United Kingdom · North-West · Cheshire
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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 7 Jul 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
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Region
North-West
Security level
Minimum
Death-row facility
No
we last inspected in 2016, we found that outcomes for prisoners were good in all four of our healthy prison tests. At this inspection, outcomes remained good The prison was overwhelmingly safe. Violence and delinquency were rare and been some increase in the use of force, but this mainly concerned recording the — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 During the reporting year, the prison has seen a significant fluctuation in the population, largely due to the Early Release Scheme, with an increased number of weekly inductions for new prisoners in the latter part of the year. A review has been completed by the prison to improve the first impressions of the prisoner journey. 4.1.2 Induction arrangements have [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Nearly all the accommodation is of a good standard and is predominantly single occupancy. On arrival, men are placed in a double cell, which the Board continues to feel is too small. Fortunately, they are seldom there for longer than a month and although they usually continue having a shared cell on another unit, it is much larger. One unit has 44 single [...] Purposeful activity: 7.1.1 There are many opportunities for the men to engage in education. The arrival of a new Head of Education saw a review of the provision to ensure it is relevant to the men’s needs, particularly in relation to their future employment. Level 2 and 3 courses are available for those men who wish to follow them. A new joinery course has started, and appropriate qualifications are taken in the new [...] Preparation for release: 7.3.1 The staffing of the offender management unit (OMU) has increased reflecting the ever-increasing workload for OMU staff. This is due to the increase in work placements in the community and the various government early release initiatives. The Governor responsible for the OMU has changed and has continued the initiatives made by her predecessor. Although a third of the Board’s applications [...]
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Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Thorn Cross, HMP/YOI Thorn Cross Arley Road Appleton Thorn Warrington Cheshire WA4 4RL 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.
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The prison was overwhelmingly safe. Violence and delinquency were rare and
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 18. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 14 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Nearly all the accommodation is of a good standard and is predominantly single occupancy. On arrival, men are placed in a double cell, which the Board continues to feel is too small. Fortunately, they are seldom there for longer than a month and although they usually continue having a shared cell on another unit, it is much larger. One unit has 44 single rooms, each with its own ensuite and heating and was introduced during Covid, with planning permission for 12 weeks. This has never been extended and, with retrospective planning permission refused, it has to be removed by 2026-27. There are plans in place to increase capacity from pre- Covid levels and although this expansion has been talked about for two years, not a single spade has been dug into the ground. 5.1.2 In addition to the incentivised substance free living unit opened in the last reporting year, another unit is now dedicated to men who are nearing the end of lengthy sentences and who are likely to find the transition to release more problematic. There are plans to provide bespoke provision for veterans. The pressures on the prison population have meant that the prison rarely has spaces. 5.1.3 The ‘Regen’ team is a group of skilled prisoners who carry out various maintenance tasks throughout the estate. 5.1.4 The units are usually clean and tidy. Cleaners are poorly paid, so the men often leave that job for better paid ones or, as the number of men working in the community [...]
4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 During the reporting year, the prison has seen a significant fluctuation in the population, largely due to the Early Release Scheme, with an increased number of weekly inductions for new prisoners in the latter part of the year. A review has been completed by the prison to improve the first impressions of the prisoner journey. 4.1.2 Induction arrangements have been reviewed and improved to aim for closer monitoring of the men in their first few weeks. New arrivals continue to mainly be placed on unit 6. This allows close monitoring and support to be provided to ensure prisoners can adjust to open conditions. With the development of a new ‘deep custody’ unit, appropriate prisoners are sometimes placed directly there. From unit 6, the men will then move to unit 7, again in double rooms, where they remain for up to three months. 4.1.3 Prisoner feedback regarding the induction process is generally good and many men report they are content and pleased to be at Thorn Cross. 4.2 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody 4.2.1 There have been no incidents of self-harm during this reporting year. The number of ACCT (assessment, care in custody and teamwork) documents opened remains relatively low, but there has been an increase this reporting year. Thorn Cross has had a significant increase in the use of CSIPs (challenge, support and intervention plans), which has been attributed to an increase in training for staff and because staff are encouraged to [...]
7.1.1 There are many opportunities for the men to engage in education. The arrival of a new Head of Education saw a review of the provision to ensure it is relevant to the men’s needs, particularly in relation to their future employment. Level 2 and 3 courses are available for those men who wish to follow them. A new joinery course has started, and appropriate qualifications are taken in the new bike workshop. 7.1.2 Progress in maths and English, although steady, remains a concern. Although a minority of men arrive with limited basic skills, this is still too many. Some men arrive at Thorn Cross with only a matter of weeks before their release, making any chance of furthering their education almost impossible. 7.1.3 Some men choose not to work and opt instead to study further and take education courses at local colleges and universities. As reported in previous years, a barrier to their learning is only having limited access to the internet in one part of the prison and being unable to email their work to their external tutors. 7.1.4 The library is at the heart of the prison concourse and is well stocked with books and DVDs. It is well used, being open during the day and at weekends. There are regular reading challenges, which prove popular. Jigsaws and board games are also available. A quiet area near the library is now available for the men to just sit and read. The computers are well used for practical assessment training, such as theory for driving tests. 7.2.1 There are [...]
7.3.1 The staffing of the offender management unit (OMU) has increased reflecting the ever-increasing workload for OMU staff. This is due to the increase in work placements in the community and the various government early release initiatives. The Governor responsible for the OMU has changed and has continued the initiatives made by her predecessor. Although a third of the Board’s applications this reporting year have related to sentence management (8 out of a total of 24), fewer men are raising concerns with us about the time taken to be Released on Temporary Licence (ROTL) and they are more satisfied with their interactions with OMU staff. 7.3.2 At the end of the reporting year, there was a total of 30 men serving a life sentence and five sentenced to an indeterminate imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence, a combined total of 35. This compares with a combined total of 24 at the end of 2023-2024 reporting year and 21 for the year 2022-2023. This group of men has a network of support within the prison. 7.3.3 Workloads have been affected by the various early release schemes in place during the reporting year. This led to two men being released in error, who were then deemed to be ‘unlawfully at large’. This resulted in them being arrested and sent to a closed prison. Thorn Cross then supported the men in their request to return to open conditions. However, staff could not influence the subsequent decision to have days added to their sentences. This was despite [...]
Thorn Cross is an open prison in Cheshire with a capacity of 429 adult men. Located in a rural setting, it has consistently been a successful institution, and our findings at this inspection indicate that this continues to be the case. When we last inspected in 2016, we found that outcomes for prisoners were good in all four of our healthy prison tests. At this inspection, outcomes remained good in three tests, but had declined marginally to reasonably good in our healthy prison area of respect. The prison was overwhelmingly safe. Violence and delinquency were rare and absconds were lower than nearly all comparator prisons. Prisoners reported that they felt safe, both when they arrived and throughout their stay. There had been some increase in the use of force, but this mainly concerned recording the use of handcuffs in circumstances where a prisoner had to return to closed
Scrutiny inspection of HMP/YOI Thorn Cross (2021-04-20)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Thorn Cross. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-thorn-cross
"HMP Thorn Cross." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-thorn-cross.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-thorn-cross,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Thorn Cross},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-thorn-cross},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}