About HMP Wakefield
HMP Wakefield is a category A long term high security prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
It has a capacity of 750 adult male prisoners who are on remand awaiting trial or serving long custodial sentences.
Working as a prison officer at HMP Wakefield – at a glance
- A category A high security in West Yorkshire
- You will need Counter Terrorism Check Clearance
- Earn £33,746 to £38,003 a year
How to get to Wakefield Prison
The nearest station is Wakefield Westgate, which is about a 5 minute walk from the prison. Please bear in mind that, as a prison officer, you will need to work shifts plus some unsocial hours and public holidays when public transport may not be running.
There is plenty of free onsite parking for staff.
How long will it take you to get there? (postcode search opens in a new window)
Eligibility to work in a category A high security prison
To work as a prison officer at HMP Wakefield, you must:
Complete enhanced pre-employment checks.
Have Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) security clearance. For this, you must have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years.
Someone like you?
To work with people who are serving long prison sentences, you will need great communication skills and the ability to build rapport with a wide range of people over a long period of time.
We’re not currently recruiting prison officers at Wakefield Prison
We can let you know when vacancies open.
Inside Wakefield Prison
HMP Wakefield provides prisoners with a range of opportunities to engage in purposeful activities to make the most of their time in prison, including:
- studying for qualifications in a wide range of subjects from basic English and Maths, through to higher education courses via the Open University
- completing vocational courses in hospitality, catering or industrial cleaning
- working in the onsite kitchens or library, in the textiles or woodwork workshops, or the braille workshop producing braille books
To help them change their thinking, attitudes and behaviours which may lead them to reoffend, prisoners also have access to a range of behaviour change interventions.
Pay and benefits
As a prison officer, you will start on a 37 hour a week contract until you have completed your initial training. You can then choose to increase your hours to 39 or 41 hours. This means you can earn between £33,746 and £38,003 as a prison officer at HMP Wakefield.
Take a look at the full starting salary information for HMPPS prisons.
As an employee of HMP Wakefield, you will have access to a range of facilities and employee benefits including:
- use of a free onsite gym
- extensive free onsite parking
- excellent training and career progression opportunities
This is in addition to the great benefits you get from being a part of HM Prison and Probation Service.