United Kingdom · South-East & East · Suffolk
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UK Local 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
South-East & East
Security level
Medium
Death-row facility
No
provided a reasonable regime, but which needed to do more to support Outcomes in our healthy prison test of safety remained reasonably good, and they were good for respect. However, the regime and provision of education, training and work had deteriorated, and we judged purposeful activity to be poor, while outcomes in preparation for release had remained not sufficiently connected to drugs or violence and are held a long way from home. Despite Much of this was predicated on stable and settled leadership that was both visible and approachable. It was clear that leaders had prioritised the positive influence on staff, most of whom appeared capable and committed, despite some inexperience. — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 Prisoners’ property and persons are searched on arrival. A body scanner was installed in December 2020 and its use is intelligence-led. If a prisoner refuses to undergo a body scan, they can be subject to an adjudication (a disciplinary hearing that is held when a prisoner is alleged to have broken prison rules). 4.1.2 The prisoner’s property is checked in front [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, food 5.1.1 From the Board’s observations, Governors and prison officers continue to actively ensure that prisoners keep the units clean and tidy. Prisoners who do not keep their cells clean are encouraged to do so. Governors’ visits result in a high level of activity and the prisoners are justifiably proud of the results. 5.1.2 As highlighted in our previous report, the [...] Purposeful activity: 7.1.1 Education in the prison is delivered by People Plus and offers City & Guilds and Gateway qualifications. There were 810 enrolments on accredited courses, with 585 achievements, and 150 enrolments on unaccredited courses, all of whom completed the courses. On digital prison service (DPS) computer, there were 485 enrolments, with, again, all the prisoners completing the courses. Open [...] Preparation for release: 7.3.1 As with our previous report, the backlog of work again showed a reduction compared with the previous reporting year. The use of laptops continued to be beneficial, particularly in facilitating meetings, such as with community offender managers (COMs, who are outside probation workers), for example. Prisoners were still arriving from other establishments without a sentence plan, adding to [...]
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Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Highpoint, HMP Highpoint Stradishall Newmarket Suffolk CB8 9YG 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.
Highpoint is a large category C training and resettlement prison in rural Suffolk, provided a reasonable regime, but which needed to do more to support prisoners as they progressed through their sentence toward release. At this they were good for respect. However, the regime and provision of education, training and work had deteriorated, and we judged purposeful activity to be poor, while outcomes in preparation for release had remained not sufficiently
connected to drugs or violence and are held a long way from home. Despite
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 8. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 4 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
7.1.1 Education in the prison is delivered by People Plus and offers City & Guilds and Gateway qualifications. There were 810 enrolments on accredited courses, with 585 achievements, and 150 enrolments on unaccredited courses, all of whom completed the courses. On digital prison service (DPS) computer, there were 485 enrolments, with, again, all the prisoners completing the courses. Open University (OU) and distance-learning courses continued to be supported, with 13 prisoners following the former, and eight on other distance-learning courses. Vocational Training in North offers places for 50 prisoners, with City & Guilds qualifications in brickwork, plastering and carpentry, motor mechanics, multi-skills and barbering. There was a 79% achievement in vocational training, with outreach support in English and maths. 7.1.2 HMP Highpoint was working with the University of East Anglia as part of the unique CRITO Project, teaching accredited courses on philosophy and literature. Taster sessions were held from April to September, when prisoners could then enrol for the rest of the course. This project ceased in October. 7.1.3 Art classes changed to part-time (either morning or afternoon) and ran for 10 weeks for each prisoner on the south site, making them available to more prisoners. Entries were submitted for the Koestler Awards for arts in criminal justice, with 10 prisoners receiving awards. One prisoner had an exhibit at the South Bank. 7.1.4 A disadvantage for both staff and [...]
4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 Prisoners’ property and persons are searched on arrival. A body scanner was installed in December 2020 and its use is intelligence-led. If a prisoner refuses to undergo a body scan, they can be subject to an adjudication (a disciplinary hearing that is held when a prisoner is alleged to have broken prison rules). 4.1.2 The prisoner’s property is checked in front of them and, where appropriate, issued. 4.1.3 New arrivals are given an ‘advance’ of £25 so they can buy additional items as well as one phone credit. This system helps to reduce some potential debt issues. 4.1.4 On occasion, there are late arrivals. Highpoint does not have a lock-out time, but prisoners arriving after 5.30pm-6pm will, following security checks, be given an overnight bag before being located on the induction wing. In normal circumstances, they will have their property logged, then be brought back to reception the following morning to have it checked. Prisoners continue to be given the opportunity to make a swap if they wish for an alternative item of clothing to be issued. 4.1.5 As there are no healthcare staff on site at this time in the evening, it is still the case that late arrivals are located directly to the induction unit and placed on observation until they are seen by the healthcare team the following day. 4.1.6 Induction is situated on unit 5, on K wing. All new arrivals are monitored during the first night. The prison reports that the frequency of checks [...]
5.1 Accommodation, food 5.1.1 From the Board’s observations, Governors and prison officers continue to actively ensure that prisoners keep the units clean and tidy. Prisoners who do not keep their cells clean are encouraged to do so. Governors’ visits result in a high level of activity and the prisoners are justifiably proud of the results. 5.1.2 As highlighted in our previous report, the majority of works being carried out by Gov Facility Services Ltd (GFSL) were still not done in a timely manner. This continues to have an impact on the two sites, north and south. Even when works were carried out in a timely manner, not all works, including fire safety, were regularly quality checked by a GFSL supervisor. The Board would, once again, for the third year running, point out that the workforce employed within the prison is trying their best to complete the works, but they are still not being adequately managed by the GFSL senior management team. 5.1.3 By the end of the reporting year, 515 repairs and 469 outstanding work orders were still not completed or carried out in a timely manner: 5.1.4 Whilst this is certainly an improvement on our last reporting year (2023), it would appear that GFSL’s senior management team still does not understand the complexities of the issues and concerns in HMP Highpoint as a working prison. The Board understands that GFSL is still struggling to recruit tradesmen and retain them. GFSL appears to be finding it especially difficult to recruit [...]
7.3.1 As with our previous report, the backlog of work again showed a reduction compared with the previous reporting year. The use of laptops continued to be beneficial, particularly in facilitating meetings, such as with community offender managers (COMs, who are outside probation workers), for example. Prisoners were still arriving from other establishments without a sentence plan, adding to the workload of the offender management unit (OMU). 7.3.2 Staffing levels continued to improve during the reporting year, and caseloads were averaging at 56 cases, with the Probation Service averaging 65 cases. Operational staff, such as prison offender managers (POMs), however, were frequently redeployed to support the prison regime, which added to workload pressure on the department. Over the year, 1942 POM working hours were lost to redeployment among a staff. This was, however, a reduction of 579 hours compared with the previous year. 7.3.3 Prisoners’ complaints were usually about not obtaining their hoped for move to category D status (this meant they could be eligible for transfer to an open prison), which some mistakenly considered to be their right. More prisoners were aware of who their POM was, and the key worker scheme often supported the work of the OMU. 33 7.3.4 Under normal circumstances, the handover process begins eight-and-a-half months before release. There were, however, occasions when prisoners were transferred to HMP Highpoint eight weeks prior to release, which [...]
Highpoint is a large category C training and resettlement prison in rural Suffolk, holding just under 1,300 adult men. It is located at an old RAF station on two separate, adjacent sites, bisected by a main road. Many of the old RAF buildings remain, although newer accommodation blocks have been added since the prison opened in the late 1970s. When we last inspected in 2019, we found a safe and respectful institution that provided a reasonable regime, but which needed to do more to support prisoners as they progressed through their sentence toward release. At this inspection, our findings were similar, despite the challenges of recent years. Outcomes in our healthy prison test of safety remained reasonably good, and they were good for respect. However, the regime and provision of education, training and work had deteriorated, and we judged purposeful activity to be poor, while outcomes in preparation for release had remained not sufficiently good. Highpoint is a challenging prison to manage. The large, rural campus is difficult to supervise, and most of its prisoners have been convicted of offences connected to drugs or violence and are held a long way from home. Despite this, we found a competent, well-led establishment that was orderly and safe. Much of this was predicated on stable and settled leadership that was both visible and approachable. It was clear that leaders had prioritised the maintenance of standards and getting the basics right, and that this had had a positive influence on staff, most of whom appeared capable and committed, despite some inexperience. Staff-prisoner relationships were a strength and there were good consultation arrangements with prisoners. Despite the aging infrastructure of the prison, it was well maintained. There was a commitment to promoting positive behaviour and making use of the benefits of the extensive estate to help prisoners willing to engage to make progress. Many prisoners, having established a measure of trust, were able to live in near semi-open
Full inspection of HMP Highpoint (2019-08-12)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Highpoint. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-highpoint
"HMP Highpoint." World Prisons. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-highpoint.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-highpoint,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Highpoint},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-highpoint},
urldate = {2026-07-22}
}