HMIP Inspection of Wayland

The prison was given a full inspection in January and February 2026, the full report can be read on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website, just follow the links below. In their latest report the inspectors said:

HMP Wayland is a category C training prison near Thetford in Norfolk, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding 802 prisoners against an operational capacity of 846. Inspectors rated respect reasonably good and safety not sufficiently good, both unchanged, while purposeful activity improved by two grades to reasonably good from Poor and preparation for release improved to reasonably good from not sufficiently good.

Inspectors found a well-led prison, with purposeful activity improving markedly since the previous inspection and Ofsted rating education, skills and work provision Good. Staff-prisoner relationships were respectful, with 78% of prisoners giving positive feedback, and the segregation unit was well run with a rehabilitation focus. The prison was praised for its equality and inclusion work, including a partnership with the Zahid Mubarek Trust providing equality advocates and senior leaders taking part in reverse mentoring by Black prisoners, and resettlement support in prisoners’ final weeks had improved.

Inspectors nonetheless found safety remained not sufficiently good, with around 23% of prisoners saying they felt unsafe and violence rising. Drugs were a major problem, with roughly 31% positivity on random testing and 54% of prisoners saying drugs were easy to obtain, alongside weaknesses in physical security. Healthcare had long waits, of around 17 weeks for dentistry and eight weeks for GP appointments, buildings had substantial defects with slow repair timelines, and offender managers carried very high caseloads of around 60 each.

Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
March 2026

HMP Wayland

To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below: