New Hall

Overcrowding

108%

Average: 110%

• Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA): 341

• Population: 368

The open prison system of England and Wales began at New Hall in 1933, with the site accepting prisoners from HMP Wakefield near the end of their sentence. It remained an open prison until 1961, when it became a Senior Detention Centre for young men, before taking on its current role as a closed category women’s prison in 1987.

Read New Hall’s latest inspection report here.

About this information

Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) is the prison service’s own measure of how many prisoners can be held in decent and safe accommodation. Any occupancy above CNA means that the prison in question is overcrowded.

Restricted status: women placed on restricted status are deemed to pose a high risk to the public if they were to escape. They are held in closed women’s prisons, and sometimes placed in the segregation unit.

Closed prisons: the majority of women’s prisons are closed prisons. Women who are assessed as not being suitable for open conditions are held in these prisons.

Open prisons: there are two open prisons for women, Askham Grange and East Sutton Park. They hold women who have been assessed as posing a low risk.