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UK Local prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.
Capacity
1,500
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
—
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 28 May 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
—
Region
—
Security level
—
Death-row facility
No
good to poor and safety remained not sufficiently good. The ingress of drugs into the prison fuelled the levels of violence, which had increased considerably in recent years. Random drugs testing showed a particular concern because the primary health care service was poor. The arrived in the evening, detoxing from drugs and alcohol, did not always receive to patient safety.
Altcourse is a much better prison than many of the reception jails that we visit, We last inspected Altcourse in 2017 when, in keeping with earlier visits to the form of activity. Again, this was much better than most prisons we have visited
We last inspected Altcourse in 2017 when, in keeping with earlier visits to the
good, and there had been an improvement in preparation for release to reasonably good, our score for purposeful activity had dropped from reasonably While a hard-working and dedicated team were doing their best to mitigate their prisoners well and were proud of the wings on which they worked. This onsite, which gave new officers a much better sense of what working in a prison regime was generally able to run on time. using its limited work and education spaces well enough, so workshops and them to get work on release. the provision of education and skills, and significantly reduce the supply of In general, the prison was calm and well-ordered with staff working hard to prisoners told us they felt respected by staff.
The ingress of drugs into the prison fuelled the levels of violence, which had increased considerably in recent years. Random drugs testing showed a arrived in the evening, detoxing from drugs and alcohol, did not always receive resulted in much lower rates of staff assaults than most similar jails. The rate of their addiction to drugs or alcohol were given good support on the incentivised drugs, then this prison can return to being one of the very best in the country. 2017, eight prisoners had taken their own lives, with four of the deaths in the followed these deaths.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 22. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 18 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
Altcourse, a modern Liverpool reception prison, was opened in 1997. In 2023, Sodexo took over the running of the prison from G4S, a transfer that had been generally handled well. While our score for respect had remained reasonably good, and there had been an improvement in preparation for release to reasonably good, our score for purposeful activity had dropped from reasonably good to poor and safety remained not sufficiently good. The ingress of drugs into the prison fuelled the levels of violence, which had increased considerably in recent years. Random drugs testing showed a positive rate of 34%, one of the highest rates among similar jails. This was of particular concern because the primary health care service was poor. The longstanding issues with commissioning and oversight, that we raised at our previous inspection, continued to be unsatisfactory. The GP provision was nowhere near sufficient for the levels of need at the jail. New prisoners who arrived in the evening, detoxing from drugs and alcohol, did not always receive appropriate care and treatment until the next day, which posed a significant risk to patient safety. While a hard-working and dedicated team were doing their best to mitigate some of these problems, they were sometimes overwhelmed by demand. Leaders in the prison were not paying sufficient attention to this issue, and improving the health care service was not one of the jail’s priorities. Relationships remained a real strength at Altcourse, with many prisoners commenting on how supported they felt. I met some committed staff, who knew their prisoners well and were proud of the wings on which they worked. This resulted in much lower rates of staff assaults than most similar jails. The rate of use of force remained relatively low, and batons, introduced to the prison a little over a year ago, had never been drawn. The governance and oversight of force, which was poor at our last inspection had improved considerably. The director had responsibility for recruiting staff for the jail. Training took place onsite, which gave new officers a much better sense of what working in a prison would entail. Although there were some shortages of frontline staff overall, the regime was generally able to run on time. There were some good incentives for prisoners to behave well, including an enhanced wing and two “calm” wings, which provided a quieter and less frenetic environment for men who followed the rules. Prisoners who wanted to deal with their addiction to drugs or alcohol were given good support on the incentivised substance free living wing (ISFL). All prisoners had the opportunity to eat communally, something we very rarely see in reception prisons. Activity allocation was too slow and meant the third of prisoners who were unemployed were locked up for around 21 hours a day. The prison was not using its limited work and education spaces well enough, so workshops and classrooms were not full. The prison had also not done enough to assess local employment needs, meaning prisoners were not in activities that would help them to get work on release. Altcourse is a much better prison than many of the reception jails that we visit, which is sustained by the quality of the relationships between prisoners and staff. This inspection revealed some serious shortcomings that will require improved oversight and commitment from leaders if they are to improve. If the experienced director and his team can transform the health care offer, improve the provision of education and skills, and significantly reduce the supply of drugs, then this prison can return to being one of the very best in the country. Charlie Taylor HM Chief Inspector of Prisons August 2025
Located in Liverpool, HMP Altcourse is a category B local prison serving courts in the Merseyside and Cheshire regions. A modern institution, Altcourse is a privately run facility that has been managed by G4S since it first opened in 1997. At the time of our inspection 1,158 men were being held, just short of the prison’s capacity. The establishment experienced a significant turnover of new receptions, with just under 400 new prisoners arriving each month and about half the population either unsentenced and on remand or serving very short sentences. We last inspected Altcourse in 2017 when, in keeping with earlier visits to the prison, we reported very positive outcomes. In the context of the restrictions created by the prison’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this report, although critical of some aspects of the prison’s performance, continues to highlight some very encouraging findings. Overall, we assessed safety outcomes as not sufficiently good, a deterioration since the last inspection. To a great extent this reflected the fact that since 2017, eight prisoners had taken their own lives, with four of the deaths in the last 12 months. We were critical of some aspects of the prison’s approach to safeguarding, but staff seemed to be responding to learning from reviews that followed these deaths. The prisoners in crisis we spoke to told us they felt well cared for, and although recorded instances of self-harm remained too high, the number had reduced over the last year. In general, the prison was calm and well-ordered with staff working hard to ensure prisoners’ experience of custody was respectful. The quality of staff- prisoner relationships remained a great strength and in our survey 83% of prisoners told us they felt respected by staff. Key worker arrangements were working reasonably well, consultation was effective and complaints and applications procedures were better than we normally see. Leaders had retained focus on the promotion of equality and were responsive to the advice provided by inspectors. Time out of cell had improved recently and most prisoners were unlocked for at least five hours a day and participating in some form of activity. Again, this was much better than most prisons we have visited this year. However, Ofsted found weaknesses in the curriculum and identified the need to maximise attendance in education, both of which required greater
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Altcourse. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-altcourse
"HMP Altcourse." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-altcourse.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-altcourse,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Altcourse},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-altcourse},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}