United Kingdom · North-West · Wigan
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UK YOI prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.
Capacity
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Current population
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Occupancy
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Year opened
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Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 6 Jul 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
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Region
North-West
Security level
Medium
Death-row facility
No
for nearly 80% of the population at the time of this visit being six months or less. A fifth of the population were prisoners on licence This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP YOI Hindley healthy prison outcomes in 2023 staffing challenges. The rate of attrition of officers was in the top 10 of This very inexperienced cohort of officers were managing a very challenging population. — UK IMB Annual Report (2020) — Safety: The safer custody team met four times during the year and is responsible for overseeing the safety of prisoners. The group reviews incidents of self-harm and violence and a detailed analysis is provided. The Board attends the majority of meetings and was concerned when two meetings were cancelled and not therefore receiving in the Board’s view, appropriate priority by senior management. 4.1 [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Accommodation was located over eight wings, including the CSU and pre-PIPE unit for 10 prisoners. RCUs for prisoners arriving at the prison were in both E wing (category C) and F wing (young adults). 5.1.2 The prison has very limited access facilities for those with a physical disability, which has the potential to impact all those who access the estate. [...] Purposeful activity: 7.1.1 Education courses and library services, provided by Novus, were resumed as Covid-19 restrictions were eased. They were, however, limited, with men being released on a wing-by-wing basis for courses, resulting in a significant reduction in the overall number of men being provided opportunities for learning. 7.1.2 The library book lending service was enabled by men making a written request, [...] Preparation for release: 7.2.8 Attendance at activities and education, when available, was poor with only one month (March) having all places allocated and all attending. As others on the wing were paid to remain in their cells, the incentive to attend activity was partly lost and DNA increased, with the lowest attendance in August at 67.6%. 7.3.2 Prisoners were supported by their prison offender manager (POM) and [...]
for nearly 80% of the population at the time of this visit being six This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last At our last full visit in December 2023, Hindley was facing serious What we found during this review visit At this review visit, we found reasonable progress in three areas of
Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Hindley, HMP/YOI Hindley Barracks Road Bickershaw Wigan WN2 5TH See map Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minutes survey.. Use Send Money to a Prisoner (GOV.UK) for funds — cash not accepted.
Manchester, Hindley is a category C training and resettlement prison Time out of cell was limited and there were not enough activity places Manchester, Hindley is a category C training and resettlement prison for up to activity and reasonably good in rehabilitation and release planning. At this no doubt that they were working hard to improve the prison, aided by important not changed: the environment was run down, the regime was poor, and the purposeful work, education or training was taking place. Our colleagues in Ofsted highlighted some positive aspects of the education and skills offer and of all prisoners locked up during the working day, while a further 28% were only aimed at improving outcomes and predictability of the regime, but it was not yet boredom and frustration created by the inactivity of the regime, a key causal problem, but its approach was not working. Other concerning safety outcomes
organised crime, and there were high levels of violence and self-harm. More than half of prisoners tested positive for illegal drugs during random drug testing. Unsurprisingly, staff lacked confidence in reduce the influx of drugs. However, the prison’s radical rebuild and It was commendable that reported rates of violence had reduced during Mandatory drug test data indicated that the positive test rate was address the use of illicit drugs, much of this was very recent and had There had been a concerning increase in reported incidents of self- prevalence of drugs was at the heart of much that undermined safety for factor was the near tsunami of illegal drugs in the prison.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 30. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 26 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 The prison continues to have a transient population with 983 prisoners arriving at the prison during the year (888 in 2024), 764 released back into the community (613 in 2024) and 242 transferred to another establishment (271 in 2024). This can present challenges in dealing with prisoners’ property transfers, settling the men into their new environment, allocating activity places when available, the loss of skilled workers from some areas and the significant additional workload for staff based in the offender management unit (OMU). 4.1.2 All prisoners are received into the main reception area where they meet healthcare and chaplaincy staff. The prison has been operating at or near to full capacity for much of the year but despite this, men have, in general, been allocated and moved to wings in a timely manner. There has been an increase in the number of men arriving at the prison late in the day resulting in staff having to remain on duty, difficulties in sourcing meals and delays to some other first day processes. 4.2 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody 4.2.1 There were two deaths in custody during the year. The inquest for one is scheduled for September 2026 and the second still awaits toxicology reports. These delays are upsetting for families, friends, fellow prisoners and staff. 4.2.2 The number of incidents of self-harm reduced significantly in the second half of the year (2024: 220 in the last 6 months, 2025: 153 in the [...]
The main issue continues to be the shortage of activity spaces, which leads to only around half of the men in the prison being able to pursue meaningful activities at any one time. As a result, some prisoners experience mental health challenges that can lead to an increase in self-harm and the use of illegal drugs. This behaviour often results in mounting debt, which further isolates prisoners and can trigger violence.
7.1.1 The new education contract was introduced during the year and meant a significant reduction in provision, increased class sizes, shorter sessions and the removal of some options. There are now 56 places in education down from 108, based on a revised budget of £1.1m from £1.8m. 7.1.2 Attendance at full-time educational workshops (barbering, joinery, mentoring, multi-skills dry, multi-skills wet and restaurant) reached 91% by the end of the year, peaking at 98% in the restaurant and barbering, and falling to 74% in mentoring. Overall, attendance in part-time activities is slightly lower at 86%. 7.1.3 43% of prisoners were engaged in at least some form of purposeful activity, although only 17% benefitted from this being full-time and hence any form of experience of life after release. 7.1.4 Attendance at activities from those allocated to a specific area was at 78% at the year end. The relatively short stay for many prisoners (36% under 3 months, 56% under 6 months) means that it is challenging to maintain any stability in work areas as prisoners come and go. 7.1.5 The prison has experienced significant IT issues during the year, some software, some hardware. It is very frustrating that these are ongoing and despite chasing, the responsible organisations have not resolved the problems. 7.1.6 There were six new Shannon trust mentors trained who led reading groups in the library. 7.2.1 There has been some movement in the range of industries supporting prisoners as Remade [...]
Generally, the Board considers prisoners to be treated with fairness and humanity. However, the Board continually voiced concerns regarding the numbers of prisoners choosing to self-isolate for extended periods. Many of these prisoners cite debt and fear of violence and wish to remain in isolation for their own safety. Despite regular safety intervention meetings (SIMs), monitoring and encouragement to engage, this section of the prison population continues to cause the Board concern. Chaplaincy regularly engages with self-isolators and actively encourages prisoners to leave their cell and attend the nature area. The prison has also recently introduced a dedicated breakfast club specifically for self-isolators. Throughout the reporting year there were extended periods of restriction to the regime, meaning that prisoners were locked up in a cell without any meaningful activity. Many of these cells, which were originally designed for occupancy by a single young offender, are now being shared by two adult prisoners and are therefore unfit for purpose due to their size and poor facilities. In addition, these restrictions have had a disruptive influence on prisoners’ work routine and education provision, as well as leading to a reduction in social engagement. These factors, when combined, have not only failed to prepare prisoners for the world of work, but they also have had a negative impact on their mental stability and levels of frustration, often resulting in violence and [...]
7.3.1 There has been an increased turnover of prisoners, with 983 (888 in 2024) arriving into the prison during the year and 93% remaining at Hindley for less than two years, either being released (764) or transferred to another establishment (242). Arrivals peaked in December at 104, all of whom needed processing, reviewing and an action plan produced. HMP Hindley was established to cater for around 30 arrivals per month. 7.3.2 The age breakdown at the year-end shows 36% were under 25, the same as the previous year. 7.3.3 The increasingly high turnover rate of prisoners through HMP/YOI Hindley has meant that the work of the offender management unit (OMU) has been extremely pressurised. 7.3.4 The introduction of various early release schemes meant a considerable increase in workload to tight timescales. The team was recognised as team of the year at the Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire regional awards. 7.4.1 The chaplaincy and the charitable organisation Partners of Prisoners support family contact. The importance of family ties is well recognised throughout the prison. 7.4.2 A range of visit days were arranged for target groups: adult only, neurodivergent individuals, families, those on IPP sentences etc. A specific group for those not receiving visitors was convened and met monthly. 7.5.1 On arrival at Hindley, all prisoners are assessed on their readiness for employment on release. This indicates the intervention required to prepare a prisoner for employment on [...]
1.1 Located near Wigan, and almost equidistant between Liverpool and Manchester, Hindley is a category C training and resettlement prison for up to 600 adult and young adult men, of whom about a third are aged under 25. With approximately 60 new arrivals a month, the prison manages a considerable turnover of prisoners, with the length of stay for nearly 80% of the population at the time of this visit being six months or less. A fifth of the population were prisoners on licence recall, as well as many with known links to organised criminal gangs. 1.2 This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last inspection of HMP Young Offender Institution (YOI) Hindley in December 2023. What we found at our last inspection 1.3 At our previous inspection of HMP YOI Hindley in 2023, we made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP YOI Hindley healthy prison outcomes in 2023 1.4 At our last full visit in December 2023, Hindley was facing serious staffing challenges. The rate of attrition of officers was in the top 10 of prisons nationally, and a high number were leaving within their first year of employment. More than 40% of basic grade officers had less than one year’s experience, and 58% had less than two. 1.5 This very inexperienced cohort of officers were managing a very challenging population. A large proportion of prisoners had links to organised crime, and there were high levels of violence and self-harm. More than half of prisoners tested positive for illegal drugs during random drug testing. Unsurprisingly, staff lacked confidence in challenging the frequently poor behaviour we observed. Report of an independent review of progress at HMP YOI Hindley 1.6 Time out of cell was limited and there were not enough activity places for the prison population. Almost a third of prisoners were unemployed and 28% were in part-time jobs. Unemployed men typically had less than three hours a day out of their cells. 1.7 Accommodation at Hindley was cramped and a fifth of prisoners lived in overcrowded conditions. The showers lacked ventilation and common areas were mouldy and dirty. The prison, built in the 1960s and extended in the 1980s, was showing its age and needed investment, including to upgrade physical security, which would help to reduce the influx of drugs. However, the prison’s radical rebuild and expansion programme, which included essential improvements, had been delayed until at least 2027. What we found during this review visit 1.8 At this review visit, we found reasonable progress in three areas of concern, and insufficient progress in five. Ofsted found reasonable progress against two of its themes and insufficient progress against one. 1.9 While there had been some limited investment to improve the prison’s infrastructure, many prisoners continued to live in poor, overcrowded accommodation areas that required much-needed improvement. 1.10 It was commendable that reported rates of violence had reduced during the previous six months compared with the same period before the inspection. Leaders had consulted well with prisoners and staff. Although retention remained challenging, staff, in particular frontline prison officers, had grown in confidence. We observed staff who were more engaged with men and able to challenge unacceptable behaviour to keep prisoners safe. 1.11 However, the ingress of illicit items remained a significant concern. Mandatory drug test data indicated that the positive test rate was higher than at our inspection and remained the highest of all prisons in England and Wales. While some positive action had been taken to address the use of illicit drugs, much of this was very recent and had yet to make any discernible impact. 1.12 There had been a concerning increase in reported incidents of self- harm. Leaders were able to attribute some of this increase to the small
Located near Wigan, and almost equidistant between Liverpool and Manchester, Hindley is a category C training and resettlement prison for up to 600 adult and young adult men, of whom about a third are aged under 25. With approximately 60 new arrivals a month, the prison manages a considerable turnover of prisoners, although others are more established and serving significant sentences. The population includes a substantial number of prisoners on licence recall, as well as many with known links to organised criminal gangs. This was our first full inspection of the jail since 2017, when we found outcomes to be not sufficiently good in our tests of safety and respect, poor in purposeful activity and reasonably good in rehabilitation and release planning. At this inspection our assessments remained unchanged against all four of our healthy prison tests. That is not to say that the leadership were not doing their best. On the contrary, we found that they were committed and passionate and there was no doubt that they were working hard to improve the prison, aided by important interventions from HM Prison and Probation Service. Our concern was that many of the fundamental weaknesses that we identified over five years ago had not changed: the environment was run down, the regime was poor, and the prevalence of drugs was at the heart of much that undermined safety for prisoners. Dating from the early 1960s and extended in the late 1980s, the prison was showing its age. We were told that a planned expansion programme, that would add new accommodation and upgrade some prisoner facilities, had been delayed until at least 2027. This created something of a planning blight in terms of potential investment that might mitigate the immediate difficulties the prison faced. Leaders were not, however, helpless and to their great credit and that of the staff group, much was being done to keep the prison clean and to incentivise prisoners to support that endeavour. However, accommodation was cramped and often overcrowded, and many amenities, including the showers and the kitchen, were in a poor condition. Even facilities such as the gate lodge and the staff search area were not fit for purpose. The prison was, in part, designated as a training prison, and yet far too little purposeful work, education or training was taking place. Our colleagues in Ofsted highlighted some positive aspects of the education and skills offer and judged the overall effectiveness of provision as ‘requires improvement,’ but nearly a third of prisoners were unemployed. During checks we found about half of all prisoners locked up during the working day, while a further 28% were only employed on a part-time basis. Leaders had introduced a new daily routine aimed at improving outcomes and predictability of the regime, but it was not yet embedded and, at the time of our inspection, was causing considerable prisoner frustration. Overall, the prison was still not safe enough. Combined with the indolence, boredom and frustration created by the inactivity of the regime, a key causal factor was the near tsunami of illegal drugs in the prison. Mandatory drug testing revealed a positive test rate of over 52%, meaning that well over half the population were active drug users while we were inspecting. Many prisoners arriving at Hindley already had a drug problem and organised criminality will have influenced these outcomes. The prison had been trying to combat the problem, but its approach was not working. Other concerning safety outcomes included very high levels of recorded violence and high numbers of self-harm incidents. Leaders could point to several creative and useful initiatives and partnerships aimed at improving outcomes, but the very high turnover of prison officers, the consequential inexperience of many staff and their general lack of
7.1.1 Access to education courses is good as a ‘roll on / roll off’ process has operated so men can access the level one literacy and numeracy courses soon after they arrive at the prison. 7.1.2 Frustration arises when courses cannot be held because of staff absence, with a lack of cover for holidays and sickness, etc, due to contract reductions. The staff absence levels meant men were unable to attend classes during the wing lockdown periods, lost motivation, and continuity of delivery and performance suffered. For five months of the year, no permanent English tutor was in post and there was a significant dip, with fewer starts recorded. Since October, the tutor has been employed and results have returned to around 84%, significantly above the contracted target level. Attendance of those allocated to education classes dipped as low as 35% in December 2024, which was mainly due to regime restrictions. This attendance level does not provide the experience or continuity of teaching to achieve a positive outcome. 7.1.3 The emphasis is on the provision of level one and two skills, so that men are eligible to be considered for workshops and future employment opportunities that require these skills. 7.1.4 The library is well stocked and used by the men. Access to the library is systematic, with each residential wing having an allocated slot each week. The frequent wing lockdowns have disrupted access as there have not been the staff to enable men to go to the library. 7.1.5 The [...]
7.3.1 There has been an increased turnover of prisoners, with 888 arriving into the prison during the year and 95% remaining at Hindley for less than two years, either being released or transferred to another establishment, mainly category D prisons as the national push for spaces necessitated. This increases instability, lack of experience in Hindley regime and work requirements with additional administration to try and meet the needs of all men. The age breakdown at the yearend shows 44% are under 30 and 16% aged 18-20. 7.3.2 The increasingly high turnover rate of prisoners through HMP/YOI Hindley has meant that the work of the offender management unit (OMU) has been extremely pressurised, increased by the early release schemes in September (tranche one) and October 2024 (tranche two). 7.3.3 Approximately 125 men were assessed as to their eligibility for release under tranche one, which led to 27 prisoners actually being released. 117 men were considered for release under tranche two, resulting in 22 prisoners being released. 7.3.4 The OMU priorities are to see men soon after they arrive at HMP/YOI Hindley, as well as preparations for men being released. With the high turnover of men through the prison, it is not surprising that the IMB receives applications about the service the OMU is able to provide. 7.3.5 However, the OMU provide weekly drop-in sessions for men on each wing, with designated prisoner offender managers (POMs). 7.3.6 Robust arrangements are in place to [...]
5.1 Accommodation and food 5.1.1 The structure of accommodation remains the same, with the original four wings A, B, C and D unfit for purpose, being cramped, with poor ventilation, inadequate heating and showers and poor lines of sight across the wings. E and F, although better, as they are brighter and with more open space, still consist of mainly shared cells. There is a pre-PIPE (psychologically informed planned environment) unit for prisoners with complex psychological needs, all housed in single cells. 5.1.2 The Board are concerned that the proposed extension, although welcome, will lead to a three tier system of accommodation ranging from the unfit, inhumane original wings, through the newer but still shared accommodation to the new wings with single, ensuite cells, built to the latest specification, and the negative impact this will have on both staff and prisoners. 5.1.3 The Board undertook an in-depth inspection of the residential wings on a rotational basis throughout the year, looking at the appearance of the wing, completeness and quality of paperwork and any issues by speaking to prisoners and staff. These have revealed some cleanliness and hygiene issues over time. The standards vary from day to day. The Board are pleased that wing cleaners are to be given some further training, based on the principle of ‘What does good look like?’ Competitions to reward the cleanest wing have been positive and successful. 5.1.4 The showers on all wings are below standard, due [...]
4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 The prison continues to have a transient population with 888 prisoners arriving at the prison during the year, 613 released back to the community and 271 transferred to another establishment. This can present challenges in dealing with prisoners’ property transfers, settling the men into their new environment, allocating activity places when available, loss of skilled workers from some areas and significant additional workload for staff based in the offender management unit (OMU). However, the number of applications (prisoners’ written representations made to the Board) in respect to property has fallen again this year (a three-year downward trend, 24 in 2022 to 17 in 2023 to 13 in 2024) and for sentence management from 32 in 2022 to 20 in 2023 to eight in 2024. 4.1.2 All prisoners are received into the main reception area, where they see healthcare and chaplaincy, prior to moving to the early days unit (where new prisoners are housed to settle in before being allocated to a wing). Men were allocated to wings, despite the difficulties finding appropriate wings for individuals with the prison population being at, or near, capacity throughout the year. This process worked well overall, with no notable issues. 4.1.3 Searching of individuals and their property in reception prior to the move to the early days unit resulted in some items, mainly illicit substances and phones being prevented from entering the prison. The wide use of the body [...]
The main issue continues to be the shortage of activity spaces, which leads to only around half the men in the prison being able to pursue meaningful activities at any one time. The prison has had over 590 prisoners throughout the year and with around 250 full time places and 250 part time places available on a daily basis, a significant number of men remain without purposeful activity, locked in their cells. As a result, some prisoners experience mental health challenges that can lead to an increase in self-harm and the use of illegal drugs. This behavior often results in mounting debt, which further isolates prisoners and can trigger violence.
Scrutiny inspection of HMP/YOI Hindley (2020-12-15)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Hindley. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-hindley
"HMP Hindley." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-hindley.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-hindley,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Hindley},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-hindley},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}