United Kingdom · Midlands · Derbyshire
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UK YOI 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
Midlands
Security level
Minimum
Death-row facility
No
reasonably good outcomes against all four of our healthy prison tests. At this outcomes, which we now judged to be good, our highest assessment. proportionately, but there was evidence to suggest that drug usage was too an inmate in recent times, attributed to a drug overdose. Staff-prisoner relationships were respectful, supported by the use of peer used to understand disparities and there were few disproportionate outcomes. — UK IMB Annual Report (2024) — Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction Prisoners are generally complimentary about their arrival and reception. Adjusting to the open environment is, however, a steep learning curve, which some prisoners find difficult to achieve. An induction programme is designed to familiarise prisoners with their new environment; however, this requires prisoners to grasp a large amount of information. • In conversation [...] Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The newly built wings offer accommodation of a good standard, but a high proportion of prisoners are still housed in unsatisfactory 80-year-old prefabricated buildings. Most prisoners are complimentary about the standard of food prepared by the kitchen. • Two recently opened wings each contain 60 ensuite rooms with phones. Some of these are allocated to prisoners [...] Purposeful activity: From the Board’s observations, a range of functional courses are delivered effectively, with prisoners commenting positively to the Board about the support they receive from staff. Whilst there are still places unfilled on courses, attendance has improved during the reporting year. The information technology (IT) infrastructure, however, remains deficient, and IT training for prisoners is [...] Preparation for release: The early-release schemes have created extra pressure for offender management staff, and the IMB was impressed with the care and efficiency with which these were 26 handled. It remains, however, the case that delays in gaining ROTL constitute the biggest prisoner grievance communicated to the IMB. • It is difficult to overstate the impact of the early release schemes, changes to home detention [...]
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Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Sudbury, HMP Sudbury Nr Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 5HW See map. Use Send Money to a Prisoner (GOV.UK) for funds — cash not accepted.
there had been further improvements in rehabilitation and release planning workers and improvements to prisoner consultation arrangements. There had been genuine enthusiasm in the prison’s work to promote equality. Data was contracts with external industries operating in the workshops, and the deployment of skilled prisoner work groups. The grounds, in contrast, were imposed by the accommodation.
and support, and violent incidents were rare. In our survey very few prisoners in which force and segregation were managed. Security was generally applied proportionately, but there was evidence to suggest that drug usage was too which was more than at comparable prisons. We were also told of one death of an inmate in recent times, attributed to a drug overdose.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 23. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 19 points above national average.
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food The newly built wings offer accommodation of a good standard, but a high proportion of prisoners are still housed in unsatisfactory 80-year-old prefabricated buildings. Most prisoners are complimentary about the standard of food prepared by the kitchen. • Two recently opened wings each contain 60 ensuite rooms with phones. Some of these are allocated to prisoners on the substance-free living scheme (ISFL). There are 80 pods in use, which are single units with ensuite facilities. Twenty of the pods are occupied by neurodivergent prisoners; the rest are occupied by prisoners whose sentences are for life or over 10 years, or have indeterminate sentences (a sentence that does not have a fixed date) for imprisonment for public protection (IPP), or are outworkers. • Despite a laudable programme of redecoration of corridors and communal spaces, these buildings still exhibit dampness in rooms in winter and have suffered leaks, flooding and drainage problems in some areas during bad weather. To many prisoners arriving from establishments where facilities are better than those at Sudbury, the accommodation is disappointing, with the IMB regularly hearing complaints about the limited cooking facilities, where one toaster and one microwave are shared by up to 40 prisoners. A programme of upgrading involves installing stainless steel surfaces and industrial quality microwaves. • It remains a common concern of many prisoners that they have to share a room [...]
4.1 Reception and induction Prisoners are generally complimentary about their arrival and reception. Adjusting to the open environment is, however, a steep learning curve, which some prisoners find difficult to achieve. An induction programme is designed to familiarise prisoners with their new environment; however, this requires prisoners to grasp a large amount of information. • In conversation with the IMB, the majority of prisoners arriving at Sudbury express appreciation of the considerate and helpful attitude of the staff in reception and in the induction dormitory to which they are initially allocated. In the overwhelming majority of the receptions that the IMB has observed, staff acted in a welcoming, professional and informative manner. • Many prisoners speak to IMB members about the difficulties they face in adjusting to the environment, the regime, and the expectations of an open prison, particularly the expectation that prisoners will develop self-reliance. This adjustment is challenging for some prisoners and staff make allowances for this in the first weeks after arrival. Despite attempts made by HMP Sudbury to familiarise prisoners with what to expect on transfer (including sending a video about HMP Sudbury to other prisons), prisoners arriving at Sudbury frequently say that they have received little information from their previous prison, and that some of what they do receive is inaccurate. • The prisoner induction programme provides information and [...]
From the Board’s observations, a range of functional courses are delivered effectively, with prisoners commenting positively to the Board about the support they receive from staff. Whilst there are still places unfilled on courses, attendance has improved during the reporting year. The information technology (IT) infrastructure, however, remains deficient, and IT training for prisoners is limited. The library is fully staffed and is a welcoming and well-resourced environment, with imaginative initiatives put in place. • Education is delivered by People Plus. The two education buildings are welcoming and display material is regularly refreshed. The facilities are well maintained and all areas are accessible for prisoners with mobility issues. • Since the introduction of the early release schemes, some prisoners arrive at Sudbury with fewer than eight weeks left to serve. Digital progression opportunities are provided for these prisoners, consisting of content that will be useful in helping to prepare them for future employment. However, between October 2024 and March 2025, only 14% of prisoners received an IT assessment on arrival and, in May 2025, only 43% of prisoners had a recorded IT level, with 45% of these being below Level 1. IMB members have received comments from some newly arrived prisoners who have previously been held in more modern prisons, where they often had access to modified laptops in their cells. Sudbury is technologically ill equipped in comparison. [...]
The early-release schemes have created extra pressure for offender management staff, and the IMB was impressed with the care and efficiency with which these were 26 handled. It remains, however, the case that delays in gaining ROTL constitute the biggest prisoner grievance communicated to the IMB. • It is difficult to overstate the impact of the early release schemes, changes to home detention curfew (HDC) and the temporary presumptive recategorisation scheme (TPRS), which are designed to move category C prisoners to category D/open prisons earlier than usual, have had on the offender management unit (OMU). The preparations necessary for prisoner release, combined with the high number of prisoners arriving at Sudbury, has diverted staff from their regular responsibilities. Despite this, prisoners have been receiving their initial interviews with their prison offender manager promptly and within the required timeframe. • The IMB commends the professional and thorough manner in which preparations were made for the early release of prisoners at various points during the reporting year, and were impressed with the smoothness with which this took place in practice. The burden of preparing for the release of so many prisoners simultaneously, in September and October 2024, and, again, in June 2025, added considerably to the workload of an already hard-pressed department. • However, a consequence of this was that regular responsibilities in other areas, particularly with regard to [...]
HMP Sudbury, located near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, is an open prison holding just over 600 adult men. This was our first full inspection of the prison since 2017, when we reported on a successful institution that was achieving reasonably good outcomes against all four of our healthy prison tests. At this inspection it was pleasing to report that success had been sustained and that there had been further improvements in rehabilitation and release planning outcomes, which we now judged to be good, our highest assessment. The prison remained overwhelmingly safe. New prisoners received good care and support, and violent incidents were rare. In our survey very few prisoners suggested that they had ever felt unsafe, but a few told us they had been victimised. Although used infrequently, there had been improvements in the way in which force and segregation were managed. Security was generally applied proportionately, but there was evidence to suggest that drug usage was too high. Mandatory testing, for example, indicated a positive rate of about 20%, which was more than at comparable prisons. We were also told of one death of an inmate in recent times, attributed to a drug overdose. Staff-prisoner relationships were respectful, supported by the use of peer workers and improvements to prisoner consultation arrangements. There had been genuine enthusiasm in the prison’s work to promote equality. Data was used to understand disparities and there were few disproportionate outcomes. Many areas of the prison’s buildings and accommodation were old and grubby, despite imaginative initiatives to fund renovations from income gained from contracts with external industries operating in the workshops, and the deployment of skilled prisoner work groups. The grounds, in contrast, were attractive and well maintained. The prison was a generally active place, which mitigated some of the limits imposed by the accommodation. Nearly all prisoners had an education or work allocation, with many engaged in paid employment in the community, linked to the extensive use of release on temporary licence (ROTL) to support employment and resettlement goals. Support for prisoners to maintain family ties was very good, both in the prison and through ROTL. Partnership working to coordinate offender management and release planning outcomes was excellent. The success of the prison was consistent with the clarity and visibility of
Scrutiny inspection of HMP & YOI Sudbury (2021-05-11)
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World Prisons. (2026). HMP Sudbury. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-sudbury
"HMP Sudbury." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-sudbury.
@misc{worldprisons-hmp-sudbury,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HMP Sudbury},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hmp-sudbury},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}