Prisons in West Midlands
West Midlands has 14 establishments in our dataset: 11 run by HMPPS; 3 privately run (Serco: Dovegate and G4S: Oakwood, Rye Hill). By designation they are 9 HMP, 4 HMP & YOI, 1 HMYOI, and 1 holds women. The largest is HMP Oakwood (2,034 places). None is on the HMPPS market supplement list.
- Prisons
- 14 3 privately run
- Operational capacity
- 11,486 Itemised sites, 24 Aug 2026
- Market supplements
- 0 HMPPS pay page, 3 Oct 2026
- Officer staffing vs target
- -273 FTE Band 3-5, 11 prisons, 30 Jun 2026
West Midlands in numbers
Across the 14 sites with an itemised figure, HMPPS reports an operational capacity of 11,486 and a population of 11,049 (96%) at 24 August 2026. The largest is HMP Oakwood at 2,034; the smallest is HMYOI Werrington at 118; the highest occupancy is HMP Rye Hill at 100% of its operational capacity.
Of the 11 HMPPS-run prisons, 11 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 13 of them: 6 good, 6 of concern, 1 serious concern. The highest overall score is 78.4% (Rye Hill) and the lowest is 51.5% (Birmingham).
14 prisons have an HMIP report on record; 14 have four graded tests from a full inspection. On safety the latest full inspections gave 4 good, 1 reasonably good, 8 not sufficiently good and 1 poor. 4 had every test at reasonably good or better (Drake Hall, Oakwood, Rye Hill, Stafford). 6 were graded poor on at least one test. The newest report is Birmingham (August 2026) and the oldest is Dovegate (January 2024).
Staffing against target (Band 3 to 5, hours-adjusted FTE, 30 June 2026) is published for 11 of them: 273 FTE short in total, with Long Lartin furthest below (-99). A gap is a staffing measure, not advertised vacancies.
By HMPPS functional group the establishments split as 4 Category C Trainer/Resettlement, 3 Category C Trainer, 2 Reception, 1 Category C Resettlement, 1 Female, 1 Category B, 1 High Security, 1 no published group.
Counted from our dataset, 3 October 2026.
Prison by prison: key numbers
| Prison | Capacity | Full | HMPPS rating | HMIP safety | Latest HMIP report | 39h entry pay (* with supplement) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakwood | 2,034 | 97% | 2 of 4, 66.5% | good | August 2024 | Not HMPPS pay |
| Dovegate | 1,160 | 99% | 3 of 4, 60.7% | reasonably good | January 2024 | Not HMPPS pay |
| Rye Hill | 1,122 | 100% | 3 of 4, 78.4% | good | November 2024 | Not HMPPS pay |
| Hewell | 1,074 | 91% | 2 of 4, 56.3% | not sufficiently good | September 2025 | £37,131 |
| Birmingham | 1,003 | 99% | 1 of 4, 51.5% | not sufficiently good | August 2026 | £37,131 |
| Stafford | 761 | 99% | 3 of 4, 75.3% | good | March 2025 | £37,131 |
| Stoke Heath | 754 | 95% | 2 of 4, 51.6% | not sufficiently good | June 2026 | £37,131 |
| Onley | 742 | 97% | 2 of 4, 53.2% | not sufficiently good | February 2026 | £37,131 |
| Featherstone | 642 | 96% | 3 of 4, 68.1% | not sufficiently good | July 2026 | £37,131 |
| Swinfen Hall | 624 | 98% | 2 of 4, 56.1% | not sufficiently good | November 2024 | £37,131 |
| Brinsford | 577 | 89% | 2 of 4, 57.5% | poor | July 2026 | £37,131 |
| Long Lartin | 537 | 96% | 3 of 4, 65.5% | not sufficiently good | June 2026 | £37,131 |
| Drake Hall | 338 | 90% | 3 of 4, 72.4% | good | October 2024 | £37,131 |
| Werrington | 118 | 76% | n/a | not sufficiently good | July 2025 | £37,131 |
Working in West Midlands
Apply via HMPPS Prison and Probation Jobs for public-sector prisons in England and Wales; each operator's own site for private prisons (Serco and G4S). Compare commute and pay in the prison finder; guides: jobs by region, pay by region, market supplements.
All prisons in West Midlands
| Prison | Town | Type | HMPPS group | Run by | Capacity | Band 3 entry, 39h | Supplement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMP & YOI Brinsford | Featherstone, Wolverhampton | HMP & YOI | Category C Resettlement | Public (HMPPS) | 577 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP & YOI Drake Hall | Eccleshall | HMP & YOI | Female | Public (HMPPS) | 338 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP & YOI Stoke Heath | Market Drayton | HMP & YOI | Category C Trainer/Resettlement | Public (HMPPS) | 754 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall | near Lichfield | HMP & YOI | Category C Trainer | Public (HMPPS) | 624 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Birmingham | Birmingham (Winson Green) | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,003 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Dovegate | Uttoxeter | HMP | Category B | Private | 1,160 | n/a | n/a |
| HMP Featherstone | Featherstone, Wolverhampton | HMP | Category C Trainer/Resettlement | Public (HMPPS) | 642 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Hewell | Tardebigge, near Redditch | HMP | Reception | Public (HMPPS) | 1,074 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Long Lartin | near Evesham | HMP | High Security | Public (HMPPS) | 537 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Oakwood | Featherstone, Wolverhampton | HMP | Category C Trainer/Resettlement | Private | 2,034 | n/a | n/a |
| HMP Onley | near Rugby | HMP | Category C Trainer/Resettlement | Public (HMPPS) | 742 | £37,131 | None |
| HMP Rye Hill | near Rugby | HMP | Category C Trainer | Private | 1,122 | n/a | n/a |
| HMP Stafford | Stafford | HMP | Category C Trainer | Public (HMPPS) | 761 | £37,131 | None |
| HMYOI Werrington | Stoke-on-Trent | HMYOI | Not published | Public (HMPPS) | 118 | £37,131 | None |
Other regions
- East Midlands
- East of England
- London
- North East
- North West
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
- South East
- South West
- Wales
- Yorkshire and the Humber
Functional groups here
Prisons in West Midlands: FAQs
How many prisons are in West Midlands?
14: Brinsford, Drake Hall, Stoke Heath, Swinfen Hall, Birmingham, Dovegate, Featherstone, Hewell, Long Lartin, Oakwood, Onley, Rye Hill, Stafford and Werrington. 3 are privately run.
What do prison officers earn in West Midlands?
11 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 West Midlands pay a market supplement?
None, per the HMPPS pay page checked 3 October 2026.
What is the biggest prison in West Midlands?
HMP Oakwood, with an operational capacity of 2,034 at 24 August 2026.
Which prisons in West Midlands have the best HMIP grades?
Drake Hall, Oakwood, Rye Hill and Stafford had no test below reasonably good at their latest full inspection; some of those inspections are several years old.