The prison was given a full inspection in November 2025, the full report can be read on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website, just follow the links below. In their latest report the inspectors said:
HMP Coldingley is a category C training and resettlement prison for adult men, many serving long or life sentences, in Bisley near Woking, Surrey, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 505 prisoners, up from 431 at the previous inspection. Inspectors rated safety Not Sufficiently Good, a decline from Reasonably Good, with respect and preparation for release both remaining Reasonably Good and purposeful activity remaining Not Sufficiently Good, still the weakest area.
The governor was found to be providing strong, visible leadership, including weekly drop-in sessions for prisoners, and a democratically elected prisoner council was reported to be driving positive change alongside a peer mentoring scheme supporting conflict resolution. Staff retention had improved and sickness had reduced, prisoners enjoyed a relatively generous amount of time out of cell, healthcare was rated better than comparable prisons, and visitor satisfaction was high. Of 22 recommendations from the previous inspection, ten had been fully achieved and nine partially achieved.
Drugs and supervision were the main areas of concern. More than four in ten mandatory drug tests came back positive, among the highest rates nationally, and a similar proportion of prisoners said drugs were easy to get, with inspectors noting the smell of cannabis during their visit. Serious assaults between prisoners were among the highest of any category C prison. Staff were found to be too often absent from the landings, and poor behaviour was not sufficiently challenged. Long waiting lists for English and maths, too few accredited work and vocational qualifications, and a lack of any accredited offending behaviour programmes since the last inspection left some prisoners released without completing interventions they needed. Older wings still lacked in-cell sanitation, and communal facilities were described as shabby, with refurbishment delayed by contractor failure.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
February 2026
To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below:
- Inspection report (PDF), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Coldingley by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (10–20 November 2025, published 23 February 2026)
- Easy read summary of the 2025 inspection report
- Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2025 inspection of HMP Coldingley
- HMP Coldingley, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Coldingley (6 & 10–14 January 2022, published 20 April 2022)