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UK Open (Cat D) prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.
Background
HM Prison Ford (informally known as Ford Open Prison) is a Category D men's prison, located at Ford, in West Sussex, England, near Arundel and Littlehampton. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
lower roll and a full complement of staff to make some excellent progress in transforming the culture at the prison, building the confidence of officers and improving staff-prisoner relationships. He and other leaders were visible around the site and well known to prisoners and staff, and the prison was a much more such as bricklaying, dry-walling, carpentry, and painting and decorating, and opportunities to join courses at the college. The leadership of education, Although the prison had begun to consider how to improve outcomes for exercise, but absurd health and safety rules meant that, although prisoners leaders to promote more prisoner-led activity. Many of the prisoners who are returned to closed conditions are returned because they have taken drugs.
— UK IMB Annual Report (2024) —
Safety: The prison has an established safer custody function and holds a multidisciplinary safer custody meeting once a month, involving healthcare, integrated substance misuse services, security and chaplaincy. 4.1 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody 4.1.1 There were no deaths in custody and one reported instance of self-harm during the year in review. 4.1.2 There were 11 ACCTs (assessment, care in [...]
Respect: Based on observations, it is our view that the past 12 months have been characterised by inefficiency and failings on the part of the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS, with particular regard to their responsibilities for estate management. These shortcomings have led to financial waste and disruption to the most basic living conditions of the prisoners. 5.1 Accommodation, clothing and food 5.1.1 As [...]
Purposeful activity: 7.1.1 The huge reduction in the training and education budget (20% of the core budget and 40% of the discretionary budget) has, inevitably, adversely affected the delivery of education services. The education team seems to have responded positively and, rather than making across-the-board cuts, they have thoroughly reviewed and redesigned the education offer to meet the needs of a changing prison [...]
Preparation for release: 7.3.1 The primary purpose of the offender management unit (OMU) at Ford is to ensure that men are progressed to ROTL as soon as it is appropriate and practical. Our monitoring clearly demonstrated the OMU’s strong commitment to this aim through both its practice and outcomes. 7.3.2 The OMU has been under significantly increased pressure during the reporting year, as Ford has taken in more and [...]
Progression: The ambition of the education, skills and work (ESW) teams at Ford is for ‘every man to have the opportunity to develop and progress’. Consistent with the ethos of an open prison, each prisoner is strongly encouraged to own their individual future.
Visiting
positive place than it had been at our scrutiny visit during the pandemic.
Mailing
Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Ford, HMP Ford Arundel West Sussex BN18 0BX See map Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey .. Use Send Money to a Prisoner (GOV.UK) for funds — cash not accepted.
Practical info
work is required. The shabbiness of the house blocks is no excuse for those When prisoners arrived at Ford, they were quickly given work and when their risk-assessment was complete there were lots of opportunities for working board meant that prisoners were able to be supported into full-time work both during their sentence and on release. Improvements that we found in rehabilitation and release planning led to an A good partnership with Chichester College provided both on-site workshops opportunities to join courses at the college. The leadership of education, prisoners being denied release on temporary licence (ROTL) for education, address the disproportionate allocation of both work and the best The main complaint from prisoners was the limited availability of the gym, which with outdoor gym equipment in the grounds where many prisoners could coordinated meaning they often clashed with each other or with work, and there prison has worked hard to reduce the supply, but a greater focus on reducing
Known issues
returned to closed conditions are returned because they have taken drugs. The
George Best (22 May 1946 â 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a right winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United.
Higher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Capacity (beds)this: 540 · peers avg: 573 (6%)
Reports
NPM-uk-imb-respect1 Jan 2024
Based on observations, it is our view that the past 12 months have been characterised by inefficiency and failings on the part of the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS, with particular regard to their responsibilities for estate management. These shortcomings have led to financial waste and disruption to the most basic living conditions of the prisoners. 5.1 Accommodation, clothing and food 5.1.1 As of 31 October 2025 (the end of the reporting year), HMP Ford had capacity for 389 prisoners, 214 of whom were housed in the permanent A wing; 55 in two separate annexes; and 120 in ‘temporary’ pods. 5.1.2 The proposed expansion of the prison appears to have taken a backwards step: the planning application for these works, which was current at the time of our previous annual report, was refused on 31 July 2025, due to the Ministry of Justice’s failure to provide multiple pieces of 2 information that had been requested at an early stage of the application process. An appeal was lodged on 1 February 2026. Nonetheless, and despite the lack of tangible evidence, such as statutory consents or a detailed programme and plan of work, the prison Governor is in contact with the currently preferred contractors and seems confident that the project is moving forward. 5.1.3 There are still no purpose-designed rooms for prisoners with disabilities, although the C1 landing on A wing and eight of the pods have modifications to assist prisoners with physical needs. 5.1.4 As previously noted in the HMIP [...]
7.3.1 The primary purpose of the offender management unit (OMU) at Ford is to ensure that men are progressed to ROTL as soon as it is appropriate and practical. Our monitoring clearly demonstrated the OMU’s strong commitment to this aim through both its practice and outcomes. 7.3.2 The OMU has been under significantly increased pressure during the reporting year, as Ford has taken in more and more high-risk prisoners to fill the vacancies left after various early release schemes. As at 31 October 2025, there were 180 prisoners assessed as high risk, compared with 109 at the end of the previous year, an increase of 65%. These men typically take longer to progress to ROTL and require the intervention of more qualified probation-trained members of the OMU team, who were already under pressure. An example of why this process takes longer is that the number of men at Ford who are designated as ‘persons posing a risk to children’ has doubled in the reporting period. The situation is made worse by: • the sending prisons not delivering any formal or informal preparation of the men being transferred to Ford; • a decrease in the quality and quantity of risk assessments being carried out by the closed estate; and • specific operational resourcing issues in the OMU. 7.3.3 We note that one prisoner was wrongly released before the correct date during the reporting year. This was due to a procedural error in communication between the prison and parole board. 7.3.4 As reported in previous [...]
The ambition of the education, skills and work (ESW) teams at Ford is for ‘every man to have the opportunity to develop and progress’. Consistent with the ethos of an open prison, each prisoner is strongly encouraged to own their individual future.
The prison has an established safer custody function and holds a multidisciplinary safer custody meeting once a month, involving healthcare, integrated substance misuse services, security and chaplaincy. 4.1 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody 4.1.1 There were no deaths in custody and one reported instance of self-harm during the year in review. 4.1.2 There were 11 ACCTs (assessment, care in custody and teamwork documents) opened during the reporting year. These are designed to support vulnerable prisoners. From our observations, they were all dealt with appropriately and closed promptly. 4.2 Violence and violence reduction, self-isolation 4.2.1 There was one case of prisoner-on-prisoner violence. In addition, there was another such incident, which occurred in the restaurant, Serving Thyme. The restaurant is based on the prison estate but it is both open to the public and viewed as outside for the men who work there. The prisoners who perpetrated both assaults were returned to closed conditions. 4.3 Use of force, failure to return/absconds/returned to closed conditions 4.3.1 There were four instances of use of force. This compares with seven in the previous reporting year and 10 in the year to October 2023. 4.3.2 Three prisoners were recorded as failing to return while on release on temporary licence (ROTL), compared with four in 2024. Of these, two were subsequently recaptured. 4.3.3 During the second half of the reporting year, checks of prisoners on ROTL were carried [...]
7.1.1 The huge reduction in the training and education budget (20% of the core budget and 40% of the discretionary budget) has, inevitably, adversely affected the delivery of education services. The education team seems to have responded positively and, rather than making across-the-board cuts, they have thoroughly reviewed and redesigned the education offer to meet the needs of a changing prison population – including both long- and short-term prisoners - in the available budget. The effect of the education budget cuts has been minimised, where possible, during the reporting year; however, further budget reductions will affect provision from April 2026, when Maths and English teaching hours are due to be reduced by 20%. 7.1.2 Under the revised offer, the focus on Maths, English and digital skills courses continues, whilst other courses have been discontinued. Core courses being maintained: • English • Maths • Essential digital skills for life • Essential digital skills for employment • Adult education training • Peer mentoring As a result of the reduced budget, many courses are no longer available, including: • Social media marketing • Self-employment • Money matters • Art These courses had provided important life skills to many prisoners. Future prisoners will lose out because these courses are no longer available. 7.1.3 Although the records for the period, April 2025 to September 2025 show that 70 prisoners attended functional skill courses in English and Maths, this is [...]
Ford is an open prison in West Sussex that housed 382 prisoners at the time of
our inspection. The governor, appointed in April 2022, had taken advantage of a
lower roll and a full complement of staff to make some excellent progress in
transforming the culture at the prison, building the confidence of officers and
improving staff-prisoner relationships. He and other leaders were visible around
the site and well known to prisoners and staff, and the prison was a much more
positive place than it had been at our scrutiny visit during the pandemic.
Prisoners liked living in the new pod accommodation that had been recently
expanded, but the older parts of the jail were well past their best. There had
been some refurbishment of these blocks, including new showers, but further
work is required. The shabbiness of the house blocks is no excuse for those
areas of the prison, such as the kitchen, that were not being properly cleaned.
When prisoners arrived at Ford, they were quickly given work and when their
risk-assessment was complete there were lots of opportunities for working
outside the jail or attending courses at Chichester College, with 136 going out
every day. Good links with local employers with support from the employment
board meant that prisoners were able to be supported into full-time work both
during their sentence and on release.
Improvements that we found in rehabilitation and release planning led to an
improved score, with this area now being judged as good. The well-run offender
management unit (OMU) provided bespoke support to help prisoners progress
with their sentences and a weekly drop-in session meant they could get timely
information or help.
Elsewhere, the health care provider was also doing an excellent job with
inspectors describing it as one of the best they had seen.
A good partnership with Chichester College provided both on-site workshops
such as bricklaying, dry-walling, carpentry, and painting and decorating, and
opportunities to join courses at the college. The leadership of education,
however, lacked dynamism and led to not enough prisoners getting the help
they needed with basic literacy and numeracy, the lack of which were leading to
prisoners being denied release on temporary licence (ROTL) for education,
training and employment.
Although the prison had begun to consider how to improve outcomes for
different groups of prisoners, they had not done enough to understand and
address the disproportionate allocation of both work and the best
accommodation.
The main complaint from prisoners was the limited availability of the gym, which
apart from Saturday mornings was closed at the weekend. The grass and
Astroturf football five-aside pitches were hardly used. There was a small area
with outdoor gym equipment in the grounds where many prisoners could
exercise, but absurd health and safety rules meant that, although prisoners
were allowed to drive an HGV or a forklift truck, they were not allowed to kick a
football around without supervision.
Enrichment activities such as the choir, art and mindfulness were not well-
coordinated meaning they often clashed with each other or with work, and there
was not enough for prisoners to do at the weekends or evenings. Given the
stability of the prison and abilities of the inmates, there is a real opportunity for
leaders to promote more prisoner-led activity. Many of the prisoners who are
returned to closed conditions are returned because they have taken drugs. The
prison has worked hard to reduce the supply, but a greater focus on reducing
boredom and providing more activity may well help to reduce the demand.
The governor and his team have done an excellent job in reinvigorating Ford,
inspiring staff and making the jail a positive and purposeful place.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
May 2023
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