HM Prison Peterborough

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HM Prison Peterborough is in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a Category B private prison for men and a closed prison for women and female young offenders. It is run by Sodexo Justice Services and is the only prison in the UK that holds both men and women in separate parts of the same site.

Around 1,100 inmates live there. The prison has four large wings with separate housing for male and female detainees. The Newton Secure Training Centre (NSTC) is also on site, run by Sodexo Services, and includes 26 housing units, with tall blocks for accommodation.

The prison was built on the site of the old Baker Perkins engineering works and opened in 2005, despite protests from locals. Officials said the mixed-use design would be a model for future prisons.

There have been some controversies. In 2005, the prison advertised for holistic therapists for inmates, which drew criticism from the local MP. In January 2008, a national Prison Service table rated Peterborough poorly for reducing re-offending, organisational effectiveness, and decency. Also in 2008, women prisoners complained about calorie levels in food, though officials said healthy options were available.

In 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced plans for an additional houseblock to increase capacity. In April 2018, a bomb disposal robot was sent to respond to a hoax bomb at the prison involving a silver Volkswagen Golf.