HMP Altcourse is a category B local prison, receiving sentenced and remand adult male prisoners as well as young offenders, from the Cheshire and Merseyside courts. The prison can accommodate up to 1,164 men and all are housed across 7 house blocks: Bechers, Furlong, Melling, Canal, Valentines, Reynoldstown and Foinavon. The philosophy of our prisons is to rehabilitate offenders and equip them to re-integrate into mainstream society on release. We seek to normalise prison conditions as far as possible and reflect life in the outside community. Our aim is to create an environment in which staff and prisoners feel safe, and where causes of prison stress are minimised.