HM Prison Prescoed
 | |
| Location | Pontypool, Monmouthshire |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1939 |
| Governor | Mr David R. Ward |
HM Prison Prescoed is a Category D men's open prison, located on the outskirts of Pontypool 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
Prescoed started as a purpose built hutted camp, which was erected by prisoner labour and opened in 1939 as an open Borstal. It continued as a Borstal until 1964 when it became a Detention Centre. In 1983 Prescoed was re-rolled as an open Youth Custody Centre, changing to an open Young Offender Institution in 1988, gradually becoming an adult open prison by 2000.
In 2004 Prescoed started to hold a number of convicted paedophiles and other sex offenders 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.[1] Since this time there have been a number of incidents of convicted sex offenders escaping from Prescoed.[2]
The prison today
Prescoed is a open prison, holding Category D adult males. Inmates are normally transferred to Prescoed from other jails (usually HMP Usk), to serve out the last of their sentence 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 has 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 prisons 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 woodland.
Other facilities at the prison include a library, IT suites, gym, and a chaplaincy service.
References
- ^ "Sex offenders at open jail opposed". bbc.co.uk. 13 October 2004. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Fourth prisoner missing from jail". bbc.co.uk. 05 August 2006. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
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