United Kingdom · South-East & East · Suffolk
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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
South-East & East
Security level
Minimum
Death-row facility
No
of our inspection, held an expanded population of 627 men who were coming to the end of their sentences. Under the excellent leadership of a thoughtful, Even on the older units, prisoners lived in clean and well-ordered conditions, leaders. Prisoners who had proved themselves trustworthy lived in new pod Chief Inspector, where very effective staff supported prisoners to develop skills such as bricklaying, carpentry and horticulture. However, we found that some of the working hours did not mirror working conditions in the community, with and safety rules. — UK IMB Annual Report (2020) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 From their arrival at Hollesley Bay, prisoners are treated well and in their first week are led through induction processes by a combination of staff and their peers, who help them settle in. As a result, by far the majority behave well, both among themselves and with prison officers. They appreciate the greater freedom of an open establishment and appear to be [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Rooms in the residential units are mainly adequate and, for the majority, single occupancy, but approximately 100 men are in shared accommodation. Almost all prisoners have their own television and/or radio, and personal provisions according to what they can afford and wish to buy from the canteen. The individual ‘bunkabin’ style of accommodation has proven [...] Purposeful activity: 7.3.1 The establishment provides a range of vocational training courses, including horticulture, painting and decorating, waste management and recycling, motor mechanics and fleet maintenance, bricklaying, carpentry, sports and catering. These courses develop practical skills in workshops and teach theory. Assessments are by written exams and practical coursework. 7.3.2 Entry-level and levels 1 [...] Preparation for release: 7.2.1 A large percentage of prisoners arrive at the prison with only a basic offender assessment system (OASys) assessment (concerning the risks and needs of each prisoner) completed, and staff in the OMU treat the updating of these assessments as a priority. 7.2.2 At the time of a prisoner’s arrival and induction process, sentence planning includes testing for literacy and learning levels, and [...]
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Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Hollesley Bay, HMP/YOI Hollesley Bay Rectory Road Woodbridge Suffolk IP12 3JW 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.
At induction, new arrivals were shown how they could earn trust and work towards moving into the best accommodation and opportunities to work off site. The jail contained some of the better-run workshops I have seen in my time as the working hours did not mirror working conditions in the community, with prisoners returning to their units at lunch and workshops disappointingly closed Apart from a lack of accredited courses in English and maths, most education prisoners were going to work outside the jail every day. This was further employment opportunities for release. Although this was not as high as The offender management unit was staffed by an impressive team who worked to be released and only very few prisoners left without accommodation to go to.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons completed a full inspection of HMP/YOI Hollesley Bay in April 2024; the published report is available on the HMIP website.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 11. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 7 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
Hollesley Bay is a category D prison in the Suffolk countryside that, at the time of our inspection, held an expanded population of 627 men who were coming to the end of their sentences. Under the excellent leadership of a thoughtful, innovative governor and his strong team this safe, decent establishment had become one of the most impressive in the country. At the centre of this was the sequencing of the prisoner journey through the jail. At induction, new arrivals were shown how they could earn trust and work towards moving into the best accommodation and opportunities to work off site. Even on the older units, prisoners lived in clean and well-ordered conditions, mostly in single rooms, with standards maintained at a weekly meeting of leaders. Prisoners who had proved themselves trustworthy lived in new pod accommodation, which was some of the best in the prison estate. Here there were opportunities for prisoners to shop for their own food and cook it in reasonably well-equipped kitchens. The jail contained some of the better-run workshops I have seen in my time as Chief Inspector, where very effective staff supported prisoners to develop skills such as bricklaying, carpentry and horticulture. However, we found that some of the working hours did not mirror working conditions in the community, with prisoners returning to their units at lunch and workshops disappointingly closed on Fridays. Apart from a lack of accredited courses in English and maths, most education was of a good standard and attendance rates were high. Many prisoners did not have enough to do in the evenings or weekends because there were only very limited enrichment activities on offer. I was also disappointed to see that prisoners were not allowed to play ball games unsupervised because of health and safety rules. This seemed excessively cautious in a jail where prisoners could learn to drive a forklift truck and would soon be able to pass their HGV licence. The prison had developed good relationships with employers, meaning 20% of prisoners were going to work outside the jail every day. This was further supported by the Employment Advisory Board who helped to identify employment opportunities for release. Although this was not as high as elsewhere, the governor had plans to develop further opportunities. Prisoners were reliant on an ageing fleet of minibuses that were costing a lot to keep on the road; money from the prison service for their replacement had, disappointingly, not been forthcoming. The offender management unit was staffed by an impressive team who worked hard to support prisoners to progress through the end of their sentences. Unlike in other prisons, they allowed prisoners to drop in and ask for help. This was typical of the culture at Hollesley Bay where most staff were committed to supporting those in their care. The busy employment hub provided excellent support for those who were about to be released and only very few prisoners left without accommodation to go to. The worrying public protection failings we highlighted at our last inspection had been resolved. Leaders had worked hard to make sure that officer vacancies were filled, and that new staff were mentored in their first year at the jail. This had led to improvements in the retention rate with far fewer leaving. The governor, his team and the prisoners can rightly be proud of their achievements at Hollesley Bay. It is a place where innovation flourishes and prisoners are given every opportunity to acquire the sorts of skills that will help them to stay out of trouble and make a success of their lives when they are released. Charlie Taylor HM Chief Inspector of Prisons May 2024
4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 From their arrival at Hollesley Bay, prisoners are treated well and in their first week are led through induction processes by a combination of staff and their peers, who help them settle in. As a result, by far the majority behave well, both among themselves and with prison officers. They appreciate the greater freedom of an open establishment and appear to be keen to progress peacefully and purposefully through the last stage of their sentences. 4.1.2 However, being an open prison with low staffing levels (relative to a closed establishment), residents have to sustain good behaviour to avoid transfer back to closed conditions. Such decisions are based on an ‘open conditions suitability assessment’, and typical reasons for transfers back to closed conditions include: violence or threats to staff or other prisoners risk of absconding risk to the public substance abuse. 4.1.3 In 2020, transfers back to closed conditions stood at an average of 11 per month, compared with 15 per month in 2019. A downward trend had been expected following the Governor’s determination to review standard penalties, which resulted in a slight relaxation on certain lesser offences and a crackdown on possession of illicit substances. 4.1.4 Developing this further, the total for 2020 (out of a population of 256 who were considered for ‘return to closed’) was 135 (53%) who were actually returned. This compares with 261 ‘considered’ and 174 (67%) who were returned in [...]
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Rooms in the residential units are mainly adequate and, for the majority, single occupancy, but approximately 100 men are in shared accommodation. Almost all prisoners have their own television and/or radio, and personal provisions according to what they can afford and wish to buy from the canteen. The individual ‘bunkabin’ style of accommodation has proven popular with the vast majority of prisoners. 5.1.2 Common areas in the units are generally clean and functional, and all provide recreational facilities such as snooker and pool or table tennis, plus outdoor furniture in surrounding grounds for spring and summer. 5.1.3 Appropriate clothing is provided for prisoners to wear to undertake their work. 5.1.4 The Board considers that the food at the prison, especially lunch, consisting of soup, a baguette and a small packet of crisps, is just about adequate but little more. This was reported last year and in the previous year. Board members are frequently reminded that the daily cash allowance for feeding a prisoner is just over £2 per day, and the constraints under which the prison operates are well understood. 5.1.5 In a move to encourage greater prisoner independence and a contribution towards greater self-sufficiency and independent living, two microwave ovens per unit give prisoners the opportunity to cook or heat their own food. The Board greatly welcomes plans for cooking facilities within units to be augmented in the near future, [...]
7.3.1 The establishment provides a range of vocational training courses, including horticulture, painting and decorating, waste management and recycling, motor mechanics and fleet maintenance, bricklaying, carpentry, sports and catering. These courses develop practical skills in workshops and teach theory. Assessments are by written exams and practical coursework. 7.3.2 Entry-level and levels 1 and 2 mathematics and English, and some information technology courses are provided in classroom settings. Take-up of mathematics and English courses is low but training in the vocational workshops is popular. 7.3.3 In 2020, education and training were severely disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All in-person education and training in the classrooms and workshops stopped on 23 March, the start of the government’s first lockdown. Government COVID-19 guidelines for prisons prevented the resumption of in-person activities until late autumn, and four workshops opened on 2 November, only to be shut down again with the onset of the third lockdown. 7.3.4 As a substitute for in-person teaching and training, the prison distributed work packs to the residential units to enable prisoners to continue with work on their existing course or to start a new one. These work packs were provided by People Plus, the education provider, and contained a mix of information and various exercises. The packs also suggested that prisoners draw up a learning diary to help them focus on the tasks. 7.3.5 The [...]
7.2.1 A large percentage of prisoners arrive at the prison with only a basic offender assessment system (OASys) assessment (concerning the risks and needs of each prisoner) completed, and staff in the OMU treat the updating of these assessments as a priority. 7.2.2 At the time of a prisoner’s arrival and induction process, sentence planning includes testing for literacy and learning levels, and prisoners are offered the opportunity for extra tuition in literacy and mathematics. They are also given information on what sort of work or courses are available to them while at Hollesley Bay; their preferences are noted and acted on as far as possible. 7.2.3 Towards the end of their sentence, as soon as a prisoner reaches the ‘12 weeks remaining’ point (prior to release), his offender supervisor activates an alert process with all necessary agencies, including probation and/or CRC staff, the healthcare team and the police. The offender supervisor helps and supports the prisoner to navigate through the bureaucracy attached to leaving prison and settling back into life outside of prison 7.2.4 In the course of their time at Hollesley Bay, prisoners can participate in offending behaviour programmes, such as Sycamore Tree and Fire Break, both of which have proved popular, from feedback received from prisoners. These courses, although fewer in number in 2020, can be extremely effective in helping to re-establish a prisoner’s ‘moral compass’. 7.2.5 ROTL plays a huge part in prisoners’ [...]
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Hollesley Bay. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-hollesley-bay
"HMP Hollesley Bay." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-hollesley-bay.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-hollesley-bay,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Hollesley Bay},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-hollesley-bay},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}