The prison opened in 2000 under a 25-year private finance initiative (PFI) contract to provide 800 places as a category B local prison. Spaces gradually increased to 1,160 before a 264-place extension was opened in November 2009. Following a reduction in prisoner places, the establishment now holds 1,364 remand and sentenced adult males and remanded young adults (18-21 year olds). The majority of the prisoners are from Wigan, Leigh, Bolton and Bury.
Accommodation
Wings A-F are the original prison; G and H are the new buildings added in 2009. The wings hold the following:
- A1: Young adults
- A2: General
- B1: General
- B2: General
- C1: Workers/enhanced
- C2: Compact-based drug testing
- D1: General
- D2: General
- E1: Drug regime maintenance
- E2: General
- F1: Drug regime maintenance/basic regime
- F2: General
- G1: Recovery wing
- G2: Kitchen workers
- H1: Integrated drug treatment system/induction
- H2: Vulnerable prisoners
- Health care inpatients (20)
