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Ashfield (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Ashfield is a male juvenile's prison
located in the village of Pucklechurch
(near Bristol
), in Gloucestershire
, England
. The prison is operated by the Serco Group
.
Ashfield Prison was built on the site of the old Pucklechurch Prison (a former adult remand centre), and opened in 1999. It was the first private prison
in the United Kingdom
to house young offenders. The prison was soon marred in controversy after repeated riots and reports of poor management. Conditions at the prison became so bad in 2003 that the Youth Justice Board
withdrew prisoners from Ashfield, and threatened to recommend that the prison should be taken over by the public sector
. Conditions improved however, and the prison (under new management) was given a good inspection report the following year.
In May 2006, staff at Ashfield Prison won a Health team award from the 'Public Servants of the Year Awards'. The award was in recognition of the staff's dedication to improving healthcare and personal health education for inmates held at Ashfield.
In March 2008, a new wing for first-time offenders was opened at Ashfield Prison. The wing is specifically designed to create a positive environment for new inmates, and also has amenities for prisoners aged 15 and 16.
and sentenced young males between the ages of 15 and 18. The majority of its sentenced young persons are completing detention and training orders.
All inmates at Ashfield Prison receive a minimum of 25 hours of education
each week. The prison also provides opportunities for employment with organisiations such as the Wessex Water
, and several catering
employers.
Other facilities at the prison include a library
with restricted internet access, and a gym
.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
located in the village of Pucklechurch
Pucklechurch
Pucklechurch is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom.- Location :Pucklechurch is a historic village with an incredibly rich past, from the Bronze Age with its tumulus on Shortwood Hill, up to the siting of a barrage balloon depot in World War II...
(near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
), in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The prison is operated by the Serco Group
Serco Group
Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
.
Ashfield Prison was built on the site of the old Pucklechurch Prison (a former adult remand centre), and opened in 1999. It was the first private prison
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to house young offenders. The prison was soon marred in controversy after repeated riots and reports of poor management. Conditions at the prison became so bad in 2003 that the Youth Justice Board
Youth Justice Board
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales is an executive non-departmental public body, funded by and reporting to the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education and Skills...
withdrew prisoners from Ashfield, and threatened to recommend that the prison should be taken over by the public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
. Conditions improved however, and the prison (under new management) was given a good inspection report the following year.
In May 2006, staff at Ashfield Prison won a Health team award from the 'Public Servants of the Year Awards'. The award was in recognition of the staff's dedication to improving healthcare and personal health education for inmates held at Ashfield.
In March 2008, a new wing for first-time offenders was opened at Ashfield Prison. The wing is specifically designed to create a positive environment for new inmates, and also has amenities for prisoners aged 15 and 16.
The prison today
The prison accepts remandDetention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
and sentenced young males between the ages of 15 and 18. The majority of its sentenced young persons are completing detention and training orders.
All inmates at Ashfield Prison receive a minimum of 25 hours of education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
each week. The prison also provides opportunities for employment with organisiations such as the Wessex Water
Wessex Water
Wessex Water Services Limited, known as Wessex Water, is a water supply and sewerage utility company serving an area of the south west of England, covering 10,000 square kilometres including Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire...
, and several catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
employers.
Other facilities at the prison include a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
with restricted internet access, and a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
.
Notable former inmates
- Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
spent three months in Pucklechurch Prison in 1975 for stealing a family friend's credit cardCredit cardA credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...