hmp berwyn visits id

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

• Crime, justice and the law
• Prisons and probation

Visit someone in prison

Use this service to request a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales. There’s a different way to book a prison visit in Northern Ireland or a prison visit in Scotland .

To use this service you need the:

• prisoner number
• prisoner’s date of birth
• dates of birth for all visitors coming with you

If you do not have the prisoner’s location or prisoner number, use the ‘Find a prisoner’ service .

You can choose up to 3 dates and times you prefer. The prison will email you to confirm when you can visit.

The prisoner must add you to their visitor list before you can request a visit. This can take up to 2 weeks.

Request a prison visit

Visits you cannot book through this service.

Contact the prison directly if you need to arrange any of the following:

• legal visits, for example legal professionals discussing the prisoner’s case
• reception visits, for example the first visit to the prisoner within 72 hours of being admitted
• double visits, for example visiting for 2 hours instead of 1
• family day visits - special family events that the prison organises

Help with the costs of prison visits

You may be able to get help with the cost of prison visits if you’re getting certain benefits or have a health certificate.

Related content

Is this page useful.

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.

• Skip to Navigation
• Skip to Content

Langue du site

Visits quick reference guide

Prisoners are entitled to the following visits:

Basic Regime  Remand: 1 x 1-hour visit per week.  Sentenced: 1 X 1-hour visit every 2 weeks.  

Standard Prisoners Remand: 3 x 1-hour visits per week.  Sentenced: 1 x 1-hour visit per week. 

Enhanced Prisoners Remand: 3 x 1-hour visits per week.  Sentenced: 1 x 1-hour visit per week, plus 1 extra visit per month (not weekend). 

Each visit session will be booked in by the prisoner on behalf of their visitors. 

Please note prisoners are unable to block book sessions. Each visit will be booked in on a month-by- month basis.

Prisoners are permitted to receive a maximum of 3 adults & 3 children. 

All visitors / family groups will be searched on entry to the prison.

You can bring up to £20 cash with you to purchase refreshments from the tea bar during your visit (please bring change rather than notes if possible) 

There will be a 45-minute break in between visits to allow for the sanitisation of the visits area in readiness for the next scheduled visitors.

Legal and Professional Bookings

Legal and professional visits can be booked by emailing [email protected] Professional bookings via video link can be made by emailing [email protected] Thank you for your co-operation as we continue to maintain a safe environment for colleagues, prisoners and visitors to HMP Forest Bank

Identification required for a visit

As of Tuesday 6 April 2021, the forms of ID that social and official visitors need to provide to enter a prison have been updated.

These requirements have changed to make visits safe and secure for everyone.

Social visitors have the option to present one photographic ID document from List A:

• Identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country
• UK photocard driving licences
• EU or EEA driving licences
• NI Electoral identity cards
• US passport card
• Proof of age card recognised under PASS with a unique reference number (This includes the Citizen ID card)
• Armed forces identity card
• UK biometric residence permit (BRP

Should you be unable to present an ID document from List A, you may present one ID document from List B, supported by one document from List C:

• Home Office travel document (convention travel document, stateless person’s document, one-way document or certificate of travel)
• Older person’s bus pass
• Freedom Pass
• Proof of age card recognised under the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) without a unique reference number (please refer to List A where a unique reference number is present)
• Birth or adoption certificate
• Education certificate from a regulated and recognised educational institution (such as an NVQ, SQA, GCSE, A level or degree certificate)
• Rental or purchase agreement for a residential property (signed and dated)
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Bank, building society or credit union current account card (on which the claimed identity is shown)

Proof of Address

Please be aware that visitors also need to bring proof of address to every visit so we can ensure that visitors are from the same household. 

Entry will not be permitted if you fail to bring proof of address. 

Appropriate forms will be a utility bill, credit or bank statement, voter registration or driver's license. We will not accept mobile phone contracts/bills etc. 

Visits Dress Code

Learn more Close

Please be advised that you are requested to dress appropriately for your visit. Any item of clothing which may facilitate the concealment of unauthorised articles or be considered offensive may result in you being refused entry.

Please consider that you are entering a public visits hall where other families including small children are present. We ask that you apply a level of common sense and decency when choosing your outfit.

Staff reserve the right to refuse you entrance if you are not dressed appropriately. 

• No see through, revealing clothing or crop tops which reveal the stomach.
• Must wear underwear, Women must ensure their top garment covers their cleavage.
• No ripped or damaged clothing e.g. ripped jeans, coats, tops. No tears or frays in material.
• Skirts, dresses, and shorts MUST be knee length.
• No clothing bearing slogans that are deemed to be racist, insulting, or derogatory.
• No uniforms, (except children in school uniform and police officers on a legal visit).
• No watches.
• Jewellery is best kept to a minimum (earrings to be studs / small hoops only)
• No knee length boots or over the knee. No stiletto heels.
• No football and rugby slogan clothing.
• No caps (religious headgear is permitted) headscarf’s (medical grounds only).
• No sunglasses. (Prescription only.)
• No paperwork or photographs to be handed over on a visit.
• No Work Boots/ steel toe capped or motorcycle boots
• No ponchos or capes
• No camouflage clothing 

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in this matter. Failure to adhere to the policy may result in admittance being refused.

What to expect when visiting the prison

Heading into the visits centre, you’ll be greeted by our colleagues on the front desk.

• They’ll  ask for your name ,  check your booking  and  look at your identification .
• They will  take your picture and fingerprint biometric  for identification purposes. This is a requirement for all visitors to the prison.  
• All official visitors  will be subject to a level ‘B’ rub down search prior to their visit.  
• All social visitors  will be subject to a level ‘A’ rub down search prior to their visit. This includes before returning to the visits hall, and after using the amenities.  
• If there is an indication, the staff must be able to identify what is causing the indication.
• If the item cannot be identified then the visit will be refused.  
• Refusal to be searched will result in no entry and any action the police wish to take. Any articles recovered may result in the police being called and prosecution of visitors.

Financial Support for visiting a prison

If you visit a family member, partner or someone who doesn’t get other visitors you might be able to get help paying for travel to the prison, somewhere to stay overnight and meals.

To qualify for assisted help you must be receiving certain benefits or have a health certificate.

If you’re taking a child with you or someone to help you (for example because you’re disabled) you might also be able to get help paying for their visit.

For more information and to apply, please visit the website for the  Assisted Prison Visits Scheme.

How we collect your data

In order to facilitate your visit to one of our prisons and to ensure that we deliver appropriate levels of security and safety and prevent crime, for identification purposes we shall collect your name, date of birth, address, a biometric template of your fingerprint and a photograph. A series of reference points from a finger print are collected, allowing a unique identification pattern. We do not collect or hold actual fingerprints.

Our prisons operate CCTV and staff may wear Body Worn Video Recording Equipment. We do not collect biometric readings or photographs of children under 16, however with the use of CCTV, images may routinely be captured.

DATA SHARING

We will only share your information with a third party where there is a legal obligation to do so.

RIGHTS OF ACCESS, CORRECTION, ERASURE AND RESTRICTION

You have legal rights in connection with personal information. Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:

Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.

Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.

Request erasure of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing.

Object to processing of your personal information by us or on our behalf in certain situations.

Request the restriction of processing of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.

DATA RETENTION

We keep personal data in accordance with our clients’ and Sodexo’s retention procedures. These retention periods depend on the nature of the information (e.g. we apply different retention periods to different type of information such as CCTV and your visitor record), and may be subject to change.

FURTHER ADVICE / GUIDANCE

To exercise your rights, you can contact us by writing to us at the following address: [email protected] or email the Global Data Protection Office at the following email address: [email protected] stating your surname, first name and the reason for your request. We will most likely ask you for additional information in order to identify you and to enable us to deal with your request

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office and file a complaint. (https://ico.org.uk/concerns/)

HMIP Berwyn

The prison was given an inspection in May 2022, the full report can be read at the Ministry of Justice web site, or just follow the links below. In their latest report the inspectors said:

“Located in North Wales and opened in 2017, Berwyn is one of the most modern and one of the largest prisons in the country. Designated a category C training establishment but retaining a small reception capability serving North Wales, at the time of our inspection the prison held 1835 men. Built in a campus style, the prison comprised three main house blocks sub-divided in to eight wings, a wing consisting of two landings. Wings were referred to as ‘communities’ in the prison. The environment, both built and external, is currently amongst the best available in the prison system.

Emerging from the COVID-19 restrictions, at this inspection we were encouraged to find a prison that was recovering well. Improvement was still needed to make sure the regime could provide a meaningful training experience, and some aspects of resettlement and release planning also needed to be better, but the prison was safer than at our last inspection in 2019.

The rate of violence was falling, although it remained comparatively high when set against comparator prisons. The rate of self-harm was also lower, and both of these important measures were indicative of our general observations of the prison, where effective plans were in place and work was evident in bringing about improvements.

Leadership was strong. The governor had been in post since 2019 and was highly experienced. He made himself visible, and his energy was setting the tone in the prison. He had, for example, structured the management team in a way that ensured he personally had very direct engagement in the day-to-day operational management of the prison. Leaders in general were clearly sighted on the prisons strengths and weaknesses and we were impressed by the quality of the prisons ‘self-assessment report’ which set out credible local priorities supported by achievable plans. Among the key challenges facing the prison was the need to recruit and retain staff. Leaders were resilient and creative in trying to tackle this issue, but most weaknesses or failings we found were linked to this lack of experienced staff. There was some evidence from our staff survey that staffing pressures were undermining local morale, but crucially, the shortage was impacting the quality of staff-prisoner relationships and the pace of regime recovery. Our observations suggested a generally supportive staff, but our prisoner survey as well as repeated prisoner complaints about staff indicated clear weaknesses in the approach of staff that needed attention.

The regime was improving, but too many prisoners spent too long locked up in their cells, not enough were engaged in meaningful activity and the prison was still not using all the education and workplaces it had available. Similar pressures were being experienced with respect to offending behaviour work, offender management and to a certain extent resettlement.

Berwyn is a competently run prison. Outcomes were either reasonable or improving and with the capable leadership we observed, there is every reason for confidence about the prison’s immediate future. We highlight eleven priorities and concerns which we hope will assist leaders going forward.

Charlie Taylor

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

In addition the inspectors listed 11 area upon which they wished to prison to address

“What needs to improve at HMP Berwyn”

During this inspection we identified 11 key concerns, of which four should be treated as priorities. Priority concerns are those that are most important to improving outcomes for prisoners. They require immediate attention by leaders and managers.

Leaders should make sure that all concerns identified here are addressed and that progress is tracked through a plan which sets out how and when the concerns will be resolved. The plan should be provided to HMI Prisons.

Priority concerns

• Patients waited too long to access routine primary care clinics. Primary care staffing and inconsistent prison officer escort arrangements led to long waits of up to 12 months for many routine clinics.
• Too many prisoners did not have enough activity or time unlocked, especially unemployed prisoners. There were insufficient education and work places for the population.
• Prisoners’ attendance in education, training and employment was not good enough. Not enough was done to encourage prisoners to attend activities and often only about 60% of prisoners allocated to an activity turned up.
• A staff shortage was affecting leaders’ ability to deliver a fully functioning rehabilitative regime. In particular, a severe shortage of band 3 officers, probation and health care staff affected the delivery of some services.

Key concerns

• Not enough prisoners understood the purpose of their allocation to education, training and employment. Some felt they were allocated to activities that were not aligned to their interests and often disrupted classes.
• Levels of violence remained too high. Data were not used well to monitor and identify trends over time, or to inform an effective action plan.
• Rates of self-harm remained too high. Key work was not used to support prisoners at risk of self-harm and debriefs following acts of self[1]harm were not always carried out. Analysis of self-harm data was too limited to measure progress and inform improved practice.
• The applications and complaints systems were not fully effective. Many prisoners waited too long for a response to their applications and complaints. Data were not analysed to understand and address common themes and there was a lack of effective quality assurance to drive improvement.
• Several patients had been taken off antipsychotic and other psychiatric medicines which had led to a deterioration in their condition. This created potential difficulties when psychiatric treatment had to be reconstituted.
• Telephone and mail monitoring arrangements were in disarray. Phone monitoring was not always carried out when required to reduce the risks of harassment and further criminal activity.

11. The frequency and quality of offender manager sessions with prisoners was not good enough to drive sentence plans. Work had become focused on timebound objectives such as parole reports, categorisation and OASys reports.

Return to Berwyn

To read the full reports, go to the Ministry of Justice site or follow the links below:

• Inspection report (2 MB) , Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Berwyn by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (16–17  and 23–27 May 2022)
• HMP Berwyn (869.04 kB) , Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Berwyn (4-14 March 2019)

Share this:

Inside Britain's biggest prison where inmates have access to their own laptops and phones

The prison also has new gyms, five-a-side pitches, a library and a visiting room with play area for children

• 10:38, 2 MAR 2017
• Updated 10:41, 2 MAR 2017

Get the latest court and crime news from WalesOnline

We have more newsletters

This is what it looks like inside Britain's biggest and newest prison.

HMP Berwyn, which has opened in Wrexham, can hold more than 2,100 prisoners, dwarfing HMP Oakwood, near Wolverhampton, which has a 1,600 capacity.

The new prison's governor, Russ Trent, believes offenders will have a great opportunity to rehabilitate themselves. The first prisoners arrived this week.

Each two-man room - they’re not called cells - will have a laptop as well as a phone, shower and toilet.

The laptops will not have access to the internet but will be used to arrange visits, order meals for the week and do their weekly shopping, as well as complete any work related to their studies.

Responding to claims that it was not punitive enough, Mr Trent said: "I think Berwyn can be a truly rehabilitative prison where the men will be kept in decent conditions and given every opportunity to live law-abiding lives when they return to their community.

"People are being taken away from their families and their homes – that is the punishment. While they’re here, it’s our job to give them every chance to better themselves and become better educated, with better work opportunities and being someone that the community can be proud of."

The prison was built at a cost of £212 million. There are three wings. The first - Bala - is open for inmates. The second ward, Alwen, is set to open in May and Ceiriog in July, each housing 702 men.

Each wing will be further split into eight communities of 88 prisoners.

In total there will be about 2,100 inmates when fully operational, the largest in the UK.

The prison features colourful environments with wall art and showers and a college style facility to learn new skills including joinery, carpentry and brick-laying.

The phones in the prisoners’ rooms can only be used under strict conditions and when earned as a privilege.

The prison also has new gyms, five-a-side pitches, a library and a visiting room with play area for children.

On the walls were also messages of inspiration “Look to the future with ambition and hope” and “Big journeys begin with little steps”.

Mr Trent said: “They will be treated decently with decent conditions and will be given every opportunity to live law abiding lives. People who have committed crimes have been taken away from their families and communities and that is their punishment. It is our job to do everything we can to get them to better themselves.”

Last year was a bad 12 months for UK jails with a record number of inmates taking their own lives - 119 - and riots seen at prisons including HMP Birmingham and HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

Mr Trent believes the ethos of rehabilitation, which permeates all aspects of the prison and was a criteria for selecting staff, will deter inmates from wanting to take their lives or behave badly.

“When they develop better hope, they are less likely to want to take their own lives and with better relationships with the staff, they are less likely to harm staff. They will also be kept busy with education and activities,” he said.

The majority of inmates at HMP Berwyn will be Category C, classed as prisoners who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape.

It may take some Category B prisoners classed as, if they escape would pose a large risk to members of the community.

• Most Recent

Are you OK with cookies?

We use small files called ‘cookies’ on hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk. Some are essential to make the site work, some help us to understand how we can improve your experience, and some are set by third parties. You can choose to turn off the non-essential cookies. Which cookies are you happy for us to use?

Choose which cookies we use

Marketing cookies, google analytics.

We use Google Analytics to measure how you use the website so we can improve it based on user needs. We do not allow Google Analytics to use or share the data about how you use this site.

Google Analytics 4

Third-party cookies, video streaming.

We have no control over cookies set by third parties. You can turn them off, but not through us.

Social Media

If you share a link to a page, the service you share it on (for example, Facebook) may set a cookie.

Essential cookies

These cookies will always need to be on because they make our site work.

Logged in users

Archives: Reports

Contains details of Reports

HMP Cardiff

What we found.

Cardiff was very overcrowded, with nearly two-thirds of the population sharing cells designed for one, however, it was clean, settled and performing better than similar prisons against most safety outcomes. The governor and her senior team were visible and positive staff-prisoner relationships underpinned the respectful culture.

Despite this, illegal drugs were a problem with nearly half of prisoners saying it was easy to get hold of them and just under a quarter of prisoners tested positive for drugs in mandatory testing. The delivery of key work was weak but time out of cell was delivered more consistently than at comparable prisons.

Points to note: Ten prisoners had taken their lives since 2019, yet the implementation of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s recommendations following those deaths was poor. Oversight and planning of care for patients with long-term health conditions was weak and inconsistent.

HMP/YOI Chelmsford

Chelmsford was a safer and more productive place at its first full inspection since the Urgent Notification issued in 2021.

Staff had worked hard to reduce contraband getting into the estate. Subsequently, violence had reduced, the positive MDT rate was lower than at comparable jails at 15% and higher levels of prisoner attendance at education, training and work had been achieved. Sadly, self-harm had increased and poor coordination between the two providers of therapeutic support and long waiting lists prevented the delivery of much needed support for prisoners struggling with their mental health.

Points to note: Use of force was high, care and support for prisoners during their early days was poor and, whilst the OMU had made very good recent progress with work to reduce reoffending, some high-risk prisoners were released without adequate preparation. On average, 26% of sentenced prisoners had nowhere to sleep on their first night of release.

Staffordshire and West Mercia courts

Overall, staff were compassionate, patient and worked hard to support detainee welfare. However, detainees regularly arrived at court late due to limited cell capacity and long journeys, which delayed hearing start times. Searches of detainees were rarely based on individual risk assessment, meaning many were searched repeatedly and unnecessarily. Interpretation services were not used consistently to support detainees.

Points to note: Detainees discharged from prison at court did not have important personal possessions, such as door keys, and could not easily retrieve them. Despite the inspection being announced, cell environments were poor and there was a lack of facilities for detainees with impaired mobility or disabilities.

Mitie Care and Custody short-term holding facilities

STHFs, designed and equipped to hold people for just a few hours, held over a quarter of detainees for more than 12 hours and nearly 600 people, including six children, for more than 24 hours over the previous six months. Detainees were not allowed access to their prescribed medication and telephone contact was limited. Not all Border Force staff who had contact with children had enhanced DBS checks and there were startling inconsistences in safeguarding data provided by Border Force. For the most part, Care and Custody staff were supportive to detainees.

Points to note:  The Home Office urgently needs to address the situation at Luton. The airport was unable to cope with the demands placed on it and we were particularly concerned to find that children were placed in crowded holding rooms with unrelated adults.

HMP Whatton

Whatton was generally continuing to operate effectively as a national resource for men convicted of sexual offences. The new governor had taken responsibility for improving the experiences of black prisoners, a concern raised in our previous two inspections. Behaviour management processes were overly punitive, with cellular confinement used far more than at similar establishments, and good behaviour needed to be better incentivised. Self-harm was also higher than at comparator prisons and had risen over the past two years. Many prisoners’ literacy and numeracy levels were poor and the rollout of a prison-wide reading strategy was slow. A lack of accredited programmes inhibited sentence progression, with some waiting years to fulfil that aspect of their sentence plan.

Points to note: Living conditions on B wing were poor. Cells were very cramped and the toilet was situated next to the bed without any partition. Black mould grew on poorly ventilated cell walls and prisoners had been forced to line walls with cardboard to keep warm.

Business Plan 2024-25

I am delighted that my role as Chief Inspector of Prisons has been extended for another three years, allowing me to continue to lead my outstanding team to scrutinise independently the conditions for and treatment of detainees.

Our key priorities for 2024–25 are detailed in this business plan and will help the Inspectorate to continue to drive improvements in outcomes for detainees.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Improving behaviour in prisons: a thematic review.

Commenting on the report HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said:

Prisons in England and Wales are almost full, with men and women serving increasingly long sentences often in overcrowded and squalid conditions. Reoffending rates remain high, and levels of assaults and self-harm are rising. Drugs too are an increasing problem in many jails, despite the use of technology designed to prevent their incursion.

Against this backdrop, it is more important than ever that prison leaders find ways to develop cultures that support prisoners to behave well. If we want to see less reoffending and fewer victims of crime, prisons must deliver on their purpose to protect the public by working with prisoners to help them prepare for their return to society. But we know how difficult it is for staff to do their job when they are spending too much of their time managing disruptive behaviour. We often report on prisons where behaviour is unacceptable, rules are not clear or enforced, staff lack confidence and do not feel supported by leaders, sanctions are not followed up and there is no effective system in place to motivate prisoners to behave.

Yet we know that some prisons have bucked this trend, creating cultures that encourage men and women to engage constructively with staff and make better use of their time in custody.

In this thematic report, we identify the features of these prisons in the expectation that others will learn from the example, innovation and insight that they offer. We visited eight jails during our research, as well as holding discussion groups with ex-prisoners, governors and academics.

We hope that our report inspires prison leaders to look for what is achievable within their own establishment. But there is no magic wand that can remove the pressure of rising populations, failing infrastructure and a dearth of experienced staff, and we have been calling for some time now for a serious conversation about who we send to prison, for how long and what we want to happen during their time in custody to reduce future victims of crime.

HMP Peterborough (Men)

Peterborough (men) healthy prison scores.

Peterborough’s population was transient and demand for resettlement help was high. The prison had released around 1,200 men in the last 12 months and in the same period had received around 700 men who had been recalled to prison for breaking the rules of their community supervision period. Around a third of those released were high risk prisoners. There was not enough housing support, with about 30% of all releases going out street homeless. Despite this high level of need, the housing adviser had not entered the prison for over a year and there had been no substantive head of reducing reoffending for nearly two years.

The early release scheme (End of Custody Supervised Licence) had added further pressure, and a number of men released under the scheme, for whom accommodation had not been found, had been recalled to prison even before their original release date had passed.

The prison was also struggling with staffing, with around a third of officers typically being unavailable for duty. Many staff said that they felt unsupported, and morale was low. Senior staff had also been deployed to support other Sodexo prisons over the last 18 months, which had contributed to the overall deterioration of the prison which inspectors had previously considered one of the better reception and resettlement prisons.

This was a worrying inspection. It is particularly disappointing that Peterborough, which has historically been one of the better resettlement prisons in the country, has suffered for its more experienced staff being taken to shore up other struggling jails run by Sodexo. But its deterioration also shows the strain that is on all of our prisons at the moment, with common themes such as drugs, staffing challenges, overcrowding and a revolving door for those caught in a cycle of reoffending. Until prisons focus on breaking that cycle by providing meaningful education, employment and other rehabilitation, our communities will continue to suffer, because where there is reoffending, there are more victims .

Albania escort and removals

Inspectors found operational practices to be generally well organised, but too many Albanian detainees waited in detention for several weeks despite wanting to return voluntarily. However, efforts had been made to reduce total journey times. Leaders had acted on, and continued to act on, the staff culture and interactions with detainees were mostly respectful and positive.

Points to note

Information about vulnerability and risk was not clearly communicated to escort staff or paramedics and the opening of detainees’ medical notes without their consent breached medical confidentiality. The use of interpreters needed better oversight.

Are you OK with cookies?

We use small files called ‘cookies’ on prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk. Some are essential to make the site work, some help us to understand how we can improve your experience, and some are set by third parties. You can choose to turn off the non-essential cookies. Which cookies are you happy for us to use?

Choose which cookies we use

Marketing cookies, google analytics.

We use Google Analytics to measure how you use the website so we can improve it based on user needs. We do not allow Google Analytics to use or share the data about how you use this site.

Marketing - Google Floodlight

These cookies allow us to track your browsing activity and serve you with relevant adverts based on your interests. These cookies are disabled by default, so if you want to experience targeted content that’s tailored to you, you’ll need to click ‘Accept Cookies’ in the website pop up. If you choose to leave these cookies disabled, you won’t receive personalised advertising, including on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Marketing - Google Conversion Linker

Marketing - facebook, google analytics 4, google analytics 4 event tracking.

An event allows us to measure a specific interaction or occurrence on your website or app

Third-party cookies

We have no control over cookies set by third parties. You can turn them off, but not through us. In addition, if you share a link to a page, the service you share it on (for example, Facebook) may set a cookie.

Essential cookies

These cookies will always need to be on because they make our site work.

Logged in users

Work as a prison officer at Berwyn Prison

We’re not currently recruiting prison officers at berwyn prison.

We can let you know when vacancies open.

Why work as a prison officer at HMP Berwyn?

About HMP Berwyn

Four miles outside the historic market town of Wrexham in North Wales, HMP Berwyn is a men’s  category C  resettlement and training prison.

Opened in 2017, and accommodating up to 2,100 men, HMP Berwyn is a modern prison and currently the largest in the UK.

Inside Berwyn

With the aim of helping prisoners increase their chances of employment when they return to their communities, HMP Berwyn provides access to a wide range of education and training opportunities.

Onsite workshops to help prisoners gain work experience

Based on a campus design, at HMP Berwyn’s centre is an industry building housing 12 workshops where men can work and gain qualifications in areas such as manufacturing operations and customer service.

Our workshops include:

• furniture making
• DHL distribution
• call centres

Resettlement hub to prepare prisoners for employment when they return to their community

A state-of-the-art resettlement hub provides an opportunity for individuals to meet work coaches and access training to prepare them for employment.

Training is available in a variety of trades and professions including bricklaying, joinery, plastering and industrial cleaning. Plus, men have access to a range of vocational qualifications such as digital media, business enterprise, and information and communications technology (ICT).

HMP Berwyn’s men also have access to a broad programme of learning opportunities – from basic skills such as literacy, Welsh and numeracy, to vocational qualifications and higher learning.

Staff benefits

As an employee of HMP Berwyn, you’ll have access to a range of facilities and employee benefits including:

• use of a free onsite gym
• free onsite parking
• excellent training and career progression

This is in addition to the great benefits you get from being a part of HM Prison and Probation Service .

How to get to HMP Berwyn

With plenty of on-site parking, HMP Berwyn is an 8-minute drive from Wrexham, and just 15 miles from Chester.

The prison is 4 miles from Wrexham General and Wrexham Central stations. A number of local buses also run past the prison.

Find HMP Berwyn on a map (opens in a new tab).

Find out more about the prison officer role

An extraordinary job.

Done by someone like you.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

The largest custodial facility in the UK designed towards rehabilitation

North Wales, UK

Architecture

2,106 person prison

When it opened in 2017, HMP Berwyn created great public interest. With a capacity of 2,106 male prisoners, it became the biggest custodial facility in the UK, with room to grow further.

Built on the site of a demolished factory near Wrexham, North Wales, the Category B/C prison has three residential four-storey blocks. A campus design, it features soft landscaped areas with, at its centre, an industry building with 12 workshops that are leased to companies using vocational labour to make goods like furniture. It also has an education building, offering courses in the performing arts, IT and more.

The design premise of Berwyn is to help people rejoin society via a process of ‘normalisation’. Within cells, strict safety standards have been applied. The prisoners are not called prisoners but ‘men’, and the cells ‘rooms’. “It’s part of an evolution of UK prison design towards rehabilitation,” says tp bennett’s Kevin Bell.

With budgetary constraints, Berwyn was also created to an efficient and space-saving design, with wings designed for 2–3 officers per 60 people. As a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) flagship scheme, HMP Berwyn is now expected to set the standards for future large prison designs.

The project was designed by tp bennett’s Kevin Bell and Daniel Dominguez while at Capita Property and Infrastructure.

Related work

Prison Reform Trust

HMP Thameside & Expansion

HMP Dovegate & Expansion

Privacy overview.

• The weekly online and monthly printed national newspaper for prisoners and detainees

Search articles and comments

Hmp wayland.

• Inside Time Reports
• 13th December 2014
• East of England , Male Cat. C , Prison Visit

Prison information

Address: Thompson Road Griston Thetford IP25 6RL Switchboard: 01953 804100 Managed by: HMPPS Region: East of England Category:  Male Cat. C Link to:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wayland-prison

Description

Category C adult male training prison. Wayland does not hold Vulnerable Prisoners

Visit Booking: On-line

Use this online service to book a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales you need the:

• prisoner number
• prisoner’s date of birth
• dates of birth for all visitors coming with you

The prisoner must add you to their visitor list before you can book a visit.

You’ll get an email confirming your visit. It takes 1 to 3 days.

ID: Every visit Children’s Visits:

Acceptable forms of ID

Search reports

IMB Reports

Prison Inspectorates Reports

Probation Service Reports

Prisons and Probations Ombudsman

Search the InsideTime library

Related posts

Hmp hindley to expand by 500 places, littlehey had most covid deaths, sixty billion pound question, prisons: the good, the bad and the ugly, prison expansion sites identified, 7 more prisons to get in-cell tech, named: 9 jails to benefit from in-cell tech, gongs for people who helped prisoners, something missing or outdated.

If you have any information that you would like to be included or see anything that needs updating, contact Gary Bultitude at  [email protected]

Share this on:

You might also enjoy...

• Category C - NEW
• Male Cat. C
• 24th January 2017

HMYOI WARREN HILL

• 4th January 2015

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Conditions of acceptance of website comments