HMP/YOI Hatfield

What we found

Hatfield is a men’s open prison in South Yorkshire. Strong leadership and a motivated staff team had created a safe environment with hardly any violence or self-harm. A third of the men were working out of the prison on temporary release each day and there were excellent links with local employers, many of whom offered sustained employment on release. Public protection arrangements were robust and most men left the prison with somewhere to live.

Points to note: Hatfield was achieving good outcomes for prisoners in all four of our healthy prison tests. There was particularly good support for family contact. An energetic reading strategy was at the heart of the prison’s positive culture.