HMP Woodhill

Urgent Notification Letter

General Details Inspections
Visits and getting there Local News

 

Key Contact Details

Name of Prison HMP Woodhill
Address: Tattenhoe Street
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK4 4DA
Other contact details:
Web Site:
Email:
Main switchboard: 01908 722 000
At Risk hotline: 01908 722 017
Fax: 01908 722 320
Visits booking number: 01908 722329
Visits booking email: www.gov.uk/prison-visits
Visits booking txt number:
Type of Prison: Cat A Core Local, serving both Crown and Magistrates Courts

The #1 governor is Nicola Marfleet, who has been in charge since September 2017.. The prison has a capacity of 819, and is run by HMPS as part of the South Central Area. It also helps fulfils a Cat A requirement for all regions.

HMP Woodhill opened in 1992 in Milton Keynes and today holds Category A, B and C men, serving both the Crown and magistrates’ courts as well as fulfilling a national Category A requirement. It includes a Close Supervision Centre for some of the most difficult and disruptive prisoners in the system, and its own Young Offender Institution unit, and was reclassified from a fully Category A establishment to Category B in 2020.

An unannounced inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in March 2026 found deeply concerning levels of violence, self-harm and drug use, and the prison was placed into the Urgent Notification process as a result. Inspectors reported that assaults on staff had risen since the previous inspection, with around a third involving weapons, while 41% of prisoners tested positive in random mandatory drug tests and there had been three drug-related deaths in the preceding two years. Severe staff shortages were found to be delaying urgent medical care and leaving around a third of prisoners locked up during the working day with little constructive activity, though inspectors noted a newly appointed governor was beginning to make changes.

We recognise this kind of report can be worrying to read if you have someone you care about at HMP Woodhill. If you are concerned 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.