HMP Usk is part of a combined prison known as HMP Usk/Prescoed. Usk is a closed Cat C male prison, Prescoed is a male Cat D open prison operating on a site around 2 miles away. Usk opened in 1844 as a house of correction and in 1870, it became the county goal for Monmouthshire and remained in that role until 1922, when it closed. It reopened in 1939 as a closed borstal until 1964, when it became a detention centre. In 1983, it became a youth custody centre, and from 1988 to 1990 a young offender institution. Since May 1990, it has been an adult category C establishment for vulnerable prisoners holding mainly convicted sex offenders.
HMP Usk is a dedicated sex offender treatment provider. It is run by HMPS as part of the Wales region and has a capacity of 254. The #1 governor is call Giles Mason, who has been in post since April 2017.
Accommodation
The accommodation is made up of 4 wings, of which 3 are two-storey landings and one a single-storey unit, commissioned in 2003