East Sutton Park (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison East Sutton Park is a women's open prison
and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of East Sutton
(near Maidstone
), in Kent
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
, first opened as a borstal
in 1946, then was re-registered to take juvenile and adult females some years later.
In 2001 East Sutton Park was praised by the Director General of the Prison Service for its caring regime and humane standards of treatment for prisoners.
However in a report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
in 2003, East Sutton Park was criticised for not focusing enough on resettlement of prisoners and also for having a "disrespectful culture", including failing to issue proper toiletries and only offering plain glass shower cubicles which did not afford privacy to the inmates. According to the report, inmates were also subject to such unnecessary rules as "not being able to walk across the main hall, having to use plastic cutlery and fixed bed times."
The management of East Sutton Park Prison amalgamated with that of Blantyre House Prison
in 2007.
, and catering
. East Sutton Park also offers training courses and physical education
. The prison plans to place 50 prisoners for employment in the community and has currently placed 25.
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...
and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of East Sutton
East Sutton
East Sutton is a parish approximately 6 miles south-east of Maidstone in Kent, England. East Sutton is small in number of dwellings but relatively large in area: the parish has a women's prison, a council estate of 16 houses and the church of St Peter and Saint Paul.HMP East Sutton Park is a prison...
(near Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
), 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
East Sutton Park Prison is based in and around an Elizabethan brick house, East Sutton Park, dating from 1570 and overlooking the Weald of Kent. The building was requisitioned at the start of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, first opened as a borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
in 1946, then was re-registered to take juvenile and adult females some years later.
In 2001 East Sutton Park was praised by the Director General of the Prison Service for its caring regime and humane standards of treatment for prisoners.
However in a report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
in 2003, East Sutton Park was criticised for not focusing enough on resettlement of prisoners and also for having a "disrespectful culture", including failing to issue proper toiletries and only offering plain glass shower cubicles which did not afford privacy to the inmates. According to the report, inmates were also subject to such unnecessary rules as "not being able to walk across the main hall, having to use plastic cutlery and fixed bed times."
The management of East Sutton Park Prison amalgamated with that of Blantyre House Prison
Blantyre House (HM Prison)
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.-History:...
in 2007.
The prison today
Accommodation at the prison is divided into 21 dormitories of varying sizes. Work at the prison for inmates includes farming, gardeningGardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
, and 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...
. East Sutton Park also offers training courses and physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
. The prison plans to place 50 prisoners for employment in the community and has currently placed 25.