Originally built in 1848 to hold convicted prisoners, Portland doubled in size following the acquisition of land from the Admiralty in 1910. From 1921 to 1983 it was a borstal. In April 2011, its role changed to an adult and young offender establishment. It is run by HMPS as part of the South West Region and has a capacity of 560, the #1 governor is Steve Hodson, who has been in charge since April 2017.
Accommodation
There are 7 house blocks:
- Benbow – 89 places
- Raleigh -89 places
- Drake -79 places
- Grenville -62 places, mainly young adults
- Nelson -72 places, mainly young adults
- Collingwood -35 places, first night and induction unit
- Beaufort – 99 places
- Care and separation unit (CSU)
