Brinsford (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Brinsford is a male juvenile's prison
and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of Featherstone
(near Wolverhampton
), in Staffordshire
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
, and already housed Featherstone Prison
.
In 2001 Brinsford was branded a disgrace after an inspection found the prison's regime to be negligent and lacking in understanding towards prisoners, with large indicators of self harm, fear of safety and bullying at the prison. A year later two additional education blocks were built at Brinsford, with the regime promising a renewed focus on education and training at the site.
In 2003 four prisoners escaped
from Brinsford after assaulting a prison officer and stealing his keys to an administration block. The four inmates then smashed a window and escaped over the prison's perimeter wall.
In 2008 an additional residential unit and activity centre were built at Brinsford. This resulted in a reduction of places for Juveniles, and an increase in places for Young Offenders at the prison.
, television
and electricity
, while cells in Unit 5 also have shower
s.
Education at the prison is provided by Derby College
and courses offered include: Literacy
and Numeracy
; Social & Life Skills; Communication
& Application of Number; ESOL; Practical Crafts; Visual Art; Cookery; Information Technology
; Painting and Decorating; Woodwork; Horticulture
; Cleaning Science; Physical Education
; and Music
.
Other facilities at the prison include a gym
and sports pitches, Chaplaincy service, Job Centre, PIN telephone
s, Legal Services, Incentives and Earned Privileges schemes, Connexions
and the Samaritans.
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 Featherstone
Featherstone, Staffordshire
Featherstone is a small village in the district of South Staffordshire, England, near to the border with Wolverhampton. Originally a farming community consisting of a few scattered farms. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and was owned by the Clergy of Wolverhampton Church...
(near Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
), in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, 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
Brinsford was opened in 1991 as a YOI and Remand Centre. The site site had been previously acquired from the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, and already housed Featherstone Prison
Featherstone (HM Prison)
HM Prison Featherstone is a Category C men's prison, located in the village of Featherstone , in Staffordshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
.
In 2001 Brinsford was branded a disgrace after an inspection found the prison's regime to be negligent and lacking in understanding towards prisoners, with large indicators of self harm, fear of safety and bullying at the prison. A year later two additional education blocks were built at Brinsford, with the regime promising a renewed focus on education and training at the site.
In 2003 four prisoners escaped
Prison escape
A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
from Brinsford after assaulting a prison officer and stealing his keys to an administration block. The four inmates then smashed a window and escaped over the prison's perimeter wall.
In 2008 an additional residential unit and activity centre were built at Brinsford. This resulted in a reduction of places for Juveniles, and an increase in places for Young Offenders at the prison.
The prison today
Brinsford holds two categories of prisoner - Juveniles (those aged between 15 and 18) and Young Offenders (those aged over 18). Accommodation at the prison comprises five Residential Units: Unit 1 for Sentenced and Remand Juveniles; Unit 2 for Sentenced Young Offenders; Unit 3 for Young Offender Trials and Sections; Unit 4 for Young Offender Inductions and Remands; and Unit 5 for more Sentenced Young Offenders. All cells have integral sanitationSanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, while cells in Unit 5 also have shower
Shower
A shower is an area in which one bathes underneath a spray of water.- History :...
s.
Education at the prison is provided by Derby College
Derby College
Derby College is a further education centre with sites located within Derbyshire , England and the surrounding area...
and courses offered include: Literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and Numeracy
Numeracy
Numeracy is the ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life...
; Social & Life Skills; Communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
& Application of Number; ESOL; Practical Crafts; Visual Art; Cookery; 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...
; Painting and Decorating; Woodwork; Horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
; Cleaning Science; 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....
; and Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
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 sports pitches, Chaplaincy service, Job Centre, PIN telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s, Legal Services, Incentives and Earned Privileges schemes, Connexions
Connexions
Connexions is a global repository of educational content provided by Rice University. The entire collection is available free of charge, and students and learners alike can explore all the content they desire....
and the Samaritans.