United Kingdom · Midlands · Shropshire
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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
—
Region
Midlands
Security level
Medium
Death-row facility
No
drugs getting in. the prison also retains a small open resettlement facility outside of the prison regime, in common with many other similar prisons, was now poor, and there some predictability to the regime, despite the limitations, and some good outcomes were observed in gym and library provision. Our colleagues in Ofsted safer than when we last visited. The stability of the senior leadership team, with the Governor in post for several years, was a strength. — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction Last year, the IMB reported that prisoners were arriving late in the day, which caused difficulties in providing appropriate induction. This has been addressed, and an officer is detailed until the evening, which allows the necessary duties to be undertaken and prisoners to receive the proper and full induction. On arrival, each prisoner has a full body scan, which [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food From the Board’s observations, the prison works hard at maintaining a decent living space. However, it is often hampered by the age of the accommodation and available finances to maintain the estate to an acceptable standard. There is a working system to request repairs, as well as a constant effort to improve the decoration and tackle water ingress in some [...] Purposeful activity: Library The library has a good selection of books and supports initiatives elsewhere in education such as ‘Author of the month’. Library staff tell us that the library is used by 60% of prisoners. Prisoners have been encouraged to read more by being offered bonuses based on the number of books they have read and the number of book reviews they have completed. The charity, The Shannon Trust, helps [...] Preparation for release: Each prisoner coming to Stoke Heath is assigned a prison offender manager (POM), who is their link to sentence progression and eventual release. The POM is supported by key workers. These are prison officers who help prisoners with any issues in the prison and provide a link to their POM. Prisoners should be seen once a fortnight, but the IMB has noted instances where prisoners tell us that they [...] Progression: To meet the strategic objective as a training and resettlement prison, Stoke Heath must provide prisoners with accessible, engaging and purposeful activities in a safe and supportive environment. However, with reoffending rates nationally at 27.4%, training and resettlement has never been more important.
We want social visits to start on time. safer than when we last visited. The stability of the senior leadership team, with
prison was not delivering on its core mission: equipping prisoners to resettle the Governor in post for several years, was a strength. Staff shortages were a
prison library. work and education. We want them to work sessions with an officer who knows HM Prison Stoke Heath is a category C training and resettlement prison in rural the prison also retains a small open resettlement facility outside of the prison value, meeting the specific resettlement needs of a small group of prisoners, regime, in common with many other similar prisons, was now poor, and there was much to do to restore the resettlement offer. This range of assessments We found that barely half of prisoners were engaged in work or education and about a fifth were locked up during the working day.
drugs getting in.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 28. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 24 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
What should the prison do? We want the governor to read the report we wrote about Stoke Heath and make a plan. The plan should tell us how they will fix the problems at Stoke Heath and make things better for prisoners. You can find the report we wrote in the prison library. What do we want to happen? We want the prison to do more to stop drugs getting in. We want the prison to give more support to prisoners who might harm themselves. We want the prison to do more to help men who choose not to mix with other prisoners. We want prisoners to only share cells that are big enough for two people. We want broken things on E wing to be fixed. We want all prisoners to be able to go to work and education. We want them to learn useful things. We want prisoners to get more help with their reading skills. We want social visits to start on time. We want prisoners to have more key work sessions with an officer who knows them. What will we do? We will come back in a few years to check how well the prison is doing. We will write a report to tell people what we find. If you have any questions, please write to us: HM Inspectorate of Prisons 3rd floor 10 South Colonnade Canary Wharf London E14 4PU
4.1 Reception and induction Last year, the IMB reported that prisoners were arriving late in the day, which caused difficulties in providing appropriate induction. This has been addressed, and an officer is detailed until the evening, which allows the necessary duties to be undertaken and prisoners to receive the proper and full induction. On arrival, each prisoner has a full body scan, which helps to reduce the quantity of drugs and illicit items entering the prison. The introduction of a baggage scanner also helps with this aim. Nevertheless, the problem with drugs making their way into the prison is ongoing and prisoners tell us that drugs are readily available if they want them. Prisoners who show a positive indication on the body scanner go directly to the segregation and reintegration unit (SRU). Healthcare is not always able to make timely assessments for these prisoners, as IT systems are not compatible there. Officers and red band prisoners (those who have earned a privileged working role) give new prisoners induction in their first few days at the prison. The induction process also covers the work of the IMB. The Board has produced a leaflet, which is included in the induction brochure given to each prisoner. 4.2 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody Deaths and suicide There have been four deaths in custody during the year. Two deaths occurred in the prison (pending inquest outcomes): one occurred in hospital (of suspected natural causes) and one occurred within [...]
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food From the Board’s observations, the prison works hard at maintaining a decent living space. However, it is often hampered by the age of the accommodation and available finances to maintain the estate to an acceptable standard. There is a working system to request repairs, as well as a constant effort to improve the decoration and tackle water ingress in some wings. Conditions in the double cells remain very basic, with a bunk bed, washbasin and toilet, which is screened only by a curtain. Some double cells are only six by four feet. There is little room for manoeuvre in these cells, which can be very warm in the summer months and cold in the winter. There is no means to control the temperature on the wings. The heating is either on full or off. The Board believes that all these factors could be regarded as inhumane treatment. The Board continues to be concerned about the inadequacy of the prison’s facilities for people with mobility issues. For example, there is no means of fixing grab handles in showers for disabled prisoners and there is restricted access in healthcare and education. This was highlighted in the previous two reports, but nothing has changed. The overall condition of the healthcare building needs updating. It has not been redecorated for six years. Some rooms have carpets and floors that cannot be cleaned. We believe that cleaning is not up to standard for a healthcare building. The main kitchen at HMP/YOI Stoke Heath has [...]
Each prisoner coming to Stoke Heath is assigned a prison offender manager (POM), who is their link to sentence progression and eventual release. The POM is supported by key workers. These are prison officers who help prisoners with any issues in the prison and provide a link to their POM. Prisoners should be seen once a fortnight, but the IMB has noted instances where prisoners tell us that they have either never seen their key worker or have not seen one in six months. The role of the key worker is an important bridge between prisoner and prison and they can often pick up issues at an early stage. Prisoners have often reported to the IMB the difficulty of having contact with their POM. This is not surprising, as prison offender managers have been under immense pressure to facilitate the many prisoners from early release schemes and prisoners who are not from the West Midlands region, as well as manging with a shortage of POMs. Prisoners will often need to complete courses (such as anger management) as part of their sentence progression. Not all these courses are available at Stoke Heath, so a transfer to another prison is required. These transfers have been difficult to arrange because of the population pressure. There needs to be a better process that allows these temporary transfers to take place. The new ‘Building Choices’ course will not be available in Stoke Heath until December 2025, and it is telling that there are no figures available to understand how many [...]
To meet the strategic objective as a training and resettlement prison, Stoke Heath must provide prisoners with accessible, engaging and purposeful activities in a safe and supportive environment. However, with reoffending rates nationally at 27.4%, training and resettlement has never been more important.
Library The library has a good selection of books and supports initiatives elsewhere in education such as ‘Author of the month’. Library staff tell us that the library is used by 60% of prisoners. Prisoners have been encouraged to read more by being offered bonuses based on the number of books they have read and the number of book reviews they have completed. The charity, The Shannon Trust, helps prisoners with their first steps in learning numeracy and English. They have helped over 50 prisoners over the year, aided by four red band (trusted prisoners with specific jobs and privileges) volunteers. A new satellite library has been installed in the education building as part of the new high street initiative, so prisoners have easier access to library facilities whilst in education. Education About a third of prisoners (31%) at Stoke Heath have neurodivergent needs. Whilst neurodiversity covers a wide range of needs, the most common is for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and dyslexia (a learning difficulty that primarily affects reading and writing skills). The neurodiversity support manager reviews the environment that may best assist those with need and enables access to suitable activities within the prison, such as, for example, extra support by red bands (trusted men who support new prisoners and provide initial peer support) or easy-read documents. Every new prisoner is given a curriculum pathway, with the aim of achieving Level 3 in English and maths. [...]
HM Prison Stoke Heath is a category C training and resettlement prison in rural Shropshire. Holding up to 782 adult men, it serves a wide catchment area, although many prisoners originate from the West Midlands. The prison is a large campus-style institution with a mix of accommodation types, some dating back to the early 1960s, but with other units built more recently. Interestingly, the prison also retains a small open resettlement facility outside of the prison wall. Although the unit can only hold up to 16 men, it has practical and symbolic value, meeting the specific resettlement needs of a small group of prisoners, while acting as an aspirational and incentivising encouragement to others. Overall, we report on much that was positive, reflecting Stoke Heath’s continuing stability and capability. Against our four healthy prison tests, we assessed it to be both safe and reasonably respectful, although the daily regime, in common with many other similar prisons, was now poor, and there was much to do to restore the resettlement offer. This range of assessments encapsulated the key strategic challenges facing a training establishment which had yet to fully recover from the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. We identified a firm foundation for progress, but at the time of our inspection the prison was not delivering on its core mission: equipping prisoners to resettle successfully and sustainably into the community. We found that barely half of prisoners were engaged in work or education and about a fifth were locked up during the working day. Many prisoners experienced as little as 90 minutes out of cell each day. There was, at least, some predictability to the regime, despite the limitations, and some good outcomes were observed in gym and library provision. Our colleagues in Ofsted identified a whole series of deficiencies – some admittedly caused by a lack of specialists and teachers – in the availability of work places and delivery of an education curriculum that met the needs of prisoners. Their overall assessment of the effectiveness of provision was ’inadequate’, the lowest possible assessment. Work to support family links was limited, and the help given to prisoners to progress through their sentences was not good enough. Weaknesses in offender management were compounded by very limited key work and further inadequacies in public protection arrangements, including arrangements for release on temporary licence. Resettlement work was similarly weak. Notwithstanding these criticisms, the prison remained settled and was much safer than when we last visited. The stability of the senior leadership team, with the Governor in post for several years, was a strength. Staff shortages were a challenge, but leaders were genuinely seeking to develop a strong, positive and innovative ethos within the jail. This was a firm foundation for progress. The next step was to get prisoners active. Charlie Taylor HM Chief Inspector of Prisons February 2023
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Stoke Heath. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-stoke-heath
"HMP Stoke Heath." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-stoke-heath.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-stoke-heath,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Stoke Heath},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-stoke-heath},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}