Norwich (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Norwich is a Category B/C
multi-functional prison
for adult and juvenile males, located on Mousehold Heath
in Norwich
, Norfolk
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
). The prison has had a variety of roles over the years, but today acts as a prison for Category B & C inmates.
In January 2003 a report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
severely criticised Norwich Prison for factors including poor cleanliness and the failure of its anti-drug and anti-bullying programmes. The report also criticised the lack of work and education opportunities at the jail for inmates.
In November 2004 the Prison Reform Trust
criticised levels of overcrowding at Norwich Prison. The trust stated that nearly half of all single cells at the jail here holding two prisoners, and inmates were spending too much time locked up in their cells.
At around this time Norwich became the only prison in England and Wales to have a unit exclusively for elderly male prisoners (mainly serving life sentences). This has meant that a number of high-profile elderly prisoners have been held at HMP Norwich in recent years.
Education provision for inmates at Norwich Prison is mainly centred on basic and key skills. Other courses offered include ESOL, Food Hygiene, First Aid
, Health and Safety, NVQ Catering
, Art
and Craft
and pre-release work programmes. A number of workshop places are available across the prison for inmates including Printing, Textiles, Contract packing Services and Gardens. Other facilities at the prison include a gym
and a multi-faith chaplaincy.
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....
multi-functional 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...
for adult and juvenile males, located on Mousehold Heath
Mousehold Heath
Mousehold Heath is an area of heathland and woodland which lies in north east Norwich, England and a designated Local Nature Reserve . It is now mostly covered by broad-leaf semi-natural woodland, although some areas of heath remain and are actively managed....
in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 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 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...
.
History
Norwich opened as a prison in 1887, on the site of the Britannia Barracks (the former home of the Royal Norfolk RegimentRoyal Norfolk Regiment
The Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of Norfolk...
). The prison has had a variety of roles over the years, but today acts as a prison for Category B & C inmates.
In January 2003 a 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...
severely criticised Norwich Prison for factors including poor cleanliness and the failure of its anti-drug and anti-bullying programmes. The report also criticised the lack of work and education opportunities at the jail for inmates.
In November 2004 the Prison Reform Trust
Prison Reform Trust
The Prison Reform Trust was founded in 1981 in London, England by a small group of prison reform campaigners who were unhappy with the direction in which the Howard League for Penal Reform was heading, concentrating more on community punishments than on traditional prison reform issues...
criticised levels of overcrowding at Norwich Prison. The trust stated that nearly half of all single cells at the jail here holding two prisoners, and inmates were spending too much time locked up in their cells.
At around this time Norwich became the only prison in England and Wales to have a unit exclusively for elderly male prisoners (mainly serving life sentences). This has meant that a number of high-profile elderly prisoners have been held at HMP Norwich in recent years.
The prison today
The site is divided into various wings and units which house different facilities and categories of prisoners:- Wing B1 - Category B local prisoners
- Wing B2 - Category B prisoners drug treatment unit (IDTS)
- Wing B3 - Category B vulnerable prisoners (mainly sex offenders)
- Wing C1 - Category C local prisoners
- Wing C2 - Category C local prisoners
- Wing C3 - Category C prisoners drug treatment unit (RAPT)
- Wing D - Britannia House (staff & administration block)
- Wing E - First Night Centre (newly arrived prisoners)
- Wing F - Young Offenders
- Wing G - Young Offenders
- Wing H - Healthcare Centre
- Wing L - Elderly prisoners (mainly serving life sentences)
- Wing M - Category C vulnerable prisoners (mainly sex offenders)
Education provision for inmates at Norwich Prison is mainly centred on basic and key skills. Other courses offered include ESOL, Food Hygiene, First Aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
, Health and Safety, NVQ Catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
, 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....
and Craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
and pre-release work programmes. A number of workshop places are available across the prison for inmates including Printing, Textiles, Contract packing Services and Gardens. Other facilities at the prison include a 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 multi-faith chaplaincy.