HMP Cardiff

Key Contact Details

Cardiff is a Category B local and training prison dating back to 1832, serving the courts of South Wales. Its certified normal capacity is 534, but it typically operates well above this, holding around 770–780 men, and much of the older accommodation means many prisoners share cells built for one person, eating and using the toilet in that shared space.

The Independent Monitoring Board’s most recent annual report found real improvements alongside ongoing pressures. Self-harm incidents nearly halved, from 595 to 295, after the introduction of electric razors, and violence and use-of-force incidents both fell; healthcare also improved, with new arrangements meaning medication could typically be reviewed and prescribed within 24 hours. At the same time, the board flagged persistent problems with heating and hot water, reduced psychiatric provision and long mental health waiting times, staffing shortages in nursing and pharmacy, and a continuing lack of communal eating spaces due to overcrowding.

Given the overcrowding at Cardiff, families may find it useful to ask directly about a prisoner’s cell-sharing arrangements and access to healthcare, alongside the practical visiting and contact details above.