| General Details | Inspections |
| Regimes | Visits and getting there |
| Local News | |
Key Contact Details
| Name of Prison | HMP Winchester |
| Address: | Romsey Road Winchester SO22 5DF |
| Other contact details: | |
| Web Site: | |
| Email: | |
| Main switchboard: | 01962 723000 |
| At Risk hotline: | 01962 723 320 |
| Fax: | 01962 723001 |
| Visits booking number: | 0845 223 5514 |
| Visits booking email: | socialvisits.winchester@hmps.gsi.gov.uk |
| Visits booking web site: | www.gov.uk/prison-visits |
| Type of Prison: | Male Cat B/C/D |
The prison is run by HMPS as part of the South Central region. It has a capacity of 500 and the #1 governor is called Jim Bourke who has been in post since 2018
HMP Winchester has a long history as a place of detention, with a gaol on the site dating back to the thirteenth century. The current Victorian building was constructed between 1846 and 1850 in a radial design, with wings spreading out from a central hub, and the prison carried out executions between 1900 and 1963. Today it is a Category B local prison serving the courts of Hampshire, alongside a smaller resettlement unit, and has an operational capacity of around 649 men.
An inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in October 2024 found serious and wide-ranging problems, rating the prison poor for safety, respect and purposeful activity. Inspectors described the jail as unsafe, with violence fuelled by drugs and debt, some of the highest rates of serious assaults on staff among reception prisons in the country, and self-harm among the highest of any male reception prison. Living conditions were found to be dilapidated and neglected, with over a third of CCTV cameras not working, and most prisoners spending as little as two and a half hours a day out of their cells. The findings were serious enough to trigger the Urgent Notification process, requiring the Secretary of State to set out publicly how the prison would be improved.
We recognise this kind of report can be distressing to read if you have someone you care about at HMP Winchester. If you are worried about a prisoner’s safety or wellbeing, the contact details above can put you in touch with the prison directly, and Samaritans (116 123, free, 24 hours a day) are always available if you need someone to talk to.