In July 2011, it was announced that Hatfield, along with HMP/YOI Moorland and HMP Lindholme, both large, closed category C prisons, would be part of the PCP 2 market testing programme. The Prison Service had bid to manage the three prisons in a clustering arrangement, but the contract was initially awarded to the private sector, a decision which was subsequently reversed in 2013, and the prison remained in public ownership run by HMPS.
HMP/YOI Hatfield is now a category D resettlement prison, formerly known as Moorland open. During 2012–13, Hatfield was part of the South Yorkshire cluster but has since become a stand-alone resettlement establishment. Hatfield officially separated from HMP Moorland in April 2014 and has also taken over the previous HMP Lindholme I wing, known as The Lakes site, which since June 2015 has been used to accommodate all new arrivals for an initial three-month period before they progress to the main Hatfield site. It is part of the Yorkshire & Humberside region.
Accommodation
There are currently eight residential units, A-F on the main site and G and H on The Lakes site (approximately four miles from the main site).
- A, B and C units – 20 rooms per landing across three floors.
- D and E units – accommodate 40 prisoners across two floors.
- F unit – a self-contained six-bed unit that provides independent living for six prisoners.
- G and H units – each accommodates 56 prisoners