On 14 September 2026, the Ministry of Justice announced that construction had begun on 152 new prison places at HMP Kirklevington Grange near Yarm, an open prison for men preparing for release. The project, marked by a groundbreaking event on Thursday 10 September, was reported to involve three two-storey accommodation blocks built from 181 modules, more than 85 per cent completed off-site. Construction partner Reds10 is the principal works contractor.

According to the department, the expansion forms part of a £4.7 billion national programme to deliver 14,000 additional prison places by 2031, with more than 3,300 already delivered since July 2024. It said thousands of new places had been delivered across the North East and Yorkshire, including a 1,500-place prison at HMP Millsike near York.

Two prisoners from Kirklevington Grange have been employed on the project through Release on Temporary Leave, subject to strict risk assessments, and Reds10 is also employing prisoners on temporary release to manufacture Rapid Deployment Cells. Minister Catherine McKinnell said the government was fixing a system it inherited “days from running out of places”; Governor Kelly Pearce said the project would help more prisoners prepare for return to their communities.