United Kingdom · South West England · Wotton-under-Edge
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Closed female prison in Wotton-under-Edge, South West England.
Capacity
360
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1996
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 6 Jul 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
female
Opened
1996
Region
South West England
Security level
Medium
Death-row facility
No
Determined leadership from the governor and her senior team had led to the improvements in safety, but all other judgements remained the same, at Levels of self-harm, violence and use of force were still some of the highest in the women’s estate. The rate of assaults against staff were the highest of all women’s prisons and often occurred during restraints when staff used force to than we found at our 2022 inspection or at our recent thematic visit. Leaders Leaders had also worked hard to improve the recruitment and retention of staff, focus on staff well-being, with those working on the Cherry Blossom unit governor’s leadership and visibility around the jail. The frequent curtailment of the regime, caused by the unlocking of women who and the many who were withdrawing from drugs or alcohol were housed on a When we inspected in 2022, we were particularly concerned by the appalling was much improved. — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction During the reporting period there were 3,774 receptions, of which 1,612 were new receptions. Some 1,444 prisoners were released and 429 were recalled to custody. The reception area always seemed to be clean and uncluttered. From the Board’s observations, staff were calm and empathetic, especially when it was a woman’s first time in prison. Young offender (YO) orderlies [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Accommodation The Board made random inspections of cells awaiting occupation and they were generally of an acceptable standard. Following fire safety concerns, residential accommodation on Res 7 was closed at the end of October 2025. Whilst some assurances were given about transferring to single-cell accommodation, a number of prisoners found themselves having to [...] Purposeful activity: • The head of education, skills and work left in June. The post has been filled, but the new appointee is still awaiting vetting. To mitigate any issues, the prison has temporarily promoted an appropriately qualified member of staff into the position. • Attendance at education for the reporting year was 73.74% (88% in 2024; and • Attendance at education for the reporting year was 73.74% (88% in [...] Preparation for release: In the reporting year, an individual was returned to custody from home detention curfew because an electronic tag could not be fitted. They were eventually re- released some weeks later, when an alternative tagging arrangement was put in place. The Board raised concerns with the Prisons and Probation Minister about a delay in transferring a disabled prisoner to approved premises, as the only [...]
than we found at our 2022 inspection or at our recent thematic visit. Leaders prisoners at the time of our visit. Women held there range from those had simply disappeared.
The governor – who had been in post for nine months – and her relatively
reasonably good for respect and preparation for release and not sufficiently good for purposeful activity. had worked hard to reduce the over-reliance on the use of anti-ligature clothing way mental health difficulties and substance misuse can impact the behaviour Leaders had also worked hard to improve the recruitment and retention of staff, focus on staff well-being, with those working on the Cherry Blossom unit The frequent curtailment of the regime, caused by the unlocking of women who get basic requests dealt with. To add to this, the use of release on temporary maximise their time at the prison and to benefit their resettlement prospects. a reduction in mental health services and other support going to these their severe mental health conditions were continuing to stay at the prison for judgement of poor.
Levels of self-harm, violence and use of force were still some of the highest in the women’s estate. The rate of assaults against staff were the highest of all prevent self-harm. However, there were now much better standards of care and the many who were withdrawing from drugs or alcohol were housed on a difficulties and many were caught in the cycle of homelessness, drug or alcohol properly established or overseen. In effect it housed, in segregation, women prisoners in great distress, some of whose levels of self-harm were extreme.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 25. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 21 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
Higher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Eastwood Park held 360 women from a wide catchment area across England and South Wales. The governor had successfully argued for the regrading of this South Gloucestershire jail as a ‘complex prison’; a decision that will, I hope, mean the establishment loses fewer managers to better paid jobs elsewhere. Determined leadership from the governor and her senior team had led to the improvements in safety, but all other judgements remained the same, at reasonably good for respect and preparation for release and not sufficiently good for purposeful activity. Levels of self-harm, violence and use of force were still some of the highest in the women’s estate. The rate of assaults against staff were the highest of all women’s prisons and often occurred during restraints when staff used force to prevent self-harm. However, there were now much better standards of care than we found at our 2022 inspection or at our recent thematic visit. Leaders had worked hard to reduce the over-reliance on the use of anti-ligature clothing and to develop a much more considered and bespoke response to women who harmed themselves. Additional training helped officers to better understand the way mental health difficulties and substance misuse can impact the behaviour of the women in their care. Leaders had also worked hard to improve the recruitment and retention of staff, and to enhance the capability of frontline officers. There was now a greater focus on staff well-being, with those working on the Cherry Blossom unit receiving clinical supervision, and many officers spoke positively about the governor’s leadership and visibility around the jail. The frequent curtailment of the regime, caused by the unlocking of women who had been segregated on the wing, was a common frustration and meant those who were unemployed could be locked up to 22 hours a day, particularly at weekends. The applications system, which lacked proper oversight, was another source of frustration for women and meant they were often unable to get basic requests dealt with. To add to this, the use of release on temporary licence had reduced and there was little to incentivise women living on the main wings to improve their behaviour. Ofsted found that there were not enough activity spaces to keep women occupied in a full-time basis and a significant minority did not access a curriculum that provided them with the necessary vocational opportunities to maximise their time at the prison and to benefit their resettlement prospects. The support for women in their first days in custody was much improved. Those who had not been to prison before were supported by the Hope programme, and the many who were withdrawing from drugs or alcohol were housed on a specialist unit that benefitted from 24-hour medical supervision. Elsewhere in the jail, there was a good range of interventions to help those with addiction problems. When we inspected in 2022, we were particularly concerned by the appalling standards we found on house block 4. That unit, renamed as Cherry Blossom, was much improved. We were, however, concerned to find that there had been a reduction in mental health services and other support going to these particularly vulnerable women, compared to what we had seen at our progress review in 2023. Women who should have been in secure hospitals because of their severe mental health conditions were continuing to stay at the prison for much too long. Despite the many positives at the jail, it was disappointing to see that for the many women on remand, or recalled to custody, often for very short periods of time, the offer was very limited. Many of these women were returning to the community with nowhere stable to live or in many cases, homeless. It was also disappointing that for the around a third of women at the jail who came from Wales, NHS Wales was putting these women at a disadvantage because of
4.1 Reception and induction During the reporting period there were 3,774 receptions, of which 1,612 were new receptions. Some 1,444 prisoners were released and 429 were recalled to custody. The reception area always seemed to be clean and uncluttered. From the Board’s observations, staff were calm and empathetic, especially when it was a woman’s first time in prison. Young offender (YO) orderlies (trusted prisoners who take on work to provide services that contribute to the running of the prison) met young arrivals in reception to reassure them and subsequently followed them up with wing visits. Orderlies managed a clothes store that was usually well stocked although there were some delays. ‘Early days’ was a service for all women arriving into custody. It covered their initial reception and subsequent 14 days on the induction wing. All prisoners were required to have a full prison and healthcare screening, with risks were highlighted and forwarded to relevant areas. Orderlies checked that cells were ready with basic toiletries, bedding and underwear. Staff received neurodiversity/mental health training to equip them to manage prisoners arriving with a range of challenges. Staff compassion was noted when prisoners were leaving for distressing occasions, such as funerals, for example. When other prisons reached their capacity (certified normal accommodation), new prisoners were frequently dispatched to Eastwood Park. This resulted in long journeys and very late arrivals. When [...]
• The head of education, skills and work left in June. The post has been filled, but the new appointee is still awaiting vetting. To mitigate any issues, the prison has temporarily promoted an appropriately qualified member of staff into the position. • Attendance at education for the reporting year was 73.74% (88% in 2024; and • Attendance at education for the reporting year was 73.74% (88% in 2024; and 84% in 2023 84%). This was lower than in previous years due to a range of other activities that were acceptable for non-attendance at education and also extremely high rates of sickness. • Course achievements for the reporting period were: • Course achievements for the reporting period were: o English entry, Levels 1 and 2: 92% in 2025 (94.3% in 2024) o Maths entry, Levels 1 and 2: 96% in 2025 (65.3% in 2024) o Maths entry, Levels 1 and 2: 96% in 2025 (65.3% in 2024) o Essential digital skills: 100% in 2025 (74.3% in 2024). o Essential digital skills: 100% in 2025 (74.3% in 2024). • Literacy levels at induction screening found 8% of prisoners had literacy levels at pre-entry or Entry level 1. • Basic reading needs were identified at induction, with remedial support given by • Basic reading needs were identified at induction, with remedial support given by staff from the Shannon Trust and prisoner orderlies. • Education data was recorded on a new management system, Curious 2.0. • Education data was recorded on a new management system, Curious 2.0. • Remand prisoners were [...]
In the reporting year, an individual was returned to custody from home detention curfew because an electronic tag could not be fitted. They were eventually re- released some weeks later, when an alternative tagging arrangement was put in place. The Board raised concerns with the Prisons and Probation Minister about a delay in transferring a disabled prisoner to approved premises, as the only adapted accommodation was located a considerable distance from her home area. This would have resulted in unreasonably long journeys for family visits. The situation appears to highlight a wider shortage of suitable provision for disabled women. The prison received innovation money to create a remand hub to develop expertise on remand prisoners and their needs. The prison was the Women’s Lead in the National Immediate Release from Court Pathfinder. There were 18 applications about letters, visits, phones and public protection restrictions, which as more than in the previous year but still a low level. The Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) charity supported 16 all-day contacts this year and also held adult-only social visits for prisoners without children, as well as ‘quiet visits for those who find crowds and noise difficult to manage (largely neurodivergent prisoners). Women were offered double social visits when there was availability. Social video calls were well-established, with fluctuating numbers due to laptop issue. But in the second half of October, there were 22 calls, higher [...]
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Accommodation The Board made random inspections of cells awaiting occupation and they were generally of an acceptable standard. Following fire safety concerns, residential accommodation on Res 7 was closed at the end of October 2025. Whilst some assurances were given about transferring to single-cell accommodation, a number of prisoners found themselves having to share cells. They also complained that the standard of cells provided on Res 5 left a lot to be desired. Shower refurbishments on Res 3, 4, 5 and 6 were several months behind schedule. The final shower room on Res 3 was due for completion by the end of November 2025. The net-zero project to replace oil heating with air-source heat pumps continued to progress. A temporary boiler was installed whilst the main boiler room was extended to accommodate the new plant and equipment, and construction of the air-source heat pump compound was under construction. The number of outstanding minor maintenance jobs had fallen from 148 to 142 at the end of the reporting period. For most of this time, GFSL was four or five operatives short, mainly due to excessive delays in completing security checks on new employees. Most of these vacancies were due to be filled by the end of 2025. A major incident was declared in October 2025, following a digger cutting through the prison’s water main. An emergency action plan was put in place and the main water supply was reinstated overnight. Clothing The Board [...]
1.1 Eastwood Park is a women’s prison in Gloucestershire holding 353 prisoners at the time of our visit. Women held there range from those on remand or serving very short prison sentences to others who have been given an indeterminate sentence or life in prison. 1.2 At our previous inspection of HMP/YOI Eastwood Park in 2022, we made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. We found that safety had declined considerably, and we gave our lowest judgement of poor. Purposeful activity had also declined. Outcomes under the respect test remained reasonably good and those under the resettlement test had improved slightly. Figure 1: HMP/YOI Eastwood Park healthy prison outcomes in 2019 and 2022 Good Reasonably good Not sufficiently good Poor
Eastwood Park is a women’s prison in Gloucestershire that held 348 prisoners at the time of our inspection. Like the other closed prisons in the women’s estate, it holds a range of prisoners from those on remand to others who are serving indeterminate sentences or life. In our survey 83% of women told us that they were suffering from mental health difficulties and many were caught in the cycle of homelessness, drug or alcohol misuse and offending. This made for a challenging environment which required highly skilled professionals to provide support for those in their care. In recent years, the prison had struggled to recruit and retain enough staff and at the time of our inspection a third of officer and operational support grades were not available. These shortages were set to worsen with the imminent withdrawal of detached duty staff who had been supporting the prison in recent months. The effect of staff shortages meant that the already curtailed regime was often further restricted and some of the consistency of provision and support that was essential in providing for this population was not in place. Women’s prisons thrive when staff have time to build strong, professional relationships with the prisoners; at Eastwood Park, despite the dedication of many officers, this was sometimes just not possible. The governor – who had been in post for nine months – and her relatively inexperienced, but enthusiastic senior team, had assessed the current state of the prison and had clear plans in place that showed a determination to address the many challenges. Leaders, however, had not developed clear enough measures for assessing progress against priorities, and the use of data more generally required improvement. For example, there was no central record or oversight of the number of women who had been segregated, the reasons why or for how long. The treatment and conditions of women located on houseblock 4 were described by one experienced inspector as the worst that he had seen. The criteria for why women were sent to the unit were unclear and its role was not properly established or overseen. In effect it housed, in segregation, women who could not be placed elsewhere in the jail, due to their mental health needs or associated behaviour. The cells were appalling, dilapidated and covered in graffiti, one was blood-splattered, and some had extensive scratches on the walls which reflected the degree of trauma previous residents must have experienced. No prisoner should be held in such conditions, let alone women who were acutely unwell and in great distress. I was also deeply concerned about the welfare of the staff who worked there; they were dedicated and courageous, but were not adequately trained or qualified to support the women on the unit. They received no clinical supervision, despite being exposed to prisoners in great distress, some of whose levels of self-harm were extreme. Specialist input from others had dropped off over time and the therapeutic ethos had simply disappeared. Neither the leadership team nor, in their recent visits, the prison group director’s staff, had noticed the severity of this situation. Across the prison, we saw a need for more staff training in understanding how to support the specific needs of women prisoners, and though we saw many excellent interactions during the week, women told us that often they felt dismissed or ignored. Some prisoners told us that this was one factor in the high and rising levels of self-harm in the prison and increasing levels of violence towards officers. There were also difficulties for women in getting some of the most basic requirements. For example, parcels from family members took a long time to clear, women could not buy clothes from within the prison and I met one prisoner who had to borrow a bra from her cellmate because nothing was
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Eastwood Park. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-eastwood-park
"HMP Eastwood Park." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-eastwood-park.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-eastwood-park,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Eastwood Park},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-eastwood-park},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}