HMP Woodhill is a category A men’s prison in Milton Keynes. Operated by Her Majesty’s Prison Service, it has an operational capacity of 819, and serves local Crown and Magistrates’ courts. It is one of eight high-security jails in England and Wales, and some inmates are held in a Close Supervision Centre.

“Staggering” Suicide Rate Reduced by Training, Says Governor

The governor at Woodhill Prison has said that focusing on mental health training has helped to reduce suicides among inmates, it was reported in November, 2018. 20 men have taken their own lives at the jail since 2011 – a suicide rate which HM Inspectorate of Prisons called “staggering” in a damning report in June. There has been one death since December 2016, and governor Nicola Marfleet said an increase in staff and the introduction of a “range of training” has helped to turn the prison around. She said: “We encourage our prison officers to play pool with the men because that builds up easy banter, that relationship that gives me hope when somebody is in crisis and needs help, they will come and say. I think there will always be risk of another death but one of the things we are doing is making sure that we can say we have done the best that we are able to do.”