131	None
HMP Wymott	near Leyland	HMP	Category C Trainer	Public (HMPPS)	1,144	£37,131	None

Other regions

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Prisons in North West: FAQs

How many prisons are in North West?

15: Hindley, Styal, Thorn Cross, Altcourse, Buckley Hall, Forest Bank, Garth, Haverigg, Kirkham, Lancaster Farms, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Risley and Wymott. 2 are privately run.

What do prison officers earn in North West?

13 in the National zone. All start Band 3 officers on £37,131 (39 hours, entry pay point). None carries a market supplement.

Which prisons in North West pay a market supplement?

None, per the HMPPS pay page checked 3 October 2026.

What is the biggest prison in North West?

HMP Forest Bank, with an operational capacity of 1,470 at 24 August 2026.

Which prisons in North West have the best HMIP grades?

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