Work as a prison officer at HMP Lewes

About HMP Lewes 

Nine miles from Brighton, HMP Lewes is a reception and category B resettlement prison in Lewes, a town on the edge of the South Downs national park in East Sussex. With a capacity of 624, it accommodates adult men and young men who: 

• are sentenced  
• or on remand awaiting trial 

Reception prisons are very busy, with new prisoners arriving daily and lots of movement of prisoners in and out as they leave and return from court appointments. Working at HMP Lewes is therefore a great place to start your career as a prison officer, because you will: 

• work with a wide range of prisoners 
• experience a greater deal of variety in your work than you might do in other categories of prison 
• and therefore have an early opportunity to build on all the skills you learnt during your initial training 

Inside HMP Lewes 

With a focus on enabling prisoners to make positive use of their time in custody, HMP Lewes provides them with a broad range of learning opportunities, including: 

• learning to read with confidence or to learn English as a second language 
• gaining qualifications in entry-level and secondary school core curriculum subjects, such as English and Maths, through to higher education courses via the Open University 
• studying a range of vocational subjects such as art, music, business, mentoring and customer services 

To increase their chances of employment when they leave custody, prisoners also have opportunities to: 

• work onsite and learn new skills in areas such as waste management, industrial cleaning, maintenance and catering 
• attend the onsite employment hub to get support on writing a CV, interview preparation and skills, and to meet potential employers face-to-face 

HMP Lewes has a specialist wing that is dedicated to supporting neurodiverse prisoners, such as those with autism and ADHD. 

Staff benefits  

As an employee of HMP Lewes, you will have access to a range of facilities and employee benefits including: 

• free, onsite parking 
• use of a free, onsite gym with free lunchtime classes and fitness groups 
• use of an all-weather sports pitch 
• an on-site subsidised staff canteen 
• excellent training and progression opportunities 

This is in addition to the great benefits you get from being part of HM Prison and Probation Service. 

How to get to HMP Lewes  

On the edge of the town of Lewes, and with plenty of onsite staff parking, HMP Lewes is easily accessible by car. Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne and Crawley are all just a short 30-minute drive away, and HMP Lewes can be reached from Royal Tunbridge Wells and Hastings in 50 to 60 minutes. 

On the main line between London Victoria and Brighton, Lewes train station is a short 20-minute walk to the prison. 

Find HMP Lewes on a map (opens in a new tab).