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United Kingdom · East Midlands · Leicester

HMP Leicester

LocalHighmaleLowHigh
Verified 22 May 2026 · Data dated 1 Dec 2025
Fresh · 7d ago

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

For families

How to send mail, money, and visit HMP Leicester

Step-by-step guidance using the United Kingdom system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.

Open toolkit
Photograph of HMP Leicester

UK Local prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.

Background

HM Prison Leicester is a Category B men's Local prison, located on Welford Road in the centre of Leicester, Leicestershire, England. The term 'local' means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners. Leicester Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is situated immediately north of Nelson Mandela Park (formerly Welford Road Recreation Ground). According to Colin Crosby, a Blue Badge guide based in Leicester, tourists invariably ask if the prison is 'Leicester Castle', due to the embattled, medieval design of its frontage, and its unique appearance has also made it one of the city's most celebrated landmarks. Known throughout the nineteenth century as the 'County Gaol', today the prison has become synonymous with the thoroughfare on which it stands, and is commonly referred to as 'Welford Road Prison', or simply, 'Welford Road'.

Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.

Capacity

320

Current population

Occupancy

Year opened

1828

Operational

Facility profile

Operator

HM Prison & Probation Service

Population held

male

Opened

1828

Region

East Midlands

Security level

High

Death-row facility

No

Conditions

HMI Prisons publishes independent inspection reports on roughly a 3-5 year cycle.

Visiting

Visits booked online via the GOV.UK Prison Visits Booking service. Photo ID required. Visit frequency varies by the inmate's IEP level.

Mailing

Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Leicester, HMP Leicester 116 Welford Road Leicester LE2 7AJ 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

Assisted Prison Visits Unit can help with travel costs for eligible families. Email a Prisoner service is available via the official website.

Known issues

Contact & address

HMP Leicester 116 Welford Road Leicester LE2 7AJ See map Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey ., Leicester LE2 7AJ

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

0/100
Low concern0/100
Overcrowding
0/30
Oversight reports
0/30
Structural flags
0/15
Death signals
0/15
Conditions text
0/10

Compared to other facilities in United Kingdom

583 peers
Conditions risk scorethis: 0/100 · peers avg: 4/100 (100%)

Higher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.

Capacity (beds)this: 320 · peers avg: 640 (50%)

Data completeness

94%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources