Constructed in the early 1970s as a borstal, Glen Parva has always held young offenders. Additional buildings, including a health care centre, have been added over the years.
Accommodation is in 10 discrete residential units each having a mixture of single and double cells, and a segregation unit. North consists of units 1,2,& 5 for sentenced prisoners, South of units 8,9 and 10 sentenced, unit for short term sentenced and remand/unsentenced, unit 12 trials and remand , unit 14 remand and unit 15 for induction. Unit 7 is a segregation unit.
The prison has a capacity of 648 and run by HMPS as part of the East Midlands area. The #1 governor is Ms Alison Clarke.