HM Prison Thameside

HMP Thameside

Aerial view of HM Prison Thameside. To the left, a section of HM Prison Belmarsh.
Location	Thamesmead, London, England
Security class	Adult Male/Category B
Population	1,232(as of February 2017)
Opened	March 2012
Managed by	Serco [1]
Director	Dave Bamford [2]

HM Prison Thameside is a Category B men's private prison in the Thamesmead area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, England. Thameside Prison is operated by Serco and is situated next to Belmarsh and Isis prisons.

History

The prison was designed and constructed by Serco and opened on 30 March 2012, becoming fully operational in the autumn of 2012, with a capacity of 900. It holds prisoners from courts previously served by Brixton Prison and other prisons in London. ^{[3] [4]}

In January 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced that an additional houseblock would be constructed at Thameside Prison, increasing its capacity. ^[5]

In May 2013, a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons was critical of the levels of violence at the prison and its restricted regime. The report found that there was a high level of assaults and use of force, while 60% of prisoners were locked up during the working day, and some inmates spent 23 hours a day in their cells. However, the report also praised the quality of accommodation throughout the prison. ^[6]

The prison today

The regimen at Thameside Prison combines work, education, vocational training, accredited offending behaviour programmes, and prisoner health and appropriate interventions. It is a Local category B establishment.

The prison has a baseline Certificate of Normal Accommodation of 932, and an in-use operational capacity of 1232 convicted and remand male prisoners. ^[7]

References

1. "Thameside Prison". 7 January 2022.
2. "Serco appoints new Prison Director at HMP Thameside". Serco (Press release). 15 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
3. "Two New Private Sector Prisons To Open | UK Police News". Police Oracle. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
4. "Action for Prisoners' Families: New prison HMP Thameside opens today". Prisonersfamilies.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
5. Danny Shaw (10 January 2013). "BBC News - Seven prison closures in England announced". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
6. "BBC News - Thameside prison criticised over violence and regime". Bbc.co.uk. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
7. "Welcome to HMP Thameside". serco.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2017.

External links

• Serco pages on Thameside
• Inside Time information on HMP Thameside

51°29′39″N0°05′21″E / 51.4941°N 0.0891°E / 51.4941; 0.0891