There are eleven privately run prisons in England and Wales. Nine prisons have been financed, designed, built and are run by the private sector under PFI contracts – Dovegate,Altcourse, Ashfield, Forest Bank, Lowdham Grange, Parc, Rye Hill, Bronzefield and Peterborough, the only prison which holds both men and women on the same site. In addition Wolds and Doncaster were built and financed by the public sector but are run by private companies under management-only contracts. Two former privately managed prisons, Blakenhurst and Buckley Hall, are now publicly run. No new prison built since 1992 has been built and financed by the public sector.

Private prisons in England and Wales now account for 11% of the prison population holding around 9,071 prisoners. England and Wales has the most privatised prison system in Europe. Scotland currently has 8% of its prisoners held privately, although this is due to increase in December 2008 with the addition of the 700-cell Addiewell, a second privately financed, designed, built and run prison. Australia has 17% of its prisoners held in private prisons and the USA has 7.2%