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Swaleside (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Swaleside is a Category B
men's prison
, located close to the village of Eastchurch
on the Isle of Sheppey
, Kent
. Swaleside forms part of the Sheppey prisons cluster, which also includes HMP Elmley
and HMP Standford Hill
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
In April 2006, a prison officer from Swaleside was jailed for two years, after he tried to smuggle cannabis
into the prison. The officer (who is the son of a prison governor) had been discovered as he reported for his shift during a routine search.
Two months later, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
praised Swaleside Prison for its "greatly improved living conditions and atmosphere." The report also stated that relations between staff and prisoners were good and security was well-managed. However the prison was told to increase employment places and training programmes for prisoners, as well as improve anti-bullying and race relations strategies.
A further inspection report in September 2008, again praised Swaleside for being a safe prison with good staff-prisoner relations. The report also highlighted improvements in the prisons anti-bullying, suicide
and self harm prevention arrangements. However the report again criticised the amount of time prisoners spent in their cells, with a lack of work and training places available at the jail. The report also called for further improvements in race relations at Swaleside.
Swaleside is a Category B prison for adult males, more than half of them serving life sentences. The prison also has a high minority ethnic population of between 30-40%, and a similar number of foreign national
prisoners.
Education at the prison is provided by Amersham & Wycombe College
, with courses ranging from basic education to Open University
level. Employment activities for inmates include industrial cleaning, engineering
, and commercially run industries workshops.
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 close to the village of Eastchurch
Eastchurch
Eastchurch is a village on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster.The village website claims "... it has a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers".- Aviation history :...
on the Isle of Sheppey
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
, 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...
. Swaleside forms part of the Sheppey prisons cluster, which also includes HMP Elmley
Elmley (HM Prison)
HM Prison Elmley is a local Category B/C men's prison, located close to the village of Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. The term 'local' means that this prison holds people on remand to the local courts. Elmley forms part of the Sheppey prisons cluster, which also includes HMP Standford...
and HMP Standford Hill
Standford Hill (HM Prison)
HM Prison Standford Hill is a Category D men's prison, located close to the village of Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. Standford Hill forms part of the Sheppey prisons cluster, which also includes HMP Elmley and HMP Swaleside...
. 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
In August 2002, an investigation was launched into a major disturbance at Swaleside Prison. The aggression of an inmate locked in his cell was the catalyst, with some prisoners in the same wing refusing to return to their cells and demanding money and a helicopter.In April 2006, a prison officer from Swaleside was jailed for two years, after he tried to smuggle cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
into the prison. The officer (who is the son of a prison governor) had been discovered as he reported for his shift during a routine search.
Two months later, 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...
praised Swaleside Prison for its "greatly improved living conditions and atmosphere." The report also stated that relations between staff and prisoners were good and security was well-managed. However the prison was told to increase employment places and training programmes for prisoners, as well as improve anti-bullying and race relations strategies.
A further inspection report in September 2008, again praised Swaleside for being a safe prison with good staff-prisoner relations. The report also highlighted improvements in 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 arrangements. However the report again criticised the amount of time prisoners spent in their cells, with a lack of work and training places available at the jail. The report also called for further improvements in race relations at Swaleside.
The prison today
Foreign national
Foreign national is a term used to describe a person who is not a citizen of the host country in which he or she is residing or temporarily sojourning. In Canada, a foreign national is defined as someone who is not a Canadian citizen nor a permanent resident of Canada...
prisoners.
Education at the prison is provided by Amersham & Wycombe College
Amersham & Wycombe College
Amersham & Wycombe College is a further education college situated in Buckinghamshire, England.The college consists of three campuses; the primary site being located in Amersham, with two smaller additional campuses located in neighbouring towns of High Wycombe and Chesham.A training centre also...
, with courses ranging from basic education to Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
level. Employment activities for inmates include industrial cleaning, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and commercially run industries workshops.