| General Details | Inspections |
| Regimes | Visits and getting there |
| Work and Education | Local News |
Key Contact Details
| Name of Prison | HMP Altcourse |
| Address: | Higher Lane Fazakerley Liverpool L9 7LH |
| Other contact details: | |
| Web Site: | http://www.hmpaltcourse.co.uk/ |
| Email: | |
| Main switchboard: | 0151 522 2000 |
| At Risk hotline: | |
| Fax: | 0151 522 2121 |
| Visits booking number: | 0151 522 2196, or 0151 522 2042 |
| Visits booking email: | |
| Visits booking txt number: | |
| Type of Prison: | Male Cat B |
HMP Altcourse was the first UK prison to be run as a private prison. It is run by G4S as part of the North West Prison region. The #1 at the prison is Steve Williams who has been in charge since September 2016, and the prison has a capacity of 1164
Altcourse, in the Fazakerley area of Liverpool, opened in December 1997 as the first prison in England and Wales to be built and run as a private prison under a Private Finance Initiative contract. It has been operated by G4S for most of its history, but day-to-day management passed to Sodexo Justice Services in 2023. The prison is a Category B local and resettlement establishment for adult men, and its seven main wings are named after fences on Aintree’s Grand National steeplechase course.
The most recent independent inspection, carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in July 2025 and published in October 2025, raised a series of serious concerns. Inspectors recorded six self-inflicted deaths since the previous inspection alongside a rising rate of self-harm, and found that illicit drugs remained a major threat to safety, with drug-test positivity rates among the highest recorded for this type of prison. Only one in five prisoners said they got enough to eat, a marked decline since the previous visit, and healthcare was found to be understaffed, affecting safe prescribing. Inspectors also found too few prisoners in education, skills or work, and lengthy delays in allocating those who wanted a job or course.
Altcourse’s management has since submitted a formal action plan responding to these findings. Anyone with a family member or friend at the prison, or awaiting release from it, may want to bear these findings in mind alongside the practical visiting and contact details given above.