| General Information | Inspections |
| Visits and getting there | Regimes |
| Work and education | Local News |
Key data and contact details
| Name or Prison | HMP Stafford |
| Address: | 54 Gaol Road, Stafford, ST16 3AW |
| Other contact details: | |
| Web Site: | not available |
| Email: | not available |
| Main switchboard: | 01785 773000 |
| At Risk hotline: | |
| Fax: | 01785 773001 |
| Visits booking number: | 0300 060 6505 |
| Visits booking email: | not available |
| Visits booking txt number: | not available |
| Type of Prison: | Male Cat C |
HMP Stafford is one of the oldest fully operational prisons in England, opening in 1793 under the Stafford Gaol Act and expanded considerably during the Victorian era; during the First World War it even held Irish internees captured after the 1916 Easter Rising. Its Grade II listed buildings still form the core of the prison today. It now operates as a Category C training prison specialising in holding men convicted of sexual offences, with an operational capacity of around 753.
The Independent Monitoring Board’s 2023–24 annual report described Stafford as a safe prison where prisoners felt fairly and humanely treated, with violent incidents halving and assaults on staff falling from eight to just one over the year; drug use also remained very low. Education engagement reached 94% of prisoners, and the prison completed the installation of in-cell phones and made real improvements to mental health and medicines management. The main concerns raised were a recurring problem with legionella bacteria in the water supply that remained unresolved, staff shortages that sometimes led to wing closures, and a continued lack of a clear release pathway for the small number of men still serving abolished IPP sentences.
For families staying in touch with someone at Stafford, the contact details above remain the best way to arrange a visit.