| General Details, | Inspections |
| Regimes | Visits and getting there |
| Local News | |
Key Contact Details
| Name of Prison | HMP Preston |
| Address: | 2 Ribbleton Lane Preston Lancashire PR1 5AB |
| Other contact details: | |
| Web Site: | |
| Email: | |
| Main switchboard: | 01772 444550 |
| Fax: | 01772 444551 |
| Visits booking web site: | www.gov.uk/prison-visits |
| Visits booking number: trial/remand | 01772 444 666 |
| Visits booking number: sentences/convicted | 01772 444 888 |
| Visits booking email: | SocialVisits.Preston@hmps.gsi.gov.uk |
| Visits centre: | 0177 244 4930 |
| Visits centre web site: | Click here |
| Type of Prison: | Male Cat B |
HMP Preston is run by HMPS as part of the North West Region. It serves the courts of Lancashire and Cumbria and has a capacity of 680. The #1 governor is Daniel Cooper who has been in charge since May 2022.
HMP Preston stands on a site that has held a prison since 1790, with the current Victorian radial buildings dating from between 1840 and 1895. It closed briefly between the wars and served military purposes during the Second World War before returning to civilian use in 1948 and being re-roled as a Category B local prison in 1990. It now serves courts across Lancashire and Cumbria, holding around 680 men on remand or short sentences of under 12 months, and processes roughly 50 prisoner transfers every week.
The Independent Monitoring Board’s most recent annual report recorded four deaths in custody during the year, three from natural causes, alongside rising self-harm and continued high violence, particularly among 18 to 25 year olds, with drones remaining a route for illicit items to enter the prison. There were real improvements too: a new in-cell laundry system was praised as a genuine step up in decency, time out of cell increased substantially to reach around three-quarters of the population daily, and a dedicated substance-free wing showed excellent results. The Board’s main concerns going forward were the limitations of the ageing Victorian buildings, kitchen equipment in need of repair, and gaps in mental health support for people leaving custody.
For families staying in touch with someone at Preston, the community engagement centre and contact details above remain the best way to arrange a visit.