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Bronzefield (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HMP Bronzefield is a Category A adult and young offender female's prison
located on the outskirts of Ashford
in Surrey
, England
. Bronzefield is the only purpose-built private prison
solely for women in the UK, and is the largest female prison in Europe. The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services.
Since its opening Bronzefield has been the subject of many news articles in the tabloid press, most notably about well-known prisoners, its supposedly lax regime and continued poor industrial relations.
In 2009, a 77 bed unit was built on the existing site, taking the operational capacity up to 527.
HM Prison Bronzefield is currently one of only two prisons to house Category A prisoners in the female estate (female and juvenile category-A prisoners are called "restricted status" prisoners). The prison is staffed by approx 160 prison officers which has a ratio of 60% female and 40% male officers to reflect the need for a women's prison. Bronzefield is also a local prison, taking prisoners directly from the courts. Bronzefield holds a wide range of female offenders, including remand, sentenced and restricted status women.
Accommodation at Bronzefield is divided into four main residential units, each holding approximately 135 women each. The prison also has a 12 bed Mother and Baby Unit, accommodating children up to 18 months old. Bronzefield has a Level 4 Healthcare provision with inpatient facilities for 18 women, as well as a smaller 10-bed Help & Direction Unit.
Bronzefield offers full time education courses including Art
, ESOL and Information Technology
. There are also workshops in Painting and Decorating, Cleaning Science and Arts and Crafts
.
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 on the outskirts of Ashford
Ashford, Surrey
Ashford is a town almost entirely in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne in England, with a small part falling within Greater London. It is a suburban development situated 15 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in London and forms part of the London commuter belt...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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...
. Bronzefield is the only purpose-built 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...
solely for women in the UK, and is the largest female prison in Europe. The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services.
History
Bronzefield Prison was opened in June 2004 as the UK's new top security prison for women.Since its opening Bronzefield has been the subject of many news articles in the tabloid press, most notably about well-known prisoners, its supposedly lax regime and continued poor industrial relations.
In 2009, a 77 bed unit was built on the existing site, taking the operational capacity up to 527.
The prison today
Accommodation at Bronzefield is divided into four main residential units, each holding approximately 135 women each. The prison also has a 12 bed Mother and Baby Unit, accommodating children up to 18 months old. Bronzefield has a Level 4 Healthcare provision with inpatient facilities for 18 women, as well as a smaller 10-bed Help & Direction Unit.
Bronzefield offers full time education courses including Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, ESOL and Information Technology
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...
. There are also workshops in Painting and Decorating, Cleaning Science and Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
.
Notable inmates
- Rose West
- Donna AnthonyDonna AnthonyDonna Anthony is a British woman from Somerset who was jailed in 1998 after being convicted of the murder of her two babies. She was cleared and freed after having spent more than six years in prison....
- Sabina ErikssonUrsula and Sabina ErikssonUrsula and Sabina Eriksson, born 1967, are a pair of Swedish twins who came to national attention in the United Kingdom in 2008 after an apparent episode of folie à deux which resulted in unique footage of insanity on the M6 motorway and the killing of Glenn Hollinshead. No drugs or alcohol were...