What Prison Is Charles Bronson In?
Last reviewed: August 2026
Where is he held?
Media reports over recent years, including coverage of his 2023 public parole hearing, have consistently placed Bronson in the Close Supervision Centre (CSC) system at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes – a small, highly controlled unit for prisoners deemed too disruptive for normal wings. Prison locations are never officially confirmed and can change without notice, so this should be read as “reported to be held at” rather than certain fact. In letters and interviews he has long complained about the isolation of CSC conditions.
Why is Charles Bronson in prison?
Bronson (born Michael Peterson in 1952) was first jailed in 1974 for armed robbery at the age of 22. What would have been a seven-year sentence became a lifetime inside, extended repeatedly by violence in custody – rooftop protests, assaults and a string of hostage incidents. Apart from around ten weeks of freedom in 1987 and a brief spell in 1992–93, he has been in custody ever since – more than five decades in total, much of it in isolation units.
His current sentence is a discretionary life sentence imposed in 2000 for the 44-hour hostage-taking of prison teacher Phil Danielson at HMP Hull in 1999. The minimum term was set at four years and expired in 2004; he remains inside because the Parole Board has never judged it safe to release him.
Timeline of key events
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Jailed for armed robbery, aged 22 |
| 1987 / 1992 | Brief periods of release; recalled after further offences |
| 1999–2000 | Takes teacher hostage at HMP Hull; receives discretionary life sentence (minimum four years) |
| 2014 | Changes name to Charles Salvador, declaring a commitment to art |
| March 2023 | First-ever public parole hearing (his eighth review): release and open conditions refused, though psychologists said he no longer needed CSC-level security |
| 2025 | Requests for another public hearing refused; a closed hearing listed for October, which he said he would boycott |
| February 2026 | Ninth parole review reported to be progressing to a full oral hearing later in 2026 |
Will he ever be released?
At the 2023 hearing the Parole Board accepted he had made some progress – his own psychologists argued he could move to a normal location – but concluded his risk could not yet be managed outside. Any future release would follow the normal lifer route: progression to less restrictive conditions, extensive risk assessment and a Parole Board direction, explained in our guide to how parole works. As of the time of writing, no outcome of the ninth review has been reliably reported; we will update this page when one is. Official information about the parole process is published by the Parole Board.
- “He is Britain’s most dangerous murderer.” Bronson has never been convicted of murder; his record is robbery, violence and hostage-taking, almost all of it inside prison.
- “He is the actor.” He took the stage name Charles Bronson from the film star in the 1980s; the 2008 film Bronson starring Tom Hardy dramatised his life.
- “He is in Broadmoor.” He spent periods in secure hospitals decades ago but was returned to the prison system; recent reports place him at Woodhill.
- “Life means he can never be freed.” A discretionary lifer past tariff can be released whenever the Parole Board judges the risk manageable.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Charles Bronson now?
He was born on 6 December 1952 in Luton, making him 73.
How long has he served?
Over fifty years since 1974, bar a few months of freedom – one of the longest-serving prisoners in Britain; see our list of famous UK prisoners.
What is a Close Supervision Centre?
A small unit within the high-security estate for prisoners presenting exceptional risk, with tightly controlled regimes – our page on what HMP Woodhill is like has more.
Why did his parole hearings become public?
Rule changes in 2022 allowed prisoners to request public hearings; Bronson’s March 2023 hearing was the first ever held in public.
This page reflects reliable reporting available at the date of review above. Parole and location details can change; check current news for the latest position.
