United Kingdom · South-West & South Central · Dorset
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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 2 Jun 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
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Region
South-West & South Central
Security level
Medium
Death-row facility
No
seriously understaffed and stretched offender management unit, it was possible It was concerning that despite having a relatively settled staff team, only 2% last inspection, was now poor, particularly given the nature of offences
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Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP The Verne, HMP The Verne Verne Common Road Portland Dorset DT5 1EQ 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.
had completed the HM Prison and Probation Service online training for working We were also disappointed to find that key work, which had been good at our on release. Prisoners were unlocked for eight hours a day and they were locked
HM Inspectorate of Prisons completed a full inspection of HMP The Verne in July 2024 and a full inspection in February 2020; reports are available on the HMIP website.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 11. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 7 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
Although HMP The Verne was a generally safe and respectful jail holding 604 prisoners convicted of sexual offences (PCoSOs) at the time of our inspection, this report also reveals some worrying weaknesses in addressing the offending behaviour of many prisoners. With no offending behaviour programmes on offer (although we have been subsequently told these will now be funded) and a seriously understaffed and stretched offender management unit, it was possible for high-risk prisoners to spend years at the jail without any challenge or support towards changing their thinking or dangerous behaviour. It was concerning that despite having a relatively settled staff team, only 2% had completed the HM Prison and Probation Service online training for working with PCoSOs in the past year. Officers also told inspectors that they did not want to know what offences individuals had committed because they felt it might prejudice their response. As a result, they were not aware what offence- mirroring behaviour might have been manifested by prisoners and they were unable to contribute more sophisticated analysis to prisoner offender managers before parole hearings. We were also disappointed to find that key work, which had been good at our last inspection, was now poor, particularly given the nature of offences committed by men in the jail. As a category C training prison, the focus of The Verne should be providing prisoners with the skills and insight to avoid reoffending and settle successfully on release. Prisoners were unlocked for eight hours a day and they were locked on their spurs rather than in their cells at night. The level of access to some
Full inspection of HMP The Verne (2020-02-10)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP The Verne. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-the-verne
"HMP The Verne." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-the-verne.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-the-verne,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP The Verne},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-the-verne},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}