Since its opening in 1974 the establishment has seen considerable expansion and change and now serves a catchment area of over 100 courts, holding a mixture of sentenced, unsentenced, and remand prisoners.

After a subsequent inspection a year later, the report stated that there was "hope for the future" for the prison but added that a lot of work still needed to be done, and recommended that some staff should be moved because of their attitude towards inmates.

Their report said "water from the prison's poorly-maintained toilet plumbing system leaked out of the pipes and seeped through the walls," causing "a horrible smell that fills the corridors and cells on regular occasions" and that the prison "operates within the confines of a sprawling campus of largely shabby buildings which continue to degrade over time, despite the best efforts of the management and staff."

The board also warned that the policy of transferring prisoners into Glen Parva from other regions "has recently introduced an increasing level of gang rivalry, thereby adding yet another dimension to an already toxic melting pot".

Courses and programmes on offer included Information Technology, Computer Aided Design, Business Studies, Home Economics, Catering, ESOL, Art, Engineering, Carpentry, Barbering, Bricklaying, Painting and Decorating, Forklift Truck Driving, Horticulture, Gardening, Physical Education, Plastics, Laundry, Recycling and Industrial Cleaning.

The prison also had links with organisations such as The Prince's Trust, Age Concern and National Grid plc to provide employment for Young Offenders on release.