| General Details, | Inspections |
| Regimes | Visits and getting there |
| Local News | |
General Information
| Name of Prison | HMP & YOI Bronzefield |
| Address: | Woodthorpe Road Ashford Surrey TW15 3JZ |
| Other contact details: | |
| Web Site: | |
| Email: | |
| Main switchboard: | 01784 425690 |
| At Risk hotline: | |
| Fax: | 01784 425691 |
| Visits booking number: | 01784 425749 |
| Visits booking email: | bfvisits.booking@sodexojusticeservices.com |
| Visits centre web site: | Click Here |
| Type of Prison: | Female Adult and YO |
HMP & YOI Bronzefield is run by Sodexo Justice Services as part of the London Prison Region . It has a capacity of 542, its #1 governor is Charlotte Wilson, in post since January 2025.
Bronzefield, in Ashford, Surrey, opened in June 2004 and is the only prison in the UK purpose-built solely for women, and the largest female prison in Europe. It is run under contract by Sodexo Justice Services and holds adult women and female young offenders, including a mother and baby unit. The population is highly transient, with women staying an average of only around eight weeks, which makes consistent care and resettlement planning particularly challenging.
The most recent independent inspection, in August 2025, rated Bronzefield “reasonably good” for safety, respect and preparation for release, and “not sufficiently good” for purposeful activity. Inspectors praised strong leadership and an innovative system for tracking changes in individual women’s behaviour, alongside good employment support and personalised release planning. They also raised concerns, however, about acutely mentally unwell women being held in the absence of community psychiatric beds, inconsistent substance misuse treatment, insufficient time out of cell due to staffing pressures, and too many women being released without settled accommodation arranged.
Bronzefield’s management has responded with a further action plan. Given how short many women’s stays are, families may find it useful to raise resettlement and housing plans early and directly with staff, alongside using the practical visiting and contact details above.