First inmates at Wolverhampton private jail HMP Oakwood

First inmates at Wolverhampton private jail HMP Oakwood

The first inmates will arrive later at a new privately-run prison in Wolverhampton.

HMP Oakwood will be run by G4S, who already run six prisons in England and Wales, including HMP Birmingham, HMP Altcourse in Liverpool and YOI & HMP Parc in Bridgend.

The prison will house 1,605 category C male prisoners. G4S said it expects the prison to be at "operational capacity" by the autumn.

The prison has been built next to the existing HMP Featherstone and HMP Brinsford.

HMP Oakwood is named after an oak tree, the so-called Royal Oak, thought to have been used by King Charles II to hide from Cromwell's troops, in nearby Boscobel Wood.