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Key Contact Details
| Name of Prison | HMP High Down |
| Address: | High Down Lane Sutton Surrey SM2 5PJ |
| Other contact details: | |
| Web Site: | |
| Email: | |
| Main switchboard: | 0207 147 6300 |
| At Risk hotline: | |
| Fax: | 0207 147 6301 |
| Visits booking number: | 0207 147 6570. |
| Visits booking email: | SocialVisits.HighDown@hmps.gsi.gov.uk |
| Visits booking web site: | www.gov.uk/prison-visits |
| Type of Prison: | Male Cat B |
HMP High Down is a relatively new prison build on a very old mental hospital site. It is run by HMPS as part of the London Region and has a capacity of 1180. The #1 governor is called Emily Martin, who has been in post since March 20220.
High Down, in Surrey, is a Category C training and resettlement prison built on the site of a former Victorian mental hospital. Fire safety works reduced its operational capacity from around 1,180 to 1,090 in 2024, against a certified normal capacity of 998, leaving many cells still overcrowded.
The Independent Monitoring Board’s most recent annual report raised a number of concerns: a dramatic rise in drone incursions (147 in 2024, up from 63 the year before), drug tests coming back positive over 30% of the time, cells for new arrivals often dirty or missing basic items, and some prisoners spending up to 15 hours a day locked up after evening association was cancelled. Access to offending-behaviour courses was found to be largely restricted to the final year of a sentence, and Category C wages at High Down were the lowest of any such prison nationally. On a more positive note, the board praised strong family contact support, including a therapy dogs programme and Dad’s Voice sessions, a new Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) unit for men with complex needs, and a marked reduction in prisoners held in segregation for long periods.
Given the drone and drug concerns raised, families may want to ask directly about safety, alongside using the practical visiting and contact details above.