Lowdham Grange (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Lowdham Grange is a Category B
men's private prison
, located in the village of Lowdham
(near Nottingham
) in Nottinghamshire
, England
. The prison is operated by the Serco Group
.
In 2004, the National Audit Office
praised the prison as one of seven prisons providing exceptionally good value.
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
carried out an inspection of Lowdham Grange in March 2011 and reported "It is commendable that Lowdham Grange continues to improve, develop and innovate. It has done so despite a significant growth in population and an increase in the numbers of potentially very challenging prisoners. There are, of course, a number of areas where further improvement is required, but overall this inspection found Lowdham Grange to be not only a safe and decent place, but also among the most impressive category B training prisons in the system". |url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmipris/hmp-lowdham-grange-2011.pdf|
In January 2011 Lowdham Grange's Independent Monitoring Board
reported "The IMB is satisfied that HMP Lowdham Grange has been managed and operated well during the year and that prisoners have been treated with appropriate respect".|url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/imb/annual-reports-2011/lowdham-grange-2011.pdf|
In June 2006 a prisoner serving 10 years for burglary
escaped from Lowdham Grange by hiding in a shipment of chef hats, which are manufactured in the prison's workshop.
In May 2008 it was announced that the Lowdham Grange Prison is to be expanded by more than a third. The £52 million project, completed in 2010, created 260 more cells, a two-storey activities building, as well as the expansion and refurbishment of prisons existing buildings.
In September 2009, Lowdham Grange Prison was awarded Level Four status by the National Offender Management Service
for exceptional delivery.
The prison offers workshops, education and training for inmates in areas such as bricklaying, plumbing
, electronics
, and industrial cleaning. All work and training programmes can lead to NVQ qualifications in related fields.
There is a Visitor Centre outside the main gate at Lowdham Grange. There are refreshment facilities available in the Visits Hall inside the prison. Both the Visitor Centre and Visits Hall have full access for disabled visitors.
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 private prison
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...
, located in the village of Lowdham
Lowdham
Lowdham is a village in Nottinghamshire between Nottingham and Southwell.Lowdham is in the Newark and Sherwood district.The dual carriageway to the north and Doncaster cuts the village in two....
(near Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
) in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, 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 the Serco Group
Serco Group
Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
.
History
Lowdham Grange Prison was opened as a privately financed, design, constructed and managed prison in 1998. Soon after the jail opening, it emerged that one of Lowdham Grange's new prisoner custody officers had previously been employed as a security guard for the gangster Reggie Kray. The officer subsequently resigned from his post at the prison.In 2004, the National Audit Office
National Audit Office (United Kingdom)
The National Audit Office is an independent Parliamentary body in the United Kingdom which is responsible for auditing central government departments, government agencies and non-departmental public bodies...
praised the prison as one of seven prisons providing exceptionally good value.
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...
carried out an inspection of Lowdham Grange in March 2011 and reported "It is commendable that Lowdham Grange continues to improve, develop and innovate. It has done so despite a significant growth in population and an increase in the numbers of potentially very challenging prisoners. There are, of course, a number of areas where further improvement is required, but overall this inspection found Lowdham Grange to be not only a safe and decent place, but also among the most impressive category B training prisons in the system". |url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmipris/hmp-lowdham-grange-2011.pdf|
In January 2011 Lowdham Grange's 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...
reported "The IMB is satisfied that HMP Lowdham Grange has been managed and operated well during the year and that prisoners have been treated with appropriate respect".|url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/imb/annual-reports-2011/lowdham-grange-2011.pdf|
In June 2006 a prisoner serving 10 years for burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
escaped from Lowdham Grange by hiding in a shipment of chef hats, which are manufactured in the prison's workshop.
In May 2008 it was announced that the Lowdham Grange Prison is to be expanded by more than a third. The £52 million project, completed in 2010, created 260 more cells, a two-storey activities building, as well as the expansion and refurbishment of prisons existing buildings.
In September 2009, Lowdham Grange Prison was awarded Level Four status by the National Offender Management Service
National Offender Management Service
The National Offender Management Service is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice responsible for the correctional services in England and Wales...
for exceptional delivery.
The prison today
Lowdham Grange is a Category B closed training prison for adult males serving both determinate and non-determinate sentences (ISP). Accommodation at the prison consists mainly of single occupancy cells, with some double cells. Some cells (40%) have en-suite shower facilities.The prison offers workshops, education and training for inmates in areas such as bricklaying, plumbing
Plumbing
Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
, electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, and industrial cleaning. All work and training programmes can lead to NVQ qualifications in related fields.
There is a Visitor Centre outside the main gate at Lowdham Grange. There are refreshment facilities available in the Visits Hall inside the prison. Both the Visitor Centre and Visits Hall have full access for disabled visitors.