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UK Local prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.
Background
HM Prison Liverpool (formerly Walton Gaol) is a category B local men's prison in Walton, Liverpool, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
commitment from the experienced staff team. The change in population to a areas. Safety had dropped from reasonably good to not sufficiently good, Overall, this was a very encouraging inspection. At our visit in 2017, we found a radical interventions, including a sharp reduction in the prison population.
— UK IMB Annual Report (2025) —
Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction A high number of prisoners resisted transfers to other prisons by either taking, or claiming to have taken, overdoses or swallowed harmful objects. This is very disruptive to the prison operation and an inefficient in use of transport resources. In total, there were 27 refusals to transfer during the three-month periods of March to May. The IMB noted that some [...]
Respect: Not covered
Purposeful activity: The education budget was cut by around 50% during the year, leading to a reduction in provision. This occurred when the prison had not yet fully adjusted to the role of a local reception prison. In the Board’s view, the structure of the education and training offer needs to reflect the high turnover of prisoners, as well as the need to prepare them for transfer to other establishments where [...]
Preparation for release: Sentence planning and progression at HMP Liverpool varies, depending on the length and type of sentence. As a mostly reception prison now, it only houses prisoners who are on remand, who have been recalled, or who have 16 months or less to serve at the point of sentence. The mix of prisoners also includes young offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 Under the offender management in custody model [...]
Progression: In April 2025, the Activities and Pay Policy was reviewed. The policy aims to ‘endeavour to promote and support a rehabilitative culture within HMP Liverpool’. It is intended to be open and transparent, ensuring that prisoners who participate constructively in the establishment’s regime receive appropriate pay. The policy also supports prisoners’ educational journey by ensuring that opportunities [...]
Visiting
Overall, this was a very encouraging inspection. At our visit in 2017, we found a
Mailing
Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Liverpool, HMP Liverpool 68 Hornby Road Liverpool L9 3DF 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
Built in the mid-19th century, HMP Liverpool, a reception and resettlement responsibilities will end, and it will become a category C resettlement prison.
Known issues
Subject of one of HMI Prisons' most critical inspection reports (2017) — conditions described as the worst the Chief Inspector had seen in a UK jail.
Charles Arthur Salvador (born Michael Gordon Peterson; 6 December 1952; formerly known as Charles Ali Ahmed), better known by his professional name of Charles Bronson, is an English criminal notorious for his violent life both between and during multiple prison sentences.
Lady Constance Georgina Bulwer-Lytton (12 February 1869 â 22 May 1923), usually known as Constance Lytton, was an influential British suffragette activist, writer, speaker and campaigner for prison reform, votes for women, and birth control.
Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.
Contact & address
HMP Liverpool 68 Hornby Road Liverpool L9 3DF See map Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey ., Liverpool L9 3DF
Higher risk than 75% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Capacity (beds)this: 700 · peers avg: 571 (+23%)
Reports
HMIP11 Aug 2025
Since our 2022 inspection, Liverpool had been recategorised back to being a
reception prison. This disruption had been impressively managed with good
commitment from the experienced staff team. The change in population to a
more unstable group of prisoners with a higher proportion on remand had, in
part, led to the disappointing reduction in our healthy prison scores in three
areas. Safety had dropped from reasonably good to not sufficiently good,
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The accommodation at HMP Liverpool suffers from the age of the establishment and the wings represent traditional Victorian prisons. The space for association on wings is very limited, and prisoners do not generally leave the wings between Friday lunchtime and Monday morning. Meals are eaten in cells (adjacent to toilet facilities), where prisoners sleep with very limited space, especially in shared cells. On 30 June, an entire wing accommodating around 96 men had to be decanted due to a complete power failure, necessitating the renewal of an ageing distribution board (the electrical unit that controls and distributes power to the wing). The Prison Service was fortunate that HMP Berwyn had capacity, following a recent refurbishment, to take many of these men. If a similar incident were to occur again, the chances of finding local spaces for so many men is very unlikely. From the Board’s observations, prison menus are varied and attempts are made to provide specific diets for prisoners who need them (gluten free, vegetarian, halal, etc). However, the central kitchen works with a limited budget of £3.20 per prisoner, per day. The kitchen provides one hot meal each day (in the evening) and sandwiches with soup at lunchtime. The Board has noted that some sandwich fillings appear meagre and unappetising. Breakfast packs are delivered each evening, and prisoners are able to access additional porridge sachets if they wish. A number of prisoners have [...]
4.1 Reception and induction A high number of prisoners resisted transfers to other prisons by either taking, or claiming to have taken, overdoses or swallowed harmful objects. This is very disruptive to the prison operation and an inefficient in use of transport resources. In total, there were 27 refusals to transfer during the three-month periods of March to May. The IMB noted that some prisoners had prolonged waiting times in reception, particularly if they needed to be seen by a doctor. This was most likely to be the case if prisoners had drug dependency issues. Overall, we observed reception staff performing their duties well, despite often having very late arrivals and, on occasion, receiving prisoners with needs and no planned continuity of support. Induction support provided by orderlies (trusted prisoners who take on work to provide services that contribute to the running of the prison) is a significant benefit for new prisoners. However, the Board recommends that further thought should be given to the visual materials used, which are text-dense for an audience that often includes individuals with low literacy skills., 4.2 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody There were four deaths in custody recorded during the year. We are awaiting reports from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (an independent body that investigates deaths in custody), which will confirm the causes. Three were middle-aged and one was elderly. Two were receiving treatment in an outside [...]
The education budget was cut by around 50% during the year, leading to a reduction in provision. This occurred when the prison had not yet fully adjusted to the role of a local reception prison. In the Board’s view, the structure of the education and training offer needs to reflect the high turnover of prisoners, as well as the need to prepare them for transfer to other establishments where longer-term education and development can take place. The allocation of education spaces was running at around 75% for much of the reporting year, with actual attendance, once allocated, at around 40%. The complexity of managing two providers-one responsible for skills assessment and the other for education delivery-alongside the vetting process, creates inherent bottlenecks. When measured by the proportion of prisoners achieving at least half-time employment, performance started the year poorly, at around 30%, and improved to around 40% by the year end, against a Prison Service target of 41%. Due to reductions in education funding, the following courses and support provision were withdrawn during 2025: Plastering Joinery Digital radio Art Basic digital skills Outreach support for literacy, including staff able to visit cells and workshops Reductions in education provision have led to increased demand for library access. In response, the library has expanded activities such as a chess club and, more recently, introduced some craft-based activities on a trial basis. Towards the end of [...]
In April 2025, the Activities and Pay Policy was reviewed. The policy aims to ‘endeavour to promote and support a rehabilitative culture within HMP Liverpool’. It is intended to be open and transparent, ensuring that prisoners who participate constructively in the establishment’s regime receive appropriate pay. The policy also supports prisoners’ educational journey by ensuring that opportunities for work, learning and skills development are available, and by encouraging engagement in purposeful employment that contributes to personal development whilst in custody and subsequently on release. Pay rates are shown in Table 5. All prisoners receive standard unemployment pay, which is £2.50 per week, in addition to any payments listed in Table 5. It should be noted that prisoners buying items through the approved shop (‘canteen’) pay prices that are higher than those on the high street. Canteen orders are delivered once a week and may take up to two weeks after ordering.
Sentence planning and progression at HMP Liverpool varies, depending on the length and type of sentence. As a mostly reception prison now, it only houses prisoners who are on remand, who have been recalled, or who have 16 months or less to serve at the point of sentence. The mix of prisoners also includes young offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 Under the offender management in custody model (OMIC), prisoners are either managed by a prison offender manager (POM) or a community offender manager (COM). Those who have 10 months or more to serve at the point of sentence are POM responsible and will have a sentence plan completed by 10 weeks post-sentence. HMP Liverpool runs the new Building Choices programme, which covers a wide range of offending behaviour, including domestic abuse, thinking skills and general violence. Liverpool only ran the moderate-intensity course during 2025. Prisoners requiring a higher-intensity programme or a course that would also incorporate sexual offending need to transfer to another establishment to complete this work. This limits the range of developmental opportunities available to prisoners at Liverpool. Due to limited resources, choices are made on which courses to run according to staffing availability and the level of demand from the population at Liverpool. --- Where prisoners are unable to complete either of these courses in custody, they would be required to address their behaviour-through this course or another appropriate [...]
The importance of work and training is brought to the attention of the Board by the prison, reporting that those engaged meaningfully through the week are less likely to self-harm while in prison. The Board finds the way that national or regional contracts are set up to need improvement. To be approved for placement in a workshop, prisoners must be assessed for their levels in basic English and maths. They are then assessed for their potential to make progress in a workshop or vocational training. Thus, the prison needs to manage two contractors in a chain with potential bottlenecks. In addition, these contracts were set up in a rather inflexible way that prevented requests for adjustment in process or outputs to match the changing role of the prison that occurred mid-year. These contracts run until April 2025. Lastly, the prison has to undertake a security risk assessment before prisoners can be placed in environments with tools, knives and additional freedoms. With the change in the status of the prison, the early release scheme and the removal of many prisoners convicted of sexual offences (PCOSO) to other establishments, the churn rate of prisoners rose dramatically in the latter months of the year. This made planning for education and training, etc, very difficult. Even when a prisoner might be placed on short literacy or maths courses, these became much extended due to regime shut down.
4.1 Reception and induction The Board has had limited opportunities to monitor the prison's reception process, and when it has, no concerns have been raised. The induction wing was relocated during the year, but experienced staff did not transfer to the newly designated wing. There are a group of prisoners within the induction wing who support new prisoners and they appear to take pride in the help and support that they can provide. Every weekday morning, groups of new prisoners attend a presentation run by prisoners using an extensive PowerPoint presentation. While this is very comprehensive, the excessive use of text for a population largely known to have low levels of literacy seems counterproductive. Despite this, the delivery is effective and the trusted prisoners appear very supportive throughout their stay on the induction wing. 4.2 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody During the year there were eight deaths in custody (seven in 2023). It should be remembered that any death, while in custody, or within 14 days of release, is recorded in these figures. Any death associated with the prison is deeply regrettable and has a significant impact on both staff and prisoners. However, given the ageing population and the prevalence of serious health issues among incoming prisoners, these figures must be considered carefully. Month, location and age of prisoners on death 2024 Location / wing Age January H 38 March A 58 July B 53 July post release Sept HCC 57 Sept Hospice 80 [...]
The educational offering included English and maths together with art, and computer studies. Education was delivered via Novus. The number of prisoners attaining improved levels in English and maths was pleasing, despite being hampered by frequent regime interruptions. The library has between 30 and 300 visitors per week, with fluctuations due to labour moves being suspended, another impact of staffing numbers. The space is welcoming and has a wide range of books available. The library also supported 33 prisoners through Storybook Dads, allowing a prisoner to record a story for their children, which is then sent out for the child to listen to at home. IAG (sometimes known as The Growth Company) are contracted to undertake the subsequent suitability assessment to place prisoners in appropriate vocational or work-based placements. Such placements are voluntary for remand prisoners, while failure to undertake work or training for sentenced prisoners can come with a sanction. The Board is disappointed with the low achievement of allocating all work and training places and the further low attendance of prisoners. This was exacerbated by the confinement to cells during the normal workdays due to staffing shortages leading to curtailment of regime. The poor performance is further impacted by the higher churn in prisoners since redesignation. 26 Two particular schemes made links with outside employers for training. Railtrack for railway track maintenance and Marston’s for [...]
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food During the course of 2024, new rules were introduced to restrict the opportunities for prisoners to have personal clothing taken from their store or to have clothing sent in by family or friends. These restrictions clearly assist in controlling illicit items entering the prison but at the same time, can cause some resentment and impact on prisoner staff relations. During 2024, the refurbishment of K wing was completed and the movement of prisoners within the prison was completed efficiently, allowing contractors to start work on the refurbishment of G wing, due for completion in early 2025. However, this work, and the creation of three new workshops, was put on hold when the main contractor went into receivership in September. This has led to 115 cells and approximately 230 bedspaces being unavailable. At the time of writing this report (January 2025) there has been no announcement of who will be appointed to take up the work or any timetable for completion. This frustration (with contracts in over 30 other prison establishments) has meant that the Governor’s plans to adjust staffing in line with increased numbers and change the regime have been put on hold. With a prison role of around 800 throughout the year, there are 260 cells in double occupancy and all 500 cells have individual toilet facilities but shared showers2. The fabric of the prison and electrical mechanical services are a cause for concern. The prison is 170 years old and [...]
Offender management and prisoner progression has seen additional pressures in the latter half of the year due to changes described above. In the Board’s view, the prison’s offender managers (POMs) work effectively with the men to progress them through their sentences, identify offence focused work to address their offending behaviour and hopefully reduce any possibility of re-offending. However, the POMs have to focus most attention on those newly arrived or approaching release. The POMs continue to liaise with community offending managers (COMs) to support men being released from custody. There are comprehensive and timely hand overs that ensure that release plans are in place. In addition, there is the pre-release team who deal with men on short term sentences. The transfer of men in and out of the prison has met the criteria laid down by the Ministry of Justice. Throughout 2024, the prison has had considerable success in transferring category B and D prisoners to other suitable sites, thus enabling men to progress their sentence and be managed in appropriate security category establishments. However, because of external pressures of the prison population, the POMs team has experienced some challenges transferring long term category C prisoners to appropriate training establishments; this hinders the men from completing appropriate courses to help address their offending behaviour. In 2024, regular face-to-face prisoner contact by the POMs was stepped up and enhanced using [...]
Built in the mid-19th century, HMP Liverpool, a reception and resettlement
prison, holds just over 800 adult men. At the time of our inspection the jail was
in a process of transition with the intention that its traditional frontline reception
responsibilities will end, and it will become a category C resettlement prison.
This process had been delayed by the impact of the pandemic, and so the
prison still held a significant minority of unconvicted and unsentenced prisoners.
Overall, this was a very encouraging inspection. At our visit in 2017, we found a
prison in a parlous state, and our criticisms led HMPPS to make urgent and
radical interventions, including a sharp reduction in the prison population. In
part, this reduction in roll facilitated a programme of refurbishment to better the
Constance Bulwer-Lytton1869–1923 · writer