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| Visits and getting there | Work and Education |
| Local News | |
General Information
| Name of Prison | HMP Swaleside |
| Address: | Brabazon Road Eastchurch Isle of Sheppey Kent ME12 4AX |
| Other contact details: | |
| Web Site: | |
| Email: | |
| Main switchboard: | 01795 804100 |
| At Risk hotline: | |
| Fax: | 01795 804200 |
| Visits booking number: | 0300 060 6604. |
| Visits booking email: | socialvisits.swaleside@hmps.gsi.gov.uk |
| Visits booking web site: | www.gov.uk/prison-visits |
| Type of Prison: | Male Cat B |
HMP Swaleside is run by HMPS and is part of the Sheppey Group of Prisons. The prison is in the Kent & Sussex region and has a capacity of 1112, the #1 governor is Mark Icke, who has been in charge since March 2018.
HMP Swaleside is a Category B training prison on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, opened in 1988 and expanded several times since, most recently in 2010, to reach an operational capacity of around 1,112. It is a main centre for men in the early stages of a life sentence, and more than half of the population is serving a life term.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons visited in December 2025 and issued an Urgent Notification, a formal process reserved for the most serious concerns, after rating safety, purposeful activity, and preparation for release all “poor” — the lowest available rating — with respect rated “not sufficiently good”. Inspectors found Swaleside had the second highest assault rate of any Category B training prison, with high levels of serious violence involving weapons, and drugs, including those brought in by drone, were widely available. Prisoners spent excessive time locked in their cells, education attendance was poor despite enough places being available, and inspectors found weak public protection arrangements for releasing high-risk offenders.
Given how serious these findings are, families with a loved one at Swaleside may understandably feel very worried. You can ask the prison directly about someone’s welfare using the details above, and the Samaritans (116 123, free, 24 hours) are available to anyone who needs to talk, inside or outside prison.