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UK Closed female prison operated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Listed in the GOV.UK Find a prison directory.
Background
HM Prison Send is a closed category women's prison in the extreme south of Ripley civil parish in Surrey, England. The nearest settlements are Send and West Clandon. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
found a prison that was ensuring good outcomes in our healthy prison tests of complex population of up to 202, many presenting a high risk of harm to others. COVID-19 in January 2021, in which a staff member died, and the forced closure of two wings at short notice due to fire safety concerns, Send was serving long sentences, felt generally well cared for and supported by staff. The excellent relationships between women and staff were evident throughout the or particularly vulnerable. Staff knew the women well and were able to respond Staff members had noted that self-harm tended to increase when the lifting of more closed conditions than they had been used to and, though an external There was a strong, deep culture of respect and support that had been established in the prison, maintained by the visible and accessible leadership team and a dedicated staff.
— UK IMB Annual Report (2024) —
Safety: The Board continues to consider Send to be a prison in which the management and staff make a great effort to try and ensure the safety of prisoners, including those who have complex needs. Safety data is presented and discussed at the monthly safer custody meeting and an action plan is monitored. In addition, the weekly safety intervention and high risk meetings focus on individuals who require a [...]
Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The 64 new rapid deployment cells continue to be very popular with the prisoners and during the year garden furniture, a greenhouse and outdoor exercise equipment have been added. This accommodation provides an incentivised substance free living (ISFL) area. Enhanced prisoners, by contrast, do not have a dedicated area in the prison and they have reported they do [...]
Purposeful activity: The Board has spoken to many prisoners who are very positive about the courses they are studying and the impact it has had on them, and how it will help them in their future. We have observed classes where prisoners are engaged and tutors supportive and encouraging. An education, training and employment needs analysis was conducted in August 2024 based on a survey of 150 prisoners (60%). Maths [...]
Preparation for release: Staff shortages within the OMU have reduced in the reporting year. However, there were additional demands on OMU staff with an increase in the number of prisoners with complex needs, and the need to handle the release of prisoners under SDS40. The continued pressure from HMPPS to move eligible prisoners to open prisons had an impact on the release on temporary licence (ROTL) numbers. Typically, [...]
Visiting
The restrictions on social visits had hit women hard, particularly those with the ban on hugging during visits had been too painful for both mother and child. This meant there had been fewer visits in the last year than there usually were (ROTL), visits and the therapeutic interventions. Inspectors agreed with her
Mailing
coping remarkably well. Women, many of whom had complex needs and were in a month. In-cell telephones and extra credit meant that connections had at
Practical info
get access to peer support, education and training, meant women had suffered. one-to-one interventions had continued for these women. The key work session priorities that included restoring education, release on temporary licence developed a mentoring support scheme for those who were due for release.
Known issues
that suitable support was in place for women who were distressed, self-harming Staff members had noted that self-harm tended to increase when the lifting of
Contact & address
HMP Send Ripley Road Woking Surrey GU23 7LJ See map Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey ., Surrey GU23 7LJ
Higher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Capacity (beds)this: 280 · peers avg: 577 (51%)
Reports
HMIP1 Jul 2025
HMP Send is a closed training prison near Woking in Surrey. It was re-purposed
to hold women in 1998 and provides places for up to 255, most of whom are
serving long sentences up to and including life, and many of whom who pose a
significant risk of harm to others. We last inspected Send in 2021 when we
found a prison that was ensuring good outcomes in our healthy prison tests of
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The 64 new rapid deployment cells continue to be very popular with the prisoners and during the year garden furniture, a greenhouse and outdoor exercise equipment have been added. This accommodation provides an incentivised substance free living (ISFL) area. Enhanced prisoners, by contrast, do not have a dedicated area in the prison and they have reported they do not consider that their accommodation is significantly different from that of other prisoners. In March 2025, one wing which comprises 10 cells was designated for use by enhanced prisoners aged over 50. This decision was favourably received by the prisoners who are taking the initiative to arrange their own craft and social activities. Prisoner feedback about the food was generally positive. The Board considers the daily budget allowed per prisoner for food is low but the recent addition of fresh produce from the prison gardens is beneficial. Sometimes due to staff shortage, prisoners are obliged to eat in their cells and not to have the choice to eat in the dining room. Overall, there seems to be a tendency by prisoners to elect to avoid eating in the dining room despite the efforts made by the prison to enhance the dining room environment to encourage prisoners to have their meals there. The Board reported last year that Way Out TV (a TV platform for communication and education) did not appear to be used effectively as a means of communicating with prisoners. This service has now [...]
The Board continues to consider Send to be a prison in which the management and staff make a great effort to try and ensure the safety of prisoners, including those who have complex needs. Safety data is presented and discussed at the monthly safer custody meeting and an action plan is monitored. In addition, the weekly safety intervention and high risk meetings focus on individuals who require a high level of support. The number of prisoners who need to be kept apart for safety reasons has increased during the year. We have also noted an increase in use of GOoD (good order or discipline) for isolating prisoners for their own protection. 4.1 Reception and induction There were 216 arrivals during the reporting year, compared with 178 in 2023-2024. This increase has placed pressure on staff in the delivery of the regime. A new and comprehensive inductions book was introduced in January 2025. This sets out the induction process for all new prisoners. The ‘Life on the Inside’ prisoner booklet, also introduced at that time, has been written to assist prisoners with the initial questions they may have upon arrival at Send. A revised induction timetable, given to all new arrivals, detailing what is covered during the weeklong Induction process, came into force in March 2025. Arrivals are still accepted on a Friday, although the prison makes every effort to ensure this is a final resort due to the impact this may have on a prisoner’s access to healthcare on the day if the prisoners [...]
The Board has spoken to many prisoners who are very positive about the courses they are studying and the impact it has had on them, and how it will help them in their future. We have observed classes where prisoners are engaged and tutors supportive and encouraging. An education, training and employment needs analysis was conducted in August 2024 based on a survey of 150 prisoners (60%). Maths levels are lower than English, with 45% being assessed at entry level and below. There is currently no provision for progression beyond level 2 maths (except through distance learning). A functional skills strategy was published in October 2024 to improve the standards of English and maths to a minimum level 1 and embed reading skills across the prison. This was supported by a Reading Strategy, a regional literacy programme run through the Shannon Trust including 2 active mentors, a weekly book club within education, creative writing activities, and comparative activities run by the library. The needs analysis noted that 38% of prisoners reported that they do not feel encouraged to read at Send and 39% did not feel they benefited from using the library, highlighting the importance of this work. In January 2025, an increase in capacity in classrooms, and change from cohorts to ‘roll on roll off’, aimed to increase provision and attendance. The Board welcomes the focus on functional skills as these are essential for employment for those leaving prison. However, we believe that this [...]
Staff shortages within the OMU have reduced in the reporting year. However, there were additional demands on OMU staff with an increase in the number of prisoners with complex needs, and the need to handle the release of prisoners under SDS40. The continued pressure from HMPPS to move eligible prisoners to open prisons had an impact on the release on temporary licence (ROTL) numbers. Typically, there was only one prisoner on ROTL working in the community during the year. Prisoners in kitchens raised concerns with us about the lack of ROTL opportunities at Send versus other prisons. The focus now, however, is that Send concentrates on preparing prisoners for employment on leaving prison. There is a Work Ready programme provided by CXK as part of the career, information and guidance provision (CIAG). Three work ready courses were commissioned as part of the CIAG contract. 21 prisoners took part in the programme and 10 were offered employment on release. There were six IPP prisoners at the end of the reporting year, which included four on recall. Two IPP prisoners were released during the year, one of whom had been in prison for many years beyond her tariff. The Board commends the work of OMU in managing the progression of IPP prisoners at Send. The Board continues to believe that the continued detention, and repeated recalls of IPP prisoners for relatively small breaches of licence conditions, is unfair and inhumane. There were 88 prisoners with life sentences at Send at the [...]
HMP Send, in Surrey, is a closed training prison for women which has a
complex population of up to 202, many presenting a high risk of harm to others.
The prison contains the only democratic therapeutic community for women in
the country with 24 places, as well as a psychologically informed planned
environment (PIPE) unit with 35 places.
After a year spent with lockdown restrictions in place, a serious outbreak of
COVID-19 in January 2021, in which a staff member died, and the forced
closure of two wings at short notice due to fire safety concerns, Send was
coping remarkably well. Women, many of whom had complex needs and were
serving long sentences, felt generally well cared for and supported by staff. The
excellent relationships between women and staff were evident throughout the
prison, where we witnessed many friendly interactions conducted on first-name
terms.
Regular meetings considered the needs of the most vulnerable, making sure
that suitable support was in place for women who were distressed, self-harming
or particularly vulnerable. Staff knew the women well and were able to respond
quickly when difficulties arose. Women told us they felt supported by their
peers, either informally or through the Listener scheme.
The restrictions on social visits had hit women hard, particularly those with
young children, and many had chosen not to see their families at all because
the ban on hugging during visits had been too painful for both mother and child.
This meant there had been fewer visits in the last year than there usually were
in a month. In-cell telephones and extra credit meant that connections had at
least been maintained, but it was no substitute for physical contact. One woman
movingly told me how she could feel her son beginning to drift away from her.
Women were getting out of their cells for at least three hours a day, more than
we have seen in most of the men’s estate, but the loss of time to socialise, and
get access to peer support, education and training, meant women had suffered.
Staff members had noted that self-harm tended to increase when the lifting of
restrictions in the community was not mirrored in the prison.
The closure of the two enhanced wings meant that some women were living in
more closed conditions than they had been used to and, though an external
door was kept open all day, women’s time outside was unnecessarily limited
and cell doors were now locked at night. The prison grounds were unkempt in
places and needed more looking after.
Restrictions meant that the democratic therapeutic community was unable to
operate in its usual form, but despite this, women said they were still receiving
good support from officers and therapists. Similarly, activity in the specialist
PIPE unit had also been constrained, but in contrast to the rest of the prison,
one-to-one interventions had continued for these women. The key work session
I was invited to observe showed a high level of skilled and knowledgeable
support from the officer involved.
The governor had a very positive vision for the prison and a clear set of
priorities that included restoring education, release on temporary licence
(ROTL), visits and the therapeutic interventions. Inspectors agreed with her
analysis that sentence progression, particularly for women on longer sentences,
was not as good as it should be, although the outstanding chaplaincy had
developed a mentoring support scheme for those who were due for release.
There was a strong, deep culture of respect and support that had been
established in the prison, maintained by the visible and accessible leadership
team and a dedicated staff. This perhaps explains why some women who had
achieved category D status decided to stay at Send rather than transfer to open
