Bronzefield inspection report 2025
Report for Bronzefield Prison
Summary
Bronzefield in West London is a privately run prison, managed on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by Sodexo. It is the largest women’s prison in England, serving as both a reception and resettlement establishment, with a high-security capability allowing it to hold a small number of restricted status women. At the time of inspection, some 507 prisoners were being held, with a significant proportion on remand or licence recall, and a high turnover reflected in an average length of stay of just 56 days. The population is diverse, with, for example, 110 foreign national women and 37% of the whole population being from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. Overall, this was a positive inspection, with outcomes for women assessed to be reasonably good in three of our healthy prison tests: safety, respect, and preparation for release; but not sufficiently good for purposeful activity. Progress against the recommendations made following the 2022 inspection had been mixed; only one of the six key recommendations had been fully achieved, although seven of the 10 other recommendations had.