Garth (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Garth is a Category B
men's prison
, located in the village of Ulnes Walton
(near Leyland
), in Lancashire
, England
. Garth is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
, and is situated next to HMP Wymott
.
In 1998, inmates put out a contract on a police dog
called Scooby because of its track record in locating illegal drugs at the jail, requiring home security measures and, once, armed police.
In January 2004, one of Garth's prison chaplain
s resigned over allegations that she had an affair with a prisoner who worked as a cleaner in the prison chapel. In September 2006 a prison officer from Garth was jailed after it emerged that she had smuggled pills and a mobile phone to an inmate she was having an affair with at the prison.
In August 2007, a report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
praised Garth stating that it was "an essentially safe, respectful prison, with an increased focus on resettlement." However the report also criticised the prison for its race relations and overcrowded accommodation. Further accommodation of 180 places was built at Garth Prison in late 2007 and is notable for being the first prison building to incorporate Interseasonal Heat Transfer.
Garth provides a range of training, learning and employment opportunities. Programmes on offer include woodwork, motor mechanics, industrial cleaning and light engineering
. The prison also offers NVQs in horticulture
and textiles, as well as electrical, mechanical and community workshops. A number of basic skills courses are also offered including literacy
, numeracy
and ESOL. The prison's gym
also offers physical education
including a YMCA
Gym Instructor qualification, as well as recreational gym.
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 village of Ulnes Walton
Ulnes Walton
Ulnes Walton is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 it has a population of 2,048.The village is also the location of two prisons...
(near Leyland
Leyland, Lancashire
Leyland is a town in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England, approximately six miles south of the city of Preston.Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the community has seen a large growth in industry, population and farming, due to the establishment of Leyland Motors, housing...
), in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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...
. Garth 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 situated next to HMP Wymott
Wymott (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wymott Category C men's prison, located in the village of Ulnes Walton , in Lancashire, England. Wymott is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and is situated next to HMP Garth.-History:...
.
History
Garth Prison was opened in October 1988, and a new residential unit (housing 120 prisoners) opened on 2 July 1997.In 1998, inmates put out a contract on a police dog
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
called Scooby because of its track record in locating illegal drugs at the jail, requiring home security measures and, once, armed police.
In January 2004, one of Garth's prison chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s resigned over allegations that she had an affair with a prisoner who worked as a cleaner in the prison chapel. In September 2006 a prison officer from Garth was jailed after it emerged that she had smuggled pills and a mobile phone to an inmate she was having an affair with at the prison.
In August 2007, a report by 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 Garth stating that it was "an essentially safe, respectful prison, with an increased focus on resettlement." However the report also criticised the prison for its race relations and overcrowded accommodation. Further accommodation of 180 places was built at Garth Prison in late 2007 and is notable for being the first prison building to incorporate Interseasonal Heat Transfer.
The prison today
Garth Prison accepts category B prisoners who are serving sentences of four years or more. Garth does not accept vulnerable prisoners.Garth provides a range of training, learning and employment opportunities. Programmes on offer include woodwork, motor mechanics, industrial cleaning and light 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...
. The prison also offers NVQs in 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...
and textiles, as well as electrical, mechanical and community workshops. A number of basic skills courses are also offered including 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...
, 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...
and ESOL. The prison's gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
also offers 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....
including a YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Gym Instructor qualification, as well as recreational gym.