Prison population in Lancashire
Prison population in Lancashire
There are five male only prisons in Lancashire. There are no prisons catering for females, young people, or for high risk category A prisoners. A is the highest risk category, whilst D is the lowest risk category.
- HMP Garth is a closed category B prison in Lostock ward, Chorley
- HMP Kirkham is an open category D prison in Kirkham south ward, Fylde
- HMP Lancaster Farms is a closed category C prison in Bulk ward, Lancaster
- HMP Preston is a closed category B prison, in St Matthew's ward, Preston
- HMP Wymott is a closed category C prison in Lostock ward, Chorley
They have a combined population of 3,747 as at March 2025. The prison population in Lancashire represents 4.3% of the England and Wales population, excluding immigration removal centres. This figure has remained fairly static over the last ten years. The tables below gives more detail on the prison population and also prison staffing.
The wider impact of prisons in Lancashire
In addition to their core custodial, training and rehabilitation functions, all prisons have a wider impact on the local community. They offer an important source of local employment, purchase goods and services, cater for visiting friends and family, and may offer their own services to the local area. For instance, Kirkham prison covers a substantial 180 acres and is located in the western part of the county that contains a large amount of good quality agricultural land. A significant proportion of the site is used for agriculture and horticulture. Kirkham PE department runs Kirkham Integrated Stroke Support (KISS), a charity that trains prisoners to provide rehabilitation to local people following a stroke. Local NHS stroke units, GPs and medical professionals regularly refer patients to the service.
New Futures Network is a specialist part of the prison service that brokers partnerships between prisons and employers, helping get ex-offenders into work. Businesses registering with this scheme benefit as prisoners and ex-offenders have a wide range of skills to suit almost any sector, making them ideal job-ready candidates and as most offenders want the opportunity to turn their backs on crime.
Having a job helps them stay out of prison, get their lives back on track and is proven to reduce reoffending.
The Margaret Carey Foundation is a charitable trust aimed to prevent people being pulled into crime, and help those already in the system find paths out through training opportunities, resources and environments that support rehabilitation. The charity works by rescuing scrapped bicycles and wheelchairs that are no longer in use. It sets up workshops where prisoners clean, adjust and repair them to a high standard. The refurbished bikes and wheelchairs are then given to communities in need, in England and in developing countries. The foundation has workshops at HMP Garth, HMP Wymott and HMP Kirkham.