Region

Prisons in Wales

Wales has 6 establishments in our dataset: 5 run by HMPPS; 1 privately run (G4S: Parc). By designation they are 4 HMP, 2 HMP & YOI. The largest is HMP Berwyn (2,000 places). None is on the HMPPS market supplement list.

Prisons: 6
Operational capacity: 5,073
Market supplements: 0
Officer staffing vs target: -58 FTE

Wales in numbers

Across the 4 sites with an itemised figure, HMPPS reports an operational capacity of 5,073 and a population of 4,894 (96%) at 24 August 2026. The largest is HMP Berwyn at 2,000; the smallest is HMP Swansea at 447; the highest occupancy is HMP & YOI Parc at 98% of its operational capacity. 2 sites here share a combined HMPPS figure with a neighbour and are left out of these totals.

Of the 5 HMPPS-run prisons, 5 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 6 of them: 2 outstanding, 1 good, 3 of concern. The highest overall score is 90.0% (Prescoed) and the lowest is 53.8% (Berwyn).

6 prisons have an HMIP report on record; 6 have four graded tests from a full inspection. On safety the latest full inspections gave 4 good, 1 reasonably good, 1 not sufficiently good and 0 poor. 4 had every test at reasonably good or better (Parc, Prescoed, Cardiff, Usk). The newest report is Parc (June 2026) and the oldest is Swansea (June 2023).

Staffing against target (Band 3 to 5, hours-adjusted FTE, 30 June 2026) is published for 5 of them: 58 FTE short in total, with Berwyn furthest below (-50) and 1 over target. A gap is a staffing measure, not advertised vacancies.

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

Counted from our dataset, 3 October 2026.

Prison by prison: key numbers

Key numbers for prisons in Wales, largest first

Prison	Capacity	Full	HMPPS rating	HMIP safety	Latest HMIP report	39h entry pay (* with supplement)
Berwyn	2,000	98%	2 of 4, 53.8%	not sufficiently good	May 2025	£37,131
Parc	1,849	98%	2 of 4, 56.9%	good	June 2026	Not HMPPS pay
Cardiff	777	92%	2 of 4, 65.1%	reasonably good	May 2024	£37,131
Prescoed	496	n/a	4 of 4, 90.0%	good	August 2025	£37,131
Usk	496	n/a	4 of 4, 84.9%	good	August 2025	£37,131
Swansea	447	89%	3 of 4, 65.9%	good	June 2023	£37,131

Working in Wales

Apply via HMPPS Prison and Probation Jobs for public-sector prisons in England and Wales; each operator's own site for private prisons (G4S). Compare commute and pay in the prison finder; guides: jobs by region, pay by region, market supplements.

All prisons in Wales

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Prisons in Wales

Prison	Town	Type	HMPPS group	Run by	Capacity	Band 3 entry, 39h	Supplement
HMP & YOI Parc	Bridgend	HMP & YOI	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Private	1,849	n/a	n/a
HMP & YOI Prescoed	Coed-y-Paen, near Pontypool	HMP & YOI	Open	Public (HMPPS)	496	£37,131	None
HMP Berwyn	Wrexham	HMP	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	2,000	£37,131	None
HMP Cardiff	Cardiff	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	777	£37,131	None
HMP Swansea	Swansea	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	447	£37,131	None
HMP Usk	Usk	HMP	Category C Trainer	Public (HMPPS)	496	£37,131	None

Other regions

Functional groups here

Compare prisons in the finder

Prisons in Wales: FAQs

How many prisons are in Wales?

6: Parc, Prescoed, Berwyn, Cardiff, Swansea and Usk. 1 is privately run.

What do prison officers earn in Wales?

5 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 Wales pay a market supplement?

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

What is the biggest prison in Wales?

HMP Berwyn, with an operational capacity of 2,000 at 24 August 2026.

Which prisons in Wales have the best HMIP grades?

Parc, Prescoed, Cardiff and Usk had no test below reasonably good at their latest full inspection; some of those inspections are several years old.