HMP Wakefield

Name or Prison HMP Wakefield
Address: 5 Love Lane
Wakefield
West Yorkshire
WF2 9AG
Other contact details:
Web Site:
Email:
Main switchboard: 01924 612 000
At Risk hotline:
Fax: 01924 612 001
Visits booking number: 01924 612 274
Visits booking email:
Visits booking txt number:
Type of Prison: Male Cat A & B

 

The  #1 governor is Tom Wheatley, who has been in charge since July 2018. The prison is run by HMPS and is part of the Yorkshire & Humberside prison region, as well as the very high security unit, The Close Supervision Centre (CSC),being under the control of Directorate of High Security. It has on overall capacity of 750.

HMP Wakefield traces its origins back to a house of correction built in 1594, though most of today’s buildings date from the Victorian era. It became a dispersal prison in 1967 and remains the oldest dispersal prison still operating in England and Wales. Holding some of the country’s highest-risk Category A prisoners, it has long been nicknamed “Monster Mansion”, and includes the Close Supervision Centre, a very high-security unit run by the Directorate of High Security. It has an overall capacity of around 750.

An independent review of progress in April 2026, following a full inspection in mid-2025, found genuinely encouraging results: prisoner-on-prisoner violence had fallen by 68%, giving Wakefield the lowest violence rate of any prison in the high-security estate, and fewer prisoners were choosing to isolate themselves, with better support helping them reintegrate onto normal wings. Inspectors did find insufficient progress on six priority concerns and two education themes, including healthcare delivery held back by staffing shortages, a need for more time out of cell, and ageing infrastructure requiring significant long-term investment.

For families staying in touch with someone at Wakefield, the contact details above remain the best way to arrange a visit.