Public Sector Prison prisons in England and Wales: directory context
20 March 2026Counts and labels reflect the prison import in this site build. They are not live government data.
Thematic graphic — not a photograph of a named facility.
This note sits alongside the operator hub for “Public Sector Prison”. It summarises what the operator field means in our import and how many prisons share that label today.
What this page is for
This article explains how we list prisons associated with “Public Sector Prison” in our England and Wales dataset. It complements the operator hub page, which shows the live grid for that label.
Operator strings are taken from the HMPPS export; management arrangements can change, so treat the label as a directory snapshot rather than a legal description of the contract.
Establishments in this operator group
The current import includes 107 establishments sharing this operator label.
Examples include: HMP Bedford, HMP Belmarsh, HMP Berwyn, HMP Birmingham, HMP Bristol. Full membership is linked below and on the operator hub.
Figures and labels on Prisons Online come from the HMPPS prison export used in this build. Security category and function wording are administrative fields in that source (and category may be inferred where the export does not map cleanly). Always confirm visiting rules, contact details, and regime information with official HMPPS or GOV.UK sources.
Frequently asked questions
- Does “operator” mean the prison is privately run?
- Not necessarily. The field reflects the label in the import (which may include the public sector as well as contracted providers). Check official sources for contract status.
Related listings
Related Guides
Related directory articles
More articles
Related prisons
Showing 24 of 107 establishments. Open the full listing for the complete grid.
HMP Bedford
Reception
Bedford Prison is a prison in the centre of Bedford for men aged 18 and over.
HMP Belmarsh
High Security
Belmarsh is a high security men’s prison in southeast London.
HMP Berwyn
Cat C Trainer
Berwyn is a men’s prison in Wrexham, North Wales.
HMP Birmingham
Reception
Birmingham Prison is a men’s prison in the Winson Green area of Birmingham.
HMP Bristol
Reception
Bristol Prison is a men’s prison in the Horfield area of Bristol.
HMP Brixton
Cat C Trainer
Brixton Prison is a men’s prison in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London.
HMP Buckley Hall
Cat C Trainer
Buckley Hall is a men’s prison in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
HMP Bullingdon
Reception
Bullingdon is a men’s prison near Bicester in Oxfordshire.
HMP Bure
Cat C Trainer
Bure is a prison near Norwich in Norfolk for men convicted of a sex offence.
HMP Cardiff
Reception
Cardiff Prison is a men’s prison in the centre of Cardiff, Wales.
HMP Channings Wood
Cat C Trainer
Channings Wood is a men’s prison near Newton Abbot in Devon.
HMP Coldingley
Cat C Trainer
Coldingley is a prison for adult men in Woking, Surrey.
HMP Dartmoor
Cat C Trainer
Dartmoor is a men’s prison in Devon.
HMP Durham
Reception
Durham Prison is a men’s prison in the city of Durham.
HMP Elmley
Reception
Elmley is one of 3 prisons for men that form the Sheppey Cluster in Kent, the other two being HMP Standford Hill and HMP Swaleside.
HMP Erlestoke
Cat C Trainer
Erlestoke is a men’s prison in the village of Erlestoke, Wiltshire.
HMP Exeter
Reception
Exeter is a men’s prison in Exeter city centre in Devon.
HMP Featherstone
Cat C Trainer
Featherstone is a men’s prison in the village of Featherstone, near Wolverhampton.
HMP Ford
Open
Ford is a men’s open prison in Arundel, West Sussex.
HMP Frankland
High Security
Frankland is a high-security men’s prison in Brasside, County Durham.
HMP Full Sutton
High Security
Full Sutton is a men’s high security prison in the village of Full Sutton, near York.
HMP Garth
Cat B Trainer
Garth is a men’s high security prison near Leyland, Lancashire.
HMP Gartree
Cat B Trainer
Gartree is a high security men’s prison in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
HMP Grendon
Cat B Trainer
Grendon is a men’s prison in the village of Grendon Underwood, Buckinghamshire. It is jointly managed with Spring Hill Prison, which is on the same site.