Rochester (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Rochester is a male Young Offenders Institution, located in the Borstal area of Rochester in Kent
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
, and is located next to HMP Cookham Wood
.
, the word "Borstal
" became synonymous with other detention centres for youths across the country, and elsewhere. The institution remained as a Borstal school until 1983, when it was converted into a Youth Custody Centre and renamed 'Rochester'.
In 1988 the prison changed its role to operate as a remand centre for the Kent courts and sentenced category C and D adult males. Rochester then became a mixed site prison for immigration detainees and a resettlement unit for adult male prisoners. The prison also operated as a remand and allocation centre for males under the age of 21. In January 2002 Rochester re-rolled to a prison solely for sentenced young men up to the age of 21.
In March 2003, Rochester Prison was criticised by its own Board of Visitors. The Board stated that there were few useful employment or educational opportunites for inmates, and so therefore they had few chances to gain qualifications or work experience.
In August 2006, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
declared that Rochester Prison was improving, but still had a number of unresolved issues. Inspectors found that HMP Rochester was generally safe, and had good staff-prisoner relations. However the prison was called on to do more to provide work for inmates, and to do more to combat bullying.
In March 2007, it was announced that the capacity of Rochester Prison was to be doubled to 700. This drew severe opposition from local residents. Construction had briefly begun in March 2007, but was on hold pending permission from Medway council
, the local planning authority. This was granted, and in September 2008 a further four accommodation units were constructed at the site.
The prison offers offending behaviour courses, education, drug rehabilitation, NVQ based work placements, weekend and evening association with access to gym
and sports related activities. Various Chapel
based courses are also available to inmates.
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...
, and is located next to HMP Cookham Wood
Cookham Wood (HM Prison)
HM Prison Cookham Wood is a male juveniles' prison and Young Offenders Institution in the village of Borstal in Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
.
History
HMP Rochester was founded in 1870 as Borstal Prison, which was a large convict prison. Borstal Prison was then an experimental juvenile prison of the reformatory type set up in 1902. Because it was the first detention centre of its kind in the UKUnited 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...
, the word "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...
" became synonymous with other detention centres for youths across the country, and elsewhere. The institution remained as a Borstal school until 1983, when it was converted into a Youth Custody Centre and renamed 'Rochester'.
In 1988 the prison changed its role to operate as a remand centre for the Kent courts and sentenced category C and D adult males. Rochester then became a mixed site prison for immigration detainees and a resettlement unit for adult male prisoners. The prison also operated as a remand and allocation centre for males under the age of 21. In January 2002 Rochester re-rolled to a prison solely for sentenced young men up to the age of 21.
In March 2003, Rochester Prison was criticised by its own Board of Visitors. The Board stated that there were few useful employment or educational opportunites for inmates, and so therefore they had few chances to gain qualifications or work experience.
In August 2006, 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...
declared that Rochester Prison was improving, but still had a number of unresolved issues. Inspectors found that HMP Rochester was generally safe, and had good staff-prisoner relations. However the prison was called on to do more to provide work for inmates, and to do more to combat bullying.
In March 2007, it was announced that the capacity of Rochester Prison was to be doubled to 700. This drew severe opposition from local residents. Construction had briefly begun in March 2007, but was on hold pending permission from Medway council
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
, the local planning authority. This was granted, and in September 2008 a further four accommodation units were constructed at the site.
The prison today
Rochester holds convicted sentenced young offenders, serving a sentence of less than 4 years. Accommodation at the prison comprises a mixture of single and double accommodation cells. A further residential unit of single cell accommodation which is used as an Induction Unit for newly arrived prisoners.The prison offers offending behaviour courses, education, drug rehabilitation, NVQ based work placements, weekend and evening association with access to gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
and sports related activities. Various Chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
based courses are also available to inmates.