Risley (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Risley is a Category C
men's prison
, located in the Risley area of Warrington
, Cheshire
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
centre for male and female inmates in 1964. A category C prison opened on the site in 1990, alongside the remand centre. Risley ceased to hold females in April 1999, and in March 2000, Risley wholly re-roled to a category C prison for adult males.
In September 2003, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
criticised Risley Prison for its policy of mixing sex offenders with other inmates. The report said that sex offenders and other vulnerable inmates did not feel safe from attack by other inmates, and did not trust Prison Officers to protect them.
A further inspection report in July 2006 again highlighted issues over safety at Risley Prison. The inspection found that a third of inmates felt unsafe, with "a lack of visible staffing on wings when prisoners were unlocked from their cells." The report also highlighted concerns about the prisons anti-bullying, suicide
and self harm prevention work. However the report did praise Risley for reducing the quantity of drugs that were being smuggled into the prison.
In October 2008, another inspection report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons severely criticised Risley, stating that "a culture of hard drugs and violence remained rife at the prison", according to the BBC. Of inmates suspected of taking drugs, more than 60% tested positive, while gangs
were rampant, offering new members with
£50 joining fees.
Work for inmates at Risley includes the kitchen
, laundry
, stores, cleaning, garden
s, waste management
, the Braille
workshop and the bicycle repair workshop. In addition, inmates may train for vocations in painting and decorating, joinery
, hairdressing, industrial cleaning and construction
. Courses in art and design, information technology
, and higher level learning (including the Open University
programmes) are also available.
Other facilities at the prison include a gym
and a multi-faith chaplaincy.
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 in the Risley area of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, 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
Risley opened as a remandRemand
The term remand may be used to describe an action by an appellate court in which it remands, or sends back, a case to the trial court or lower appellate court for action....
centre for male and female inmates in 1964. A category C prison opened on the site in 1990, alongside the remand centre. Risley ceased to hold females in April 1999, and in March 2000, Risley wholly re-roled to a category C prison for adult males.
In September 2003, an inspection report from 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...
criticised Risley Prison for its policy of mixing sex offenders with other inmates. The report said that sex offenders and other vulnerable inmates did not feel safe from attack by other inmates, and did not trust Prison Officers to protect them.
A further inspection report in July 2006 again highlighted issues over safety at Risley Prison. The inspection found that a third of inmates felt unsafe, with "a lack of visible staffing on wings when prisoners were unlocked from their cells." The report also highlighted concerns about the prisons anti-bullying, suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and self harm prevention work. However the report did praise Risley for reducing the quantity of drugs that were being smuggled into the prison.
In October 2008, another inspection report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons severely criticised Risley, stating that "a culture of hard drugs and violence remained rife at the prison", according to the BBC. Of inmates suspected of taking drugs, more than 60% tested positive, while gangs
Prison gang
Prison gang is a term used to denote any type of gang activity in prisons and correctional facilities. Prison officials and others in law enforcement use the term security threat group or STG...
were rampant, offering new members with
£50 joining fees.
The prison today
Risley is a category C prison for adult males. The prison holds vulnerable prisoners (mainly sex offenders) who are mixed with other prisoners. Accommodation at the prison comprises single occupancy cell units with integral sanitation, showers, serveries, PIN phones and association facilities. In-cell mains power and in-cell TVs installed throughout the prison.Work for inmates at Risley includes the kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
, laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
, stores, cleaning, garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s, waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
, the Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
workshop and the bicycle repair workshop. In addition, inmates may train for vocations in painting and decorating, joinery
Joiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
, hairdressing, industrial cleaning and construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
. Courses in art and design, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, and higher level learning (including the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
programmes) are also available.
Other facilities at the prison include a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
and a multi-faith chaplaincy.