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UK Local 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 7 Jul 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
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Region
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Security level
Medium
Death-row facility
No
outcomes for prisoners. It concerns a prison which is, in many ways, atypical, of the population is perhaps best evidenced by the increase among those prison. At this inspection we found outcomes for prisoners to be ‘good’, our highest assessment, in three of our four healthy prison tests – safety, respect The prison felt ordered, with a culture that was both safe and supportive. Trust with respect to important safety measures such as violence or self-harm were similarly very encouraging. — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Reception On arrival at Oakwood, induction prisoners are issued with questionnaires for equality and diversity, foreign national and safeguarding information. This is returned to the safer custody team to get updated information to assist them in identifying if any new prisoners are in need of any safeguarding measures putting into place. The Board has observed the reception and induction of [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Food remains a key focus of the Board this year following last year’s food survey. The Board has received fewer complaints regarding food and prisoners have been less vocal about its quality whilst talking to Board members whilst out on the wings. There has also been a reduction in complaints to the prison this year regarding food. Board members have regularly [...] Purposeful activity: Industries Skills A offers courses for around 100 men in such areas as plastering, Railtrack, warehousing, bricklaying, painting and decorating, carpentry, joinery, motor vehicle maintenance, art, a gym tutoring course in the Sports Centre and hospitality/barista training. The prisoners the Board spoke to almost always found the courses worthwhile, rewarding, and enjoyable. There is also a very [...] Preparation for release: The Board has continued to monitor IPP-sentenced prisoners throughout the year and received regular updates from senior probation officers (based in the OMU). At the start of this reporting period there were 101 IPP prisoners (with 75 on recall) and at the end of the year this figure had moved to 91 (with 70 on recall). The proportion of prisoners on recall remains high, being 77%. Eight IPP [...] Progression: Education Novus Education is the contracted provider for education within the prison. In addition to basic courses in English and maths (levels 1 and 2), they offer a range of courses across the house blocks, from art and performing arts to business enterprise and IT, together with a suite of employability skills units. The Director has mandated level 2 English and maths for those prisoners who [...]
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and prisoner participation underpinned an extensive network of useful peer
and purposeful activity – and ‘reasonably good’ in resettlement. This constitutes at our last inspection in 2021, and with regard to purposeful activity, a quite and prisoner participation underpinned an extensive network of useful peer incentivised, not least because nearly all could engage in work, learning or other forms of purposeful activity and benefited from time out of cell which was ethos, key work was reasonable and consultation arrangements were good. said, resettlement services were mostly effective, while support to help were on the basic regime and were still subjected to protracted time locked in The performance of the education provider had been disappointing. Last year, sort of in-cell learning and there had been no face-to-face education when inspection, the provider was beginning to open classrooms and workshops, but arrival or in preparation for release sufficient.
with respect to important safety measures such as violence or self-harm were Other areas for improvement included the need to tackle too much illicit drug
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 14. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 10 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
This is a report that should be read by anyone who has an interest in improving outcomes for prisoners. It concerns a prison which is, in many ways, atypical, bucking trends in challenging times for the prison system. Operated by the private contractor, G4S, since it opened in 2012, HMP Oakwood is a very large category C training prison for up to 2,134 adult men, near Wolverhampton. With perhaps the exception of its modernity, the prison has few particular advantages. It holds a broad range of prisoners, from those serving relatively short sentences to lifers and vulnerable prisoners, and has a significant throughput of men from an extended catchment area. The complexity of the population is perhaps best evidenced by the increase among those considered to be a high risk of harm to others, now some 80% of all those held. Yet, despite these challenges, Oakwood continues to be a highly successful prison. At this inspection we found outcomes for prisoners to be ‘good’, our highest assessment, in three of our four healthy prison tests – safety, respect and purposeful activity – and ‘reasonably good’ in resettlement. This constitutes further improvement from what were already very good assessments recorded at our last inspection in 2021, and with regard to purposeful activity, a quite exceptional achievement when compared to other closed adult male training establishments. The prison felt ordered, with a culture that was both safe and supportive. Trust and prisoner participation underpinned an extensive network of useful peer support that was caring, meaningful and helped others. Prisoners were also incentivised, not least because nearly all could engage in work, learning or other forms of purposeful activity and benefited from time out of cell which was significantly better than we see in almost all comparable prisons. Outcome data with respect to important safety measures such as violence or self-harm were similarly very encouraging. The quality of staff-prisoner relationships supported a genuine community ethos, key work was reasonable and consultation arrangements were good. The prison was very clean and well maintained, and the quality of most services was good. The exceptions to this were a high level of overcrowding and poor quality food, although it is notable that nearly half the population could cook their own meals in well-equipped kitchens. The grounds were very well maintained and undoubtedly made a contribution to the sense of well-being around the prison. Other areas for improvement included the need to tackle too much illicit drug use, offender management caseloads that were too big and perhaps a need for a more sophisticated use of data when addressing various concerns around the prison, most notably the further promotion of equality and fair treatment. That said, resettlement services were mostly effective, while support to help prisoners maintain family ties was some of the best we have seen in a men’s prison. The powerful contribution that family support can make both to
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Food remains a key focus of the Board this year following last year’s food survey. The Board has received fewer complaints regarding food and prisoners have been less vocal about its quality whilst talking to Board members whilst out on the wings. There has also been a reduction in complaints to the prison this year regarding food. Board members have regularly observed serveries at meal times and unfortunately there are still too many occasions when the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) is not being worn by servery workers. Board members have had meetings with the kitchen managers and attended food forums with prisoners throughout the year, which have both been much more productive than in the past. There have been a number of changes which seem to have been appreciated, including having cold lunches (prisoners previously had two hot meals per day); tweaking some recipes to make them tastier and obtaining better quality branded desserts. A more significant change has been in reducing the number of prisoners working in the kitchen (from 40 to 29) but paying them the top rates to retain men who are committed to the position. Issues continue to be raised about food quality and portion size, with the suggestion that better supervision and management at the serveries could improve matters. There have been a number of complaints during the year that laundry and cooking equipment has been reported as being faulty / not working but it has [...]
The Board has continued to monitor IPP-sentenced prisoners throughout the year and received regular updates from senior probation officers (based in the OMU). At the start of this reporting period there were 101 IPP prisoners (with 75 on recall) and at the end of the year this figure had moved to 91 (with 70 on recall). The proportion of prisoners on recall remains high, being 77%. Eight IPP prisoners were released of transferred during the first quarter of 2025 out of the 10 hearings (80%). Progression Panels, which began in this reporting year, would seem to have contributed to these outcomes. The Building Choices Programme has yet to be rolled out and so until it actually happens it is hard to judge the impact, but the hope from OMU staff is that it will improve things as it will encompass the vast majority of the current courses and perhaps enable prisoners to be able to follow courses without the need to transfer to another prison to do so. The Board will continue to follow developments in this area. The Board monitored the implementation of the SDS 40 scheme right from its introduction through to the two scheduled tranche release in September and October 2024 and beyond. This created a massive amount of extra work requiring extensive overtime which also coincided with the summer holidays. However, there was a big team effort, and both releases went very smoothly with their work being publicly recognised by the Prison Director. The head of the OMU felt that although [...]
Education Novus Education is the contracted provider for education within the prison. In addition to basic courses in English and maths (levels 1 and 2), they offer a range of courses across the house blocks, from art and performing arts to business enterprise and IT, together with a suite of employability skills units. The Director has mandated level 2 English and maths for those prisoners who have not reached this level. L1 and L2 courses in English and maths adopted a roll-on roll-off system this year. This meant that there should always be a roll of 12 on every course with new prisoners entering the course as soon as someone else completes it. Tutors, class assistants and attendees all seemed to be unhappy with this approach and much preferred having cohorts of 12 at the same level who progress together until they had reached the end of the course. The Board has monitored lessons across all houseblocks during the reporting year. The majority of prisoners we spoke to very much appreciate the efforts of their tutors and do value education. At the end of the reporting year there were 76 prisoners on 82 distance learning courses. This is a reduction of 16% in the number of prisoners and a decrease of almost 40% in the number of courses from this time last year. The Open University had 25 learners (down from 53); Pocket Courses had 45 (down from 51) and Education Trust / other providers had 12 (down from 30). The Board would appreciate regular meetings with the education [...]
4.1 Reception On arrival at Oakwood, induction prisoners are issued with questionnaires for equality and diversity, foreign national and safeguarding information. This is returned to the safer custody team to get updated information to assist them in identifying if any new prisoners are in need of any safeguarding measures putting into place. The Board has observed the reception and induction of prisoners over the reporting year and has also produced an updated easy-read guide on its role, which was distributed with applications forms (for prisoners’ written representations to the IMB) across the house blocks, together with an updated notice placed on all IMB applications boxes. The induction process is undergoing a review at present, including the literature it provides to new prisoners, as there had been a feeling that they were being bombarded with too much information too quickly. The Board will continue to monitor the induction process during the next reporting year. The Board also continues to be concerned about the ongoing problems of prisoners arriving very late and the long journeys that have been made in a very small cell on the transport vehicle. During the reporting year, there have been, at any one time, up to seven prisoners in hospital requiring 24-hour bed watches. Such interventions, and their unpredictability, invariably have an effect on the operational staffing of the prison. The Board is also concerned about the ongoing problem of property not being [...]
Industries Skills A offers courses for around 100 men in such areas as plastering, Railtrack, warehousing, bricklaying, painting and decorating, carpentry, joinery, motor vehicle maintenance, art, a gym tutoring course in the Sports Centre and hospitality/barista training. The prisoners the Board spoke to almost always found the courses worthwhile, rewarding, and enjoyable. There is also a very successful Barbering Academy which has recently been shortlisted for a National Barber Training Award which is open to all providers and not just in prisons. The number of prisoners in Industries Skills B and C is also high, with Skills B having a roll of 255 and Skills C with 350. Skills B offers employment in areas such as welding, light plastic assembly, sewing and embroidery, material cutting and packing and landscaping. Skills C also offers work in wood assembly / fence panelling, recycling, and furniture manufacture for the Timber Shop. The Board does still occasionally hear from prisoners complaining that the levels of pay are low in comparison to the amount of work that they have to carry out. In January 2025 “Cherry Blossom” was officially opened. It is a supermarket training academy that focuses on rehabilitation through prisoners gaining work experience and essential skills; prisoners can use their prison earnings to purchase goods. The aim is to provide an area where prisoners can practice an experience that they might have once they have been released, to help with [...]
Occupying a relatively small site near Wolverhampton, G4S-run HMP Oakwood is the biggest prison in England, housing more than 2,000 men, most of whom live in three large accommodation blocks. The prison opened as a category C training prison in 2012; it has been well-maintained and still looks clean and new. A large proportion of prisoners at Oakwood are serving more than four years and 10% are on indeterminate sentences, but despite this complex and often high-risk population, the prison was a safe and respectful place. I was consistently struck by the positive way that prisoners talked about the prison, welcoming the levels of trust that they were given and describing, with very few exceptions, a professional and supportive staff team. Even those who were on the basic regime and were still subjected to protracted time locked in their cells because of COVID-19 restrictions, praised the prison, with many who had spent years moving round the secure estate telling me it was the best prison they had been to. The director succeeded a well-respected predecessor in March 2021, but despite such a significant change, leaders had a clear set of priorities for further development when pandemic restrictions are lifted. The performance of the education provider had been disappointing. Last year, as lockdowns were imposed, there were unnecessary delays in producing any sort of in-cell learning and there had been no face-to-face education when restrictions were lifted in summer 2020. There were also inexplicable delays with the assessment of the learning needs of new prisoners. At the time of the inspection, the provider was beginning to open classrooms and workshops, but progress was slow. In our last inspection, in 2018, we commented on the lack of programmes to address the behaviour of sex offenders, so it was disappointing to see that there was still nothing in place despite these prisoners making up a quarter of the population. We were also concerned that the governance and practice of use of force were not good enough, nor was assessment of need and risk on arrival or in preparation for release sufficient. The prison had developed and allowed the flourishing of an extensive network of prisoner-led initiatives (PLI). Without direct staff supervision, prisoners ran and organised a workshop that built tables, benches, bird boxes and hanging baskets that were sold to the local community. PLI were responsible for the maintenance of the grounds and a market garden that grew food for the prison and sold plants and vegetables. Other PLI ran support networks for new arrivals that assessed need, provided support for different faiths and gave advice. Prisoners who were on a basic regime, or those with other vulnerabilities, were taken out of their cells, given a chance to talk, offered the opportunity to do some work and begin the journey to an enhanced regime. Not only had PLI been able to support the most vulnerable prisoners, but those who were leading the activities told me that it had given real meaning to their lives. COVID-19 restrictions meant that prisoners at Oakwood were still locked in their cells for too long each day and there was not yet enough access to work or training, but if momentum is maintained, I am confident that the prison will continue to make progress when the pandemic is over. The prison has a friendly and positive atmosphere in which people are treated with respect and expectations are high. The director and his staff are determined to maintain the levels of trust and responsibility that are given to prisoners, because they are committed to the rehabilitation of the men in their care. Staff and prisoners should be proud of what they have achieved. Charlie Taylor HM Chief Inspector of Prisons June 2021
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Oakwood. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-oakwood
"HMP Oakwood." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-oakwood.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-oakwood,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Oakwood},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-oakwood},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}