Huntercombe (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Huntercombe is a Category C
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 near Nuffield
Nuffield, Oxfordshire
Nuffield is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, just over east of Wallingford.-History:The ancient Ridgeway path runs through the village. The section of the Ridgeway west of the village follows the ancient Grim's Ditch....

 in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

, 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...

. Huntercombe 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

Huntercombe was built as an Internment Camp
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...

 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. After the war the site opened as a prison in 1946. The site has seen renovation over the years so that very few wartime buildings remain today. Previously the prison had held adult males and was a Borstal to up to 1982 , but in 2000 Huntercombe became a cellular
Prison cell
A prison cell or holding cell or lock-up is a small room in a prison, or police station where a prisoner is held.Prison cells are usually about 6 by 8 feet in size with steel or brick walls and one solid or barred door that locks from the outside. Many modern prison cells are pre-cast. Solid doors...

 prison for male juveniles aged 15 to 18.

An October 2002 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...

 heavily criticised Huntercombe for being severely overcrowded. The report described the prison as unsafe and recommended a large reduction in prisoners being held there.

In April 2007 a report from the Independent Monitoring Board
Independent Monitoring Board
Independent Monitoring Boards are statutory bodies established by the Prison Act 1952 to monitor the welfare of prisoners in the UK to ensure that they are properly cared for within Prison and Immigration Centre rules, whilst in custody and detention...

 stated that Huntercombe was failing in its central purpose to rehabilitate inmates. The report also criticised the fact that prisoners with serious mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...

 conditions were being sent to Huntercombe despite the fact that the prison did not have the facilities to treat them. However the report praised staff at Huntercombe and the prison's approach to race relations.

In June 2010, Huntercombe was decommissioned as a juvenile prison due to a national decrease in Juvenile offender numbers. The prison was reopened in October 2010 as a Category C
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....

 jail for adult males.

The prison today

The prison's purpose built sports complex comprises a sports hall with climbing wall, a cardiovascular fitness room, and an astroturf pitch. Huntercombe's chaplaincy comprises one full time Chaplain, and access to a range of ministers representing different faiths.

Huntercombe has a visitors centre, located outside the main gate of the prison. The visits room has a small children's play area, toilets and nappy changing facilities. Refreshments are available through the WRVS
WRVS
The WRVS is a voluntary organisation concerned with helping people in need throughout England, Scotland and Wales....

canteen at weekends and vending machines during the week.

External links

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