Blantyre House (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Blantyre House is a Category C/D
men's prison
, located on the outskirts of Goudhurst
in Kent
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
In 2000 a large raid (named Operation Swinford) at Blantyre House caused controversy amongst the press and politicians. Prison authorities claimed the raid was needed to expose potential deep-routed corruption at the prison. The Prison Service claimed that investigations stretched back to the original allegations in 1996, and involved notorious underworld boss Kenny Noye allegedly placing a prisoner at Blantyre House as part of a fraud plot. The following year Blantyre House was singled out as having the best community relations of any prison in the UK along with one of the lowest re-offending rates.
The management at Blantyre House was amalgamated with HMP East Sutton Park
in 2007. In the same year the Home Office
announced plans to expand the prison by building a new block which could double capacity at Blantyre House when built.
is compulsory for the first six months of the inmates' stay at the prison, and prisoners who wish to continue their education are allowed attending external colleges to study as part of their resettlement plan. Prisoners are also able to find full time paid work
outside of the prison 12 months before their release.
Prison security categories in the United Kingdom
There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
men's prison
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 on the outskirts of Goudhurst
Goudhurst
Goudhurst is a village in Kent on the Weald, about south of Maidstone.It stands on a crossroads , where there is a large village pond. It is also in the Cranbrook School catchment area....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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 Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
.
History
Originally a country house, the Prison Service converted the building into a Young Offenders Institution in 1954. The prison was then re-classified as an adult prison in 1991. Blantyre House courted controversy in 1996 after an ex-inmate accused the prison regime of corruption. This followed an incident that resulted in the death of a grandmother when two prisoners caused a multiple-vehicle traffic accident during a 100 mph chase while out on day release.In 2000 a large raid (named Operation Swinford) at Blantyre House caused controversy amongst the press and politicians. Prison authorities claimed the raid was needed to expose potential deep-routed corruption at the prison. The Prison Service claimed that investigations stretched back to the original allegations in 1996, and involved notorious underworld boss Kenny Noye allegedly placing a prisoner at Blantyre House as part of a fraud plot. The following year Blantyre House was singled out as having the best community relations of any prison in the UK along with one of the lowest re-offending rates.
The management at Blantyre House was amalgamated with HMP East Sutton Park
East Sutton Park (HM Prison)
HM Prison East Sutton Park is a women's open prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of East Sutton , in Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
in 2007. In the same year the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
announced plans to expand the prison by building a new block which could double capacity at Blantyre House when built.
The prison today
Prisoners tend to have already served three years or more in other prisons and are transferred to Blantyre House to complete the last part (maximum three years) of their sentence. Because of this the prisons main focus is the re-integration and re-settlement of prisoners into the community and preparation for life after prison. EducationEducation
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...
is compulsory for the first six months of the inmates' stay at the prison, and prisoners who wish to continue their education are allowed attending external colleges to study as part of their resettlement plan. Prisoners are also able to find full time paid work
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
outside of the prison 12 months before their release.
Notable former inmates
- Satpal RamSatpal RamSatpal Ram is a British man of Asian descent who was charged and convicted of killing another man named Clarke Pearce in Birmingham, England during a fight in 1986...
, convicted murderer whose case caused controversy after allegations racism by the courts and prison service. Ram was released from Blantyre House in 2002 - Winston SilcottWinston SilcottWinston Silcott is a British man of Afro-Caribbean descent, who, as one of the "Tottenham Three", was convicted in March 1987 for the murder of PC Keith Blakelock on the night of 6 October 1985 during the Broadwater Farm riot in north London...
, member of the Tottenham Three was held a Blantyre House for a time after a murder conviction until his release in 2003