Mapping prison sites in England and Wales

The map has been developed as part of our After Prison project. Through After Prison, we are working with local communities around prisons, raising awareness and supporting action about how prison sites can be used differently to meet people’s needs.   

The map is a resource for people to explore prisons in their local area, the footprint they occupy and how they relate to the surrounding area. You have probably seen the walls of your local prison, but you may not have seen it from above.  

We developed the map to stimulate thinking about how prison sites could be redeveloped for the benefit of local communities. 

The map includes an outline of each prison. We requested a map of prison land areas from the government through freedom of information laws but were denied. Instead, we traced the rough perimeter of each establishment, so the outlines of prisons are approximate.  

We were, when requested through freedom of information law, given data on the area covered by each prison. You can select a specific prison either using the sidebar or by clicking on an outline and a dialogue box including this information will appear. We have also provided information on the type of prison, the operator, when it was opened and the operational capacity.