United Kingdom · South-West & South Central · Oxfordshire
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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 6 Jul 2026 · methodology
Operator
HM Prison & Probation ServicePopulation held
male
Opened
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Region
South-West & South Central
Security level
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Death-row facility
No
jail, had high expectations of his staff and prisoners and encouraged innovation Leaders had created a new resettlement team which had much improved the to the last minute. Although there was a team of Home Office staff in the jail, While levels of violence remained low, there had been an increase in recent had also been some spikes in the ingress of drugs which was a concern. The treatment by some staff. Although there were many excellent officers at sitting in offices rather than out on the wing. — UK IMB Annual Report (2022) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 After an extended period of operation under national Covid-19 restrictions, the prison returned to a full regime for the majority of 2022. Until that point these restrictions continued to impact upon transfers of prisoners, their induction and procedures at reception and discharge. At year end, the daily roll had increased to 469 (from 447 in December 2021). [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Whilst the accommodation is generally up to date, clean and tidy, there is a serious ongoing issue with the reliability of the prison heating and hot water system. Due to a major leak that cannot be located, as at the end of December 2022 there were four temporary boilers serving four of the five prison wings, and one temporary boiler serving the rest of [...] Purposeful activity: Milton Keynes College is the education provider. 7.1.1 Staffing issues have remained a problem throughout the year resulting in both art and barbering being removed from the curriculum. There were insufficient staff to cover the English for speakers of another language (ESOL) classes at various times during the year, and construction was also affected adversely by the tutor being on prolonged [...] Preparation for release: 7.3.1 The anticipated outcome for foreign national prisoners (FNPs) transferred to HMP Huntercombe is that in the majority of cases they will ultimately be deported to their country of origin. Throughout 2022 the average monthly roll increased from 410 in 2021 to 450 in 2022. However, the number of FNPs deported dropped from 236 in 2021 to 230 in 2022, whilst immigration bail releases rose from [...]
our scrutiny visit during the pandemic in 2020, Huntercombe continued to be
There remained some gaps in public protection and phone monitoring was not
When we last inspected in 2017, apart from in our rehabilitation and release Leaders had created a new resettlement team which had much improved the deported. This work was often undermined because of chaotic and tardy Home who worked hard to engage with prisoners, long backlogs in central decision figures that showed that nearly 60% remained in the UK after release. Rather There was not enough education or training provision for the population, with most prisoners only in part-time work. Even with the opening of new provision, cancelled, and astonishingly senior education staff rarely bothered to cover the lessons of absent colleagues.
While levels of violence remained low, there had been an increase in recent had also been some spikes in the ingress of drugs which was a concern. The
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 26. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 22 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
Huntercombe, in Oxfordshire is a category C prison that held 468 foreign national prisoners at the time of our inspection. When we last inspected in 2017, apart from in our rehabilitation and release planning test, where we awarded our lowest score, the prison was doing well. At our scrutiny visit during the pandemic in 2020, Huntercombe continued to be one of the best performing prisons in the country. At this inspection we found a safe and respectful prison where prisoners who were often dealing with an uncertain future due to their immigration status were well looked after. The prison was led by an excellent governor who was very visible around the jail, had high expectations of his staff and prisoners and encouraged innovation from his team. For example, the impressive ‘Stoic’ programme that had been developed by the PE department aimed to support prisoners to understand themselves better and learn to make more considered choices in the future. Leaders had created a new resettlement team which had much improved the support for prisoners leaving the jail, particularly those who were being deported. This work was often undermined because of chaotic and tardy Home Office processes, with long backlogs and decisions about deportation often left to the last minute. Although there was a team of Home Office staff in the jail, who worked hard to engage with prisoners, long backlogs in central decision making meant that prisoners continued to be left anxious and confused. There remained some gaps in public protection and phone monitoring was not effective for some high-risk prisoners. Recategorisation decisions were a big source of frustration for prisoners, who were often unable to get moved to category D jails because of their immigration status; this was despite current figures that showed that nearly 60% remained in the UK after release. Rather than risk-assess individual prisoners, there often seemed a default refusal to grant Huntercombe prisoners category D status. While levels of violence remained low, there had been an increase in recent months, and not enough had yet been done to understand the causes. There had also been some spikes in the ingress of drugs which was a concern. The prison was routinely overusing strip searching, which was often invasive and unnecessary, particularly as there was a body-scanner in place. The impending loss of a psychologist risked inadequate support for those vulnerable prisoners who had been victims of torture or modern slavery, although in general health services were good with some innovative practice. My team and I were surprised by how often prisoners were negative about their treatment by some staff. Although there were many excellent officers at Huntercombe, some were not engaged or supportive to prisoners, with many sitting in offices rather than out on the wing. There was a need for more staff training, particularly in understanding the experiences and needs of foreign national prisoners, some of whom had, in the past, been victims of torture. There was not enough education or training provision for the population, with most prisoners only in part-time work. Even with the opening of new provision, such as the Clink restaurant, there would still not be enough spaces for all prisoners to be involved in full time activity. This was unacceptable in a category C prison. Staffing vacancies and sickness meant that classes were often cancelled, and astonishingly senior education staff rarely bothered to cover the lessons of absent colleagues. The overall service from the education provider was poor and, inexplicably, lesson observations by education managers had not taken place for more a year. Huntercombe continues to be one of the best prisons in the country with some very effective practice led by a strong senior team. I expect progress to continue
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food 5.1.1 Whilst the accommodation is generally up to date, clean and tidy, there is a serious ongoing issue with the reliability of the prison heating and hot water system. Due to a major leak that cannot be located, as at the end of December 2022 there were four temporary boilers serving four of the five prison wings, and one temporary boiler serving the rest of the prison. Alongside this, boilers were scaled up and there was a significant problem with the district main, which has never been replaced since it was put in. Whilst this will be expensive to repair, the prison is spending significant amounts of money putting in place temporary solutions whilst the key problem of the new district main will at some point have to be resolved anyway. The frequency of areas of the prison being without hot water and heating is increasing and the result of this is that in certain areas of the prison, for example in segregation, prisoners are having to be escorted and moved to other wings for showers, which is not ideal. The decision as to when to replace the district main is now critical, as the prison cannot function properly in the medium to long term with temporary boilers. The unreliability of the prison heating and water system creates frustration and unnecessary stress for prisoners and staff alike and needs to be resolved. 5.1.2 The new kitchen is still in the process of being built, having been delayed mainly by the need for a new generator to [...]
4.1 Reception and induction 4.1.1 After an extended period of operation under national Covid-19 restrictions, the prison returned to a full regime for the majority of 2022. Until that point these restrictions continued to impact upon transfers of prisoners, their induction and procedures at reception and discharge. At year end, the daily roll had increased to 469 (from 447 in December 2021). 4.1.2 There was a short period between 25 July 2022 and 19 August 2022 when the prison was designated a Covid-19 outbreak prison. 4.1.3 In reception, the social distancing arrangements put in place during Covid-19 are no longer in place, although stocks of items such as masks and sanitising gel and gloves are held there should they be required. Immediate needs such as language support are identified and a comprehensive assessment process is undertaken. Prisoners are also routinely screened to determine the presence of objects that they may have secreted within their body. 4.1.4 With the diminution of the incidence of Covid-19, the isolation unit (reverse cohort unit, RCU) on one landing has closed, allowing the prison roll to increase accordingly. 4.1.5 Formal induction takes place on Patterson wing on Saturdays and during the prisoners’ period on this wing, a decision is taken on appropriate wing allocation. 4.2 Suicide and self-harm, deaths in custody 4.2.1 The number of assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) plans opened (96) was fewer than in 2021 (100), which was the year [...]
7.3.1 The anticipated outcome for foreign national prisoners (FNPs) transferred to HMP Huntercombe is that in the majority of cases they will ultimately be deported to their country of origin. Throughout 2022 the average monthly roll increased from 410 in 2021 to 450 in 2022. However, the number of FNPs deported dropped from 236 in 2021 to 230 in 2022, whilst immigration bail releases rose from 158 in 2021 to 191 in 2022. 7.3.2. The Board has consistently raised its concerns for the attention of both the Minister of Justice and the Home Office regarding the continued detention in convicted criminal conditions of FNPs who are held under immigration powers (IS91) beyond their conditional release date (CRD). At commencement of 2022 this figure at HMP Huntercombe stood at 30 and averaged 19 on a monthly basis throughout the year. We quote the response from the minister to our report of 2020 (ref ADR 090492 01/09/2021): ‘I note the Board’s concern ref FN who have completed their sentence but are detained under immigration powers. I hope to reassure the Board that the Home Office is committed to working with HMPPS and other government agencies to address this issue and is focused on progressing FN cases as quickly as possible.’ In reply to the same issue in our report in 2021, the minister replied on 8 August 2022: ‘I am assured that the Home Office remains focused on progressing cases as quickly as possible…” Despite this reassurance, the numbers of IS91s in HMP Huntercombe [...]
Milton Keynes College is the education provider. 7.1.1 Staffing issues have remained a problem throughout the year resulting in both art and barbering being removed from the curriculum. There were insufficient staff to cover the English for speakers of another language (ESOL) classes at various times during the year, and construction was also affected adversely by the tutor being on prolonged sick leave. In addition, all industries staff were placed on training at some point in the year, those newly recruited to learn their area and some others requiring additional training as specialists in the defined areas. 7.1.2. The contract with Oxfordshire County Library Services to provide the library services was terminated mid-way through the year and taken over by Milton Keynes College. Initially lack of staff was a problem, but by the end of the year, three part- time librarians were able to provide full cover for four days of each week. By the end of the year, group activities had been reintroduced and all areas had direct access time allocated to the library, and various reading initiatives, such as Storybook Dads and Raising Readers, were readily available. 7.1.4The Shannon Trust reading programme was recommenced during the latter quarter of the year, during which time 15 mentors were trained and began immediate employment and by the end of the year were helping around 75 learners. 7.1.5. It was with regret that the Board noted that the full information, advice and guidance [...]
Scrutiny inspection of HMP Huntercombe (2020-12-08)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Huntercombe. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-huntercombe
"HMP Huntercombe." World Prisons. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-huntercombe.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-huntercombe,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Huntercombe},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-huntercombe},
urldate = {2026-07-22}
}