Low Newton

Overcrowding

98%

Average: 110%

• Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA): 298

• Population: 292

Low Newton is a closed women’s prison near Durham. It was built in 1965 as a small remand centre for both men and women. In 1976 the prison became a male young offender institution; it also had a small, self-contained unit holding women on remand. In 1998, Low Newton became a women’s prison.

Read Low Newton’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.