Prescoed (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Prescoed is a Category D
men's open prison
, located on the outskirts of Usk
in Monmouthshire
, South Wales
. Prescoed is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
, and acts as a satellite prison of the nearby HMP Usk
.
In July 2003, Prescoed Prison (along with HMP Usk) was stated to be one of the top 5 performing Prisons in England and Wales. The statistics were published by the Prison Service, and this was the first time that prisons had been ranked in a published league table.
In 2004 Prescoed started to hold a number of convicted sex offender
s who had been transferred from HMP Usk. There was considerable opposition to this from local residents, who feared that such inmates may abscond from the open jail and pose a threat to local children. Following this, there were a number of incidents of convicted sex offenders absconding
from Prescoed. The prison no longer holds sex offenders.
In August 2008, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
stated that although there had been "dips in performance", Prescoed and Usk prisons retained good standards. Among features of the prison praised by the report were cleanliness, safety, race equality work and interrelations between staff and prisoners. Also found to be good were the education and training provisions for inmates at both sites. However the report found that staff were not "sufficiently trained", though resettlement projects for inmates at Precoed were said to be run "reasonably well".
All prisoners are interviewed by the Learning and Skills Department of the prison in their first week at Prescoed. A range of education is offered to inmates on a full-time and part-time basis. Vocational training is also offered at Prescoed through work placements. Many inmates work on the prison's farm, which has 120 dairy cattle
plus young stock, along with a small herd of Pedigree Welsh Black cattle
. There is also a sawmill
, from which wood products are being developed by prisoners and staff from the 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) woodland.
Other facilities at the prison include a library
, IT
suites, gym
, and a chaplaincy service.
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 open prison
Open prison
An open prison is an informal description applied to any penal establishment in which the prisoners are trusted to serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and so do not need to be locked up in prison cells...
, located on the outskirts of Usk
Usk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. Prescoed 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 acts as a satellite prison of the nearby HMP Usk
Usk (HM Prison)
HM Prison Usk is a Category C men's prison, located in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and jointly managed with the nearby HMP Prescoed.-History:...
.
History
Prescoed has been re-purposed multiple times since its construction by prisoner labour in 1939. From 1939 to 1964, it was an open Borstal. From 1964 to 1983, it was a Detention Centre. It spent five years thereafter as an open Youth Custody Centre before, in 1988, becoming an open YOI. By 2000, it was transformed into an adult open prison.In July 2003, Prescoed Prison (along with HMP Usk) was stated to be one of the top 5 performing Prisons in England and Wales. The statistics were published by the Prison Service, and this was the first time that prisons had been ranked in a published league table.
In 2004 Prescoed started to hold a number of convicted sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
s who had been transferred from HMP Usk. There was considerable opposition to this from local residents, who feared that such inmates may abscond from the open jail and pose a threat to local children. Following this, there were a number of incidents of convicted sex offenders absconding
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 Prescoed. The prison no longer holds sex offenders.
In August 2008, 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...
stated that although there had been "dips in performance", Prescoed and Usk prisons retained good standards. Among features of the prison praised by the report were cleanliness, safety, race equality work and interrelations between staff and prisoners. Also found to be good were the education and training provisions for inmates at both sites. However the report found that staff were not "sufficiently trained", though resettlement projects for inmates at Precoed were said to be run "reasonably well".
The prison today
Prescoed is an open prison, holding Category D adult males. Inmates are normally transferred to Prescoed from other jails (usually HMP Usk), to serve out the last years of their sentences, and re-integrate back into the community before release. Accommodation at the prison is divided into 6 purpose built living units. All are single rooms and each prisoner usually has his own room key.All prisoners are interviewed by the Learning and Skills Department of the prison in their first week at Prescoed. A range of education is offered to inmates on a full-time and part-time basis. Vocational training is also offered at Prescoed through work placements. Many inmates work on the prison's farm, which has 120 dairy cattle
Dairy cattle
Dairy cattle are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus....
plus young stock, along with a small herd of Pedigree Welsh Black cattle
Welsh Black
The Welsh Black is a dual-purpose breed of cattle native to Wales.-History:Commercial exploitation of the breed meant that drovers would herd them to English markets. Herds from south west Wales travelled towards Hereford and Gloucester up the Tywi Valley to Llandovery. Herds from South...
. There is also a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, from which wood products are being developed by prisoners and staff from the 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) woodland.
Other facilities at the prison include a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, IT
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...
suites, gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, and a chaplaincy service.