HM Prison Askham Grange

Last updated

HMP Askham Grange
Askham Grange Manor.jpg
HM Prison Askham Grange
Location Askham Richard, North Yorkshire
Security class Adult Female/Young Offenders
Capacity128
Population120(as of December 2019)
OpenedJanuary 1947
Managed by HM Prison Services
Governor Julia Spence
Website Askham Grange at justice.gov.uk

HM Prison Askham Grange is a women's open category prison, located in Askham Richard village in North Yorkshire, England. The prison is run by His Majesty's Prison Service.

Contents

History

H.M. Prison Askham Grange was opened in January 1947 as a women's open prison and was the first such prison in the country. [1] The first Governor of H.M.P. Askham Grange was Anglo-Irish penal reformer Mary Size, who remained in post from January 1947 until her retirement from the prison service in September 1952. [2]

Mrs. Joanna Kelley was Governor from October 1952 [3] until 1959, when she moved on to become Governor of Holloway and later Assistant Director of Prisons (Women). [4] She was replaced by Marguerite Stocker who remained until her retirement in 1966. [5]

In 1973 Susan McCormick was appointed Governor at Askham Grange, becoming (at 28) "the youngest ever governor or warden of a women's prison in Britain." [6] McCormick went on to introduce programmes of rehabilitation in the prison for soon-to-be released prisoners (a relatively new idea at the time).

In 1979, two inmates, Jenny Hicks and Jackie Holborough, founded the Clean Break (theatre company) at Askham Grange. [7] [8] Today Clean Break is a theatre, education and new writing company that works with women whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system. [9] The group now have links with most women's prisons in the UK. [10]

In 1997 the prison was the subject of the documentary Witness: Babies Behind Bars shown on Channel 4. [11]

In 2001 two inmates from Askham Grange launched a High Court battle for the right to keep their babies with them in prison beyond the age of 18 months. The challenge failed, but launched a wider debate in the media about mother's rights and their children in prison. [12]

The prison today

Askham Grange accepts adult females and female young offenders, and has space for ten mothers to maintain full-time care of their child or children whilst in custody. Inmates tend to have already served three years or more in other prisons, and are transferred to Askham Grange to complete the last part (maximum three years) of their sentence. Because of this the prison's main focus is the re-integration and re-settlement of prisoners into the community and preparation for life after prison.

Accommodation in the prison consists mainly of dormitories, though there are some single rooms. All prisoners in the Mother and Baby unit have their own rooms. The prison's education department mainly concentrates on vocational skills, and many prisoners are given work-placements outside the prison as part of their re-settlement plan.

The Prison has an external Garden Centre and Coffee Shop (The Grange Coffee Shop and Garden Centre) which is open to the general public seven days a week as well as a Conference Centre, all of which are operated by the residents to give them the skills to prepare for release.

Notable inmates

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Holloway</span> Prison in London, England

HM Prison Holloway was a closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It was the largest women's prison in western Europe, until its closure in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">His Majesty's Prison Service</span> Government service managing most of the prisons within England and Wales

His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service, which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales.

His Majesty's Young Offenders Institution is a place of detention for young people in the United Kingdom. These young people will have received a custodial sentence following conviction of a criminal offence. Or they may be being held on remand awaiting trial on criminal charges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Belmarsh</span> Mens prison in Thamesmead, London, England

His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison in Thamesmead, southeast London, England. The prison is used in high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Within the prison grounds is the High Security Unit (HSU), which consists of 48 single cells. It is run by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been called "Britain's Guantanamo Bay" due to the long-term detention of terrorism suspects without charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Bronzefield</span> Female prison in Surrey, England

HMP Bronzefield is an adult and young offender female 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.

HM Prison Birmingham is a Category B men's prison in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, England, operated by HM Prison and Probation Service.

HM Prison Downview is a women's closed category prison. Downview is located on the outskirts of Banstead in Surrey, England, and is immediately adjacent to the southern boundary of Belmont in Greater London. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is situated in proximity to High Down Prison for men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Kirklevington Grange</span>

HM Prison Kirklevington Grange is a Category D men's prison, located in the village of Kirklevington, in North Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Cornton Vale</span>

HMP & YOI Cornton Vale was a women's prison and young offenders institution in Stirling, Scotland operated by the Scottish Prison Service. The facility comprised a total of 217 cells in its 5 houses. It accepted solely convicted women and girls from 1975 until 1978. In 1978 Parliament passed the necessary legislation to allow females to be held there on remand. Cornton Vale houses female adults and young offenders in Scotland, alongside HMP Grampian, HMP Edinburgh and HMP Polmont. In April 1999, the separation of adults and young offenders was attained. Lady Martha Bruce was the first Governor. The current Governor at Cornton Vale is Paula Arnold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Leeds</span> Prison in West Yorkshire, England

HM Prison Leeds is a Category B men's prison, located at Gloucester Terrace in the Armley area of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1847. Leeds Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is still known locally as Armley Gaol, the historical name of the prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Full Sutton</span> Prison in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

HM Prison Full Sutton is a Category A and B men's prison in the village of Full Sutton, near Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Full Sutton is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and holds 596 inmates, as of September 2018. The prison's primary function is to hold, in conditions of high security, some of the most difficult and dangerous criminals in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Brixton</span> Mens prison in south London

HM Prison Brixton is a local men's prison, located in Brixton area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner-South London. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open prison</span> Prison where the detainees serve their sentences with minimal supervision

An open prison is any jail in which the prisoners are trusted to complete sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and are often not locked up in their prison cells. Prisoners may be permitted to take up employment while serving their sentence. This provides an opportunity for criminals to reintegrate into society and withdrawal from their criminal behavior. Without the constraints and stresses of typical incarcerations, criminals can discover more positive lifestyles through support and light supervision from the criminal justice system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Styal</span> Womens prison in Styal, England

HM Prison Styal is a Closed Category prison for female adults and young offenders in Styal, Cheshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

HM Prison Lowdham Grange is a Category B men's private prison, located in the village of Lowdham in Nottinghamshire, England. The prison is currently operated by Sodexo Justice Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Hewell</span> British prison

HM Prison Hewell is a multiple security category men's prison in the village of Tardebigge in Worcestershire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

HMP New Hall. is a closed-category prison for female adults, juveniles, and young offenders. The prison is located in the village of Flockton in West Yorkshire, England. New Hall is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

Marguerite Ellen-Gaudin Stocker MBE was governor of HM Prison Askham Grange in Yorkshire from 1959 until her retirement in 1967.

Mary A. Size, OBE was an Irish penal reformer and officer in the English prison system in the early to mid-twentieth century, considered one of "the great reformers" of the prison system for women in England at this time.

Joanna Elizabeth Kelley OBE was a British prison governor and civil servant. She led prisons in Britain, including Holloway Prison, where she changed the way prisoners were treated during and after their sentence. She was promoted from Governor to a position where she oversaw the rebuilding of Holloway Prison to allow better conditions, but those ideas were never realised.

References

  1. ↑ "HISTORIES OF DIFFERENT PRISONS". www.naopv.com. National Association of Official Prison Visitors. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  2. ↑ Logan, Anne (2008). "Women in the Penal System". Feminism and Criminal Justice. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 108–138. doi:10.1057/9780230584136_5. ISBN   9781349364268.
  3. ↑ "Humanity behind prison bars". Yorkshire Evening Post. 22 August 1952. Retrieved 12 September 2019– via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "Joanna Kelley". 16 April 2003. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "New Governor of Holloway". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 13 October 1959. Retrieved 12 September 2019– via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (8 November 2010). "Clean Break and the invisible women". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Billington, Rachel (29 March 2019). "Bitching drama – insidetime & insideinformation" . Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Trueman, Matt (26 February 2019). "'A world to escape into': how theatre gives prisoners a way out". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Now showing: Myra as Mary Magdalene! | World news". The Guardian. London. 2 March 1999. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "New life behind bars". The Independent. 1 April 1997. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "UK | Ruling against prison mothers". BBC News. 17 May 2001. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  13. ↑ Wardrop, Murray (26 July 2011). "Tracie Andrews 'unrepentant' as she is freed from jail". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "Prisoner fights Blair seat". York Press. 26 May 2001. Retrieved 21 July 2021.

53°55′33″N1°11′04″W / 53.9259°N 1.1845°W / 53.9259; -1.1845

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.