About HMP YOI Peterborough

Built on the former site of Baker Perkins engineering works, HMP YOI Peterborough opened in March 2005 and comprises a local category B prison, a closed women’s prison and a category C extension, operated by Sodexo Justice.

HMP YOI Peterborough is the only purpose-built prison in the country to accommodate both male and female prisoners, who are kept separate at all times. The prison also has a mother and baby unit on site.

Our objective is to provide a safe and secure living and working environment for prisoners in our care. Our aim is to reduce reoffending through the provision of a rehabilitative culture, offering education and training opportunities, together with support from agencies both within and outside the prison.

Our Outside Links centre provides a vital point of contact and support for those who have been released from custody, helping them to take the first steps towards building a new life in the community.

Accommodation

Details about the main male and female accommodation blocks.

Female: The uncrowded capacity is 360 including a separate Mother and Baby Unit which can accommodate 12 mums. The main accommodation comprises of two houseblocks each containing five wings.

Houseblock One holds women on remand and sentenced YOIs, stabilisation, Induction, Lifers and open unit.

Houseblock Two holds a foreign national unit, complex individuals unit and all sentenced women.

The majority of the accommodation is single occupancy and the wings hold on average 38 women. There is a Separation and Care unit and a 15-bed healthcare facility.

Male: The current crowded capacity for male residence is 944. Each wing houses approximately 80 men with the exception of Z2, the enhanced wing, which has 64. There are twelve wings on the male side across three houseblocks.

Each cell has integral sanitation and the wings each have shower facilities, a servery area plus an association area. There is a Separation and Care Unit which holds 14 prisoners and an inpatient Healthcare unit which can hold up to 14 residents.

Early Days Centre

Providing peer support to new prisoners to help them adjust to the prison environment.

Our Early Days in Custody (EDIC) process includes dedicated Early Days Centres - wings where new arrivals will spend some time to settle into the routines and processes of the prison. It enables staff to get to know then, identifying any concerns or issues so that appropriate support can be provided.

'Insiders' are existing prisoners who have been vetted and trained to provide peer support to new arrivals. They can spend time with them to explain how the prison works, what is expected of them and what they can expect of their time in HMP Peterborough.

Insiders provide an important link between staff and prisoners. There may be times when a prisoner is unsure of a process, needs information or advice and doesn’t feel comfortable approaching prison staff. The Insider can provide the familiarity and understanding of someone who has been in their position, speaking from a position of empathy and experience.

Insiders can also help staff to identify prisoners who may be struggling to adjust or require additional support. As part of their duty of care and without breaching confidentiality, they are able to flag to staff that a prisoner may be feeling down or showing signs of potential self-harm, enabling officers to monitor their wellbeing and offer support where appropriate.

Mother and Baby Unit

Our MBU offers a positive environment where the bond between mother and baby can develop while women complete their sentence or while they are held on remand. The department is led by functional head, Charlotte Doyle, who is responsible for the Families and Significant Others Strategy.

HMP Peterborough has a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU), staffed by both operational and non-operational teams reporting to the MBU and Perinatal Service Manager. These teams manage pregnancy services, MBU applications, resident onboarding, separation support, care planning for children in alternative arrangements, and resettlement planning.

Each MBU has a dedicated Nursery and Early Years Workers who support child development. A Pregnancy Mother and Baby Liaison Officer (PMBLO) at each site contacts all pregnant prisoners to assess their needs. Since 2021, each prison also follows a reviewed annual Perinatal Pathway offering psychological support for women on the MBU and those in the wider prison during the perinatal period.

Women are encouraged to apply to an MBU early, allowing time for transfer before their due date and reducing separation from children. Applications can include babies in the community under 18 months, with careful consideration of separation issues. All women - remanded or sentenced, regardless of offence, sentence type, or nationality - are eligible for MBU placement.