The new 650-bed prison was operated by UK Detention Services, a partnership between Mowlem, Sir Robert McAlpine and Corrections Corporation of America.

[7] Its provisional name for public consultation was 'HMP Redditch', however local residents objected and in March 2008 it was decided to rename the site HMP Hewell.

[8] HMP Hewell was formally created on 25 June 2008, and is the first in an efficiency drive involving the creation of new Titan prisons in the United Kingdom.

The wing where the riot took place was deemed unfit for occupation due to the damage caused, and inmates housed in that area were either moved to other prisons or relocated to other cell blocks within Hewell.

House block 8, which formerly referred to the "open" or Category D section of the prison at Hewell Grange, was closed in March 2020, following a damning report by inspectors.

Employment was provided throughout the estate including: In January 2017, an inspection report described Hewell as "a prison with many challenges and areas of serious concern".

In December 2017, ten people were convicted of smuggling a range of contraband into Hewell and other prisons following the chance filming of a wildlife program in adjacent fields.