Last reviewed: July 2026
Which Prisons Are Category A? The Complete UK List
People often ask “which prisons are Category A” expecting a list of buildings reserved solely for the highest-risk prisoners. In reality, categorisation in the England and Wales system is a rating applied to each individual prisoner based on risk, and Category A prisoners are then dispersed among a small number of high-security prisons alongside lower-category men, so that no single establishment holds only the most dangerous prisoners. This is sometimes called the “dispersal system”.
What does Category A mean?
According to HM Prison and Probation Service policy, Category A prisoners are those “whose escape would be highly dangerous to the public, or the police, or to the security of the State, and for whom the aim must be to make escape impossible”. Within Category A there are three further sub-classifications used internally by the Prison Service: Standard, High and Exceptional Risk, reflecting how much additional security and monitoring a specific prisoner needs.
The eight high-security dispersal prisons
| Prison | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HMP Belmarsh | South-east London | Holds many high-profile remand and Category A prisoners awaiting trial in London courts. |
| HMP Frankland | County Durham | Houses a specialist close supervision centre for the highest-risk prisoners. |
| HMP Full Sutton | East Yorkshire | Long-term high-security training prison. |
| HMP Long Lartin | Worcestershire | Holds long-sentenced men, including those convicted of terrorism offences. |
| HMP Manchester | Manchester (also known as Strangeways) | Combines local and high-security functions. |
| HMP Wakefield | West Yorkshire | Long known for holding men serving very long sentences for serious offences. |
| HMP Whitemoor | Cambridgeshire | Includes specialist units for terrorism-connected offenders. |
| HMP Woodhill | Milton Keynes | Holds Category A and Category B men, including some high-profile remand prisoners. |
How does someone become Category A?
Categorisation decisions are made by the Prison Service, generally based on the nature and seriousness of the offence, any history of escape attempts, links to organised crime or terrorism, and the assessed risk to the public if the person escaped. Category A status is reviewed regularly, at least annually, and a prisoner can move down to Category B (and eventually C or D) over time if their risk is reassessed as lower, often as they approach release.
Women and young people
The A-to-D categorisation described here applies to the adult male estate. Women are categorised differently, generally as either closed or open conditions, and a very small number of women are held in conditions equivalent to high security. Children and young people in custody are held in the youth secure estate, which uses its own separate arrangements.
- Thinking Category A prisons hold only Category A prisoners – in fact they hold a mix of Category A and Category B men.
- Assuming Category A is permanent – most prisoners are reviewed regularly and many move down the categories over the course of a long sentence.
- Confusing remand prisoners held at a high-security site (because of court location) with a Category A classification – not everyone at Belmarsh or Manchester, for example, is Category A.
- Assuming location can’t change – prisoners are transferred between the eight dispersal sites for operational, security or family-contact reasons.
How many Category A prisoners are there in England and Wales?
The number fluctuates, but Category A prisoners make up a small fraction of the roughly 85,000-strong prison population, concentrated in the eight dispersal prisons listed above. Exact current figures are published periodically by the Ministry of Justice.
Can a Category A prisoner get visits?
Yes. Category A status brings additional security checks for visitors, including approval of a visitor list in advance, but visits are still allowed under the same statutory entitlement as other sentenced prisoners.
What is the difference between Category A and a “high-risk” prisoner more generally?
Category A is a formal security classification with specific criteria set by HMPPS. “High risk” is sometimes used more loosely by the media to describe anyone convicted of a serious offence, but it is not the same as an official Category A rating.
Where can I check official information about prison categorisation?
See GOV.UK’s guidance on prison security categories and the HM Inspectorate of Prisons reports on individual establishments.
For the full picture of how categorisation works across all four levels, see our prison categories overview, or read about Category B, Category C and Category D (open) prisons.
