How full prisons are
Public Ministry of Justice figures, plotted so families can see which prisons are over their certified normal accommodation. This is not live community wait times, and it is not HMPPS.
August 2026
National occupancy vs CNA
101.3%
86,843 people in prison against a baseline CNA of 85,708. 53 of 121 establishments were over that decent-standard measure.
Occupancy here is population ÷ baseline CNA. That is not the same as “prisoners held in crowded cells”, and it is not operational capacity.
Top 10 vs certified normal accommodation
Most overcrowded prisons · August 2026
Source: MoJ prison population: monthly figures, August 2026. Combined sites (Grendon / Spring Hill, Usk / Prescoed) are in the national total only.
Featured prison · HMP Berwyn
Berwyn is not on the overcrowded list. It was still almost full in August, and the IMB says phone lists and visits are where families feel it.
Occupancy vs certified normal accommodation · August 2026
HMP Berwyn
96%
1,967 men against a baseline CNA of 2,050
England & Wales
101.3%
The estate as a whole was over that decent-standard measure
OfficialWhat the monitoring board found
The IMB heard frequent delays adding numbers to PIN lists after arrival. In-cell phones and landing kiosks were sometimes out of order.
See PIN waits at BerwynBooking moved from the person inside to the family. The IMB says that cut time in the holding room, which helps with children. Barnardo’s still run the visits hall.
See first-visit waitsBerwyn sat at almost its 2,000 operating capacity all year. High turnover made healthcare, courses and release planning harder. About 10% of men left with nowhere to live.
What prisoners told the monitoring board · 223 applications last year, 559 this year · 2025–26
Staff, bullying, treatment
74
Release dates and sentence
55
Health and mental health
54
Letters, visits and phones
42
These are written applications to the independent board, not family reports on prisoncheck.
Sources: MoJ prison population: monthly figures, August 2026 · IMB annual report, HMP Berwyn, 2025–26, 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026, published July 2026. Open the Berwyn profile.
For PIN waits and phones-down reports, read what families sent in.