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United Kingdom · North East England · Durham

HMP Low Newton

Closed femaleMediumfemaleUnder capacity (94%)LowHigh
Verified 22 May 2026 · Data dated 1 Apr 2024
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Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date.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 Low Newton

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

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Photograph of HMP Low Newton

Female-only prison holding adult women, including some life-sentenced and Category A inmates.

Background

HM Prison Low Newton is a closed prison for female adults and young offenders in Brasside, County Durham, England. The prison, which is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, is next to HMP Frankland, a Category A men's prison. Notable inmates at the prison include formerly Rosemary West, as well as spree killer Joanna Dennehy and serial killer Lucy Letby.

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

Capacity

360

Current population

340

Occupancy

94%

Year opened

1965

Operational

Facility profile

Operator

HM Prison & Probation Service

Population held

female

Opened

1965

Region

North East England

Security level

Medium

Death-row facility

No

Conditions

HMI Prisons rates Low Newton as one of the better-performing women's prisons but flags self-harm rates.

Visiting

Booked via GOV.UK Prison Visits; visits Wednesday-Sunday.

Mailing

Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Low Newton, Brasside, Durham DH1 5SD.

Practical info

Free travel for low-income visitors via Assisted Prison Visits Unit.

Known issues

No major issues documented in our database.

Notable inmates

Rose West (since 2019), Joanne Dennehy (briefly).

Contact & address

Brasside, Durham DH1 5SD
+44 191 376 4000
Official site

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.

Occupancythis: 94% · peers avg: 115% (18%)
Capacity (beds)this: 360 · peers avg: 639 (44%)

Data completeness

100%

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

Sources