England & Wales explainers
Dataset-backed

Open prisons and Category D in our listings

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.

Dataset-backed directory note (Ew Explainer Open Prisons Category D). Thematic graphic only — not a photograph of a named facility.

Open conditions are sensitive to regime and category. Our site reflects import fields only.

Open prisons collection

Our open-prisons thematic list includes Category D sites and establishments whose predominant function text references open conditions where the import supports it. 13 establishments currently match that collection.

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 appearing here mean someone can self-report?
No. Placement and licensing decisions are made by HMPPS. This page only describes how we group published administrative data.