Peterborough (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Peterborough is a Category B
private prison
for men, and a closed prison for women and female young offenders, located in Peterborough
, Cambridgeshire
, England
. The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services, and is the only dual purpose-built prison holding males and females in the United Kingdom.
, aromatherapy
and Indian head massages to inmates. The MP
for Peterborough
, Stewart Jackson
accused the prison of pampering inmates and sending out the wrong message to hard-working families.
In January 2008, a national table of prisons compiled by the Prison Service revealed that Peterborough Prison had come last out of 132 prisons and prison clusters, with low marks for reducing re-offending, organisational effectiveness and decency. A month later, women prisoners at Peterborough complained that the food served at the jail was too high in calories, and made them put on weight. Officials at the prison claimed that healthy options were always available for inmates at mealtimes.
, Suffolk
, Northamptonshire
, Lincolnshire
, Leicestershire
and Nottinghamshire
plus the rest of England and Wales as required by the needs of the prison service. The prison's main use is for remand prisoners and, on the male side, those serving relatively short (up to 18 months) sentences. On the female side, because there are only a dozen or so prisons for women in England and Wales, it holds women serving anything up to life. There will also be male prisoners received from local courts who have received long sentences and they will be awaiting transfer to other more appropriate prisons. Although some prisoners are high profile, the prison service does not comment on who is being held where, so it is not known who may have travelled the furthest distance. While it was reported that Karen Matthews became the furthest inmate to arrive at the prison after a transfer from HMP New Hall
, Wakefield
, West Yorkshire it is extremely likely that others have travelled further.
In the female part of the prison, the main accommodation comprises two houseblocks, each containing five wings. The majority of the accommodation is single occupancy cells, and the wings hold on average 34 women. There is a Separation and Care unit and a 15-bed healthcare facility, which incorporates a first night centre for women who are new to custody. There is also a separate Mother and Baby Unit which can accommodate 12 inmates at a time.
In the male part of the prison, there are eight wings radiating from a central hub, and cellular accommodation is in both single and double cells. Each cell has integral sanitation and the wings each have shower facilities, a servery area plus an association area. There is a Separation and Care Unit which holds 14 prisoners.
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....
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...
for men, and a closed prison for women and female young offenders, located in Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, 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 Sodexo Justice Services, and is the only dual purpose-built prison holding males and females in the United Kingdom.
History
Peterborough Prison was built on the site of the former Baker Perkins engineering works. The prison opened in 2005, despite a great deal of protest from local residents. The Prison Service claimed at the time that Peterborough as a 'mixed-use' prison would become a blueprint for the prisons of the future. Peterborough Prison was soon involved in controversy however, when the jail advertised to recruit 2 holistic therapists to offer reflexologyReflexology
Reflexology, or zone therapy, is an alternative medicine involving the physical act of applying pressure to the feet, hands, or ears with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion...
, aromatherapy
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health....
and Indian head massages to inmates. The MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Peterborough
Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formally styled The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past...
, Stewart Jackson
Stewart Jackson
Stewart James Jackson is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is the Member of Parliament for Peterborough.-Early life:...
accused the prison of pampering inmates and sending out the wrong message to hard-working families.
In January 2008, a national table of prisons compiled by the Prison Service revealed that Peterborough Prison had come last out of 132 prisons and prison clusters, with low marks for reducing re-offending, organisational effectiveness and decency. A month later, women prisoners at Peterborough complained that the food served at the jail was too high in calories, and made them put on weight. Officials at the prison claimed that healthy options were always available for inmates at mealtimes.
The prison today
Peterborough is a Category B prison for male and a closed prison for female adults, and female young offenders, and accepts adult male prisoners mainly from Cambridgeshire, although it often takes prisoners from further afield including the London area as and when there is a need, and females received from courts in Cambridgeshire, NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
plus the rest of England and Wales as required by the needs of the prison service. The prison's main use is for remand prisoners and, on the male side, those serving relatively short (up to 18 months) sentences. On the female side, because there are only a dozen or so prisons for women in England and Wales, it holds women serving anything up to life. There will also be male prisoners received from local courts who have received long sentences and they will be awaiting transfer to other more appropriate prisons. Although some prisoners are high profile, the prison service does not comment on who is being held where, so it is not known who may have travelled the furthest distance. While it was reported that Karen Matthews became the furthest inmate to arrive at the prison after a transfer from HMP New Hall
New Hall (HM Prison)
HM Prison New Hall is a Closed Category prison for female adults, juveniles and young offenders. The prison is located in the village of Flockton in West Yorkshire, England. New Hall is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
, Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, West Yorkshire it is extremely likely that others have travelled further.
In the female part of the prison, the main accommodation comprises two houseblocks, each containing five wings. The majority of the accommodation is single occupancy cells, and the wings hold on average 34 women. There is a Separation and Care unit and a 15-bed healthcare facility, which incorporates a first night centre for women who are new to custody. There is also a separate Mother and Baby Unit which can accommodate 12 inmates at a time.
In the male part of the prison, there are eight wings radiating from a central hub, and cellular accommodation is in both single and double cells. Each cell has integral sanitation and the wings each have shower facilities, a servery area plus an association area. There is a Separation and Care Unit which holds 14 prisoners.