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United Kingdom · East of England · Clapham, Bedford
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Immigration removalHighmixedLowMedium
Verified · Data dated
Fresh · 2mo ago
Sources last reviewed on · data-as-of
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Step-by-step guidance using the United Kingdom system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by Shritwod via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo by Oliver White via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Immigration removal centre operated under contract to the Home Office. Holds detained men and women pending removal.
Capacity
410
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
2001
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Operator
SercoPopulation held
mixed
Opened
2001
Region
East of England
Security level
High
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
HMI Prisons publishes independent inspection reports on roughly a 3-5 year cycle.
Visiting
Booked online via the GOV.UK Prison Visits Booking system. Photo ID required. Visit frequency depends on the inmate's Incentives & Earned Privileges (IEP) level.
Mailing
Format: Prisoner Name & Number, Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, Twinwoods Road, MK44 1FD. Cash not accepted — use Send Money to a Prisoner (GOV.UK).
Practical info
Assisted Prison Visits Unit helps low-income families with travel costs. Pact runs many of the on-site visitor centres.
Known issues
Subject of multiple HMIP and oversight reports highlighting concerns over the use of detention for women and torture survivors.
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
13/100
Low concern13/100
- Overcrowding
- 0/30
- Oversight reports
- 0/30
- Structural flags
- 10/15
- Death signals
- 0/15
- Conditions text
- 3/10
What the score is responding to:
- · Privately operated under contract
- · Substantial documented known-issues record
- · Severe-conditions keyword in sources
This facility scores 13. The national average across 584 scored United Kingdom facilities is 4 — 9 points above national average.
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- HMP StyalWilmslowHighClosed female
- HMP NottinghamNottinghamHighLocal
- HMP BristolBristolHighLocal
- HMP BronzefieldAshford, SurreyHighClosed female94% occupancy
- HMP BirminghamBirminghamHighLocal
- HMP BelmarshLondonMaximumCategory A88% occupancy
Compared to other facilities in United Kingdom
583 peersConditions risk scorethis: 13/100 · peers avg: 4/100 (+245%)
Higher risk than 86% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Capacity (beds)this: 410 · peers avg: 575 (29%)
Data completeness
94%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- GOV.UK â Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
- HMI Prisons inspection reports
- Find a prison â GOV.UK — UK Ministry of Justice / HMPPS
- HM Inspectorate of Prisons â reports — HMI Prisons (UK)
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata (Q8049351)
- Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
APA
World Prisons. (2026). Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/imrc-yarls-wood
Chicago
"Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre." World Prisons. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/imrc-yarls-wood.
BibTeX
@misc{worldprisons-imrc-yarls-wood,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/imrc-yarls-wood},
urldate = {2026-07-22}
}