Usk (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
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
.
prison, opened in 1844 as a House of Correction, and after the addition of other buildings in 1870 the establishment became the Monmouthshire County Gaol. It remained in that role until 1922 when it closed, reopening in 1939 as a Borstal
and continued in that role until 1964 when it became a Detention Centre. In 1983 Usk became a Youth Custody Centre and from 1988 to 1990 a Young Offenders Institution. In May 1990, Usk became an Adult Category C establishment for Vulnerable Prisoners (mainly sex offenders). The prison continues in that role today.
In May 2003, a special workshop was set up in Usk Prison, in conjunction with a local charity. Prisoners in the workshop worked at removing fake logos from clothing, CDs and videos which have been seized by trading standards officers
. The rebranded goods were then sold in local charity shops in the region. The project was the first of its kind to be set up in Wales.
In July 2003, Usk Prison (along with its satellite prison Prescoed) was stated to be one of the top five 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 league table.
In August 2008, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
stated that standards at both Usk and Prescoed prisons remained good, despite dips in performance. The report said that the two prisons were safe and clean, and that relationships between staff and prisoners were "relaxed". Race equality work was also found to be good, as was the education and training provision for inmates at both sites. However the report found that staff were not sufficiently trained, and that there was a shortage of trained psychologists at the prison.
. The majority of the cells are double-occupancy, all with integral sanitation. Showers are available on all residential units. Additional accommodation is located on Comber Unit (a 20 bed ground floor wing opened in May 2003). Allocation to Comber Unit is by application. All prisoners have access to in cell TV and limited disabled facilities. There is wheelchair access to most ground floor areas.
The prison offers a range of education courses covering basic skills to higher education
. A purpose-built Vocational Training Centre offers City and Guilds courses and qualifications in woodcraft
, plasterwork
and bricklaying.
Unlike most other UK prisons, there is no staffed Visitor's Centre or children's play area at Usk Prison. In the visits room there are vending machines providing hot & cold drinks, as well as snacks. Baby changing facilities are also available.
The court room, at the historic Sessions House next door, has recently undergone a restoration project costing £200,000 and has re-opened as the base of Usk Town Council..
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 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...
, 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:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. 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...
, and jointly managed with the nearby HMP Prescoed
Prescoed (HM Prison)
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.-History:...
.
History
Usk is a VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
prison, opened in 1844 as a House of Correction, and after the addition of other buildings in 1870 the establishment became the Monmouthshire County Gaol. It remained in that role until 1922 when it closed, reopening in 1939 as a Borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
and continued in that role until 1964 when it became a Detention Centre. In 1983 Usk became a Youth Custody Centre and from 1988 to 1990 a Young Offenders Institution. In May 1990, Usk became an Adult Category C establishment for Vulnerable Prisoners (mainly sex offenders). The prison continues in that role today.
In May 2003, a special workshop was set up in Usk Prison, in conjunction with a local charity. Prisoners in the workshop worked at removing fake logos from clothing, CDs and videos which have been seized by trading standards officers
Trading Standards Institute
The Trading Standards Institute is the professional association which represents trading standards professionals in the UK and overseas.-History:...
. The rebranded goods were then sold in local charity shops in the region. The project was the first of its kind to be set up in Wales.
In July 2003, Usk Prison (along with its satellite prison Prescoed) was stated to be one of the top five 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 league table.
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 standards at both Usk and Prescoed prisons remained good, despite dips in performance. The report said that the two prisons were safe and clean, and that relationships between staff and prisoners were "relaxed". Race equality work was also found to be good, as was the education and training provision for inmates at both sites. However the report found that staff were not sufficiently trained, and that there was a shortage of trained psychologists at the prison.
The prison today
Usk is a Category C closed prison for adult male vulnerable prisoners (mainly sex offenders). Accommodation at the prison consists of three main wings, which radiate off a central rotundaRotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
. The majority of the cells are double-occupancy, all with integral sanitation. Showers are available on all residential units. Additional accommodation is located on Comber Unit (a 20 bed ground floor wing opened in May 2003). Allocation to Comber Unit is by application. All prisoners have access to in cell TV and limited disabled facilities. There is wheelchair access to most ground floor areas.
The prison offers a range of education courses covering basic skills to higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. A purpose-built Vocational Training Centre offers City and Guilds courses and qualifications in woodcraft
Woodcraft
Woodcraft is a recreational/educational program devised by Ernest Thompson Seton in 1902, for young people based on camping, outdoor skills and woodcrafts. Thompson Seton's Woodcraft ideas were incorporated into the early Scout movement, but also in many other organisations in many countries.In the...
, plasterwork
Plasterwork
Plasterwork refers to construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting...
and bricklaying.
Unlike most other UK prisons, there is no staffed Visitor's Centre or children's play area at Usk Prison. In the visits room there are vending machines providing hot & cold drinks, as well as snacks. Baby changing facilities are also available.
The court room, at the historic Sessions House next door, has recently undergone a restoration project costing £200,000 and has re-opened as the base of Usk Town Council..