HM Prison Leyhill is a category D men's prison located in the parish of Cromhall in Gloucestershire, England. His Majesty's Prison Service operates Leyhill Prison.

HMP Leyhill
Leyhill prison
Map
LocationCromhall, Gloucestershire
Coordinates51°37′42″N 2°26′20″W / 51.6283°N 2.4388°W / 51.6283; -2.4388
Security classAdult male/category D
Population532 (as of June 2009)
Managed byHM Prison Services
GovernorSteve Hodson[1]
WebsiteLeyhill at justice.gov.uk

History

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Leyhill Prison was originally a United States military hospital built for the Second World War. The site was converted into a prison in 1946, with inmates originally housed in hutted accommodation. The prison was rebuilt in the late 1970s to early 1980s, and in 1986, prisoners were re-housed in new living accommodation. In 2002, new accommodation units were added to increase the prison's capacity.

In a March 2002 report, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised Leyhill for failing to prepare inmates for release, stating that too little was being done to help inmates get ready for the pressures of life outside. The report also claimed that staff needed a clearer idea of their role at the prison.[2]

In May 2006, it was revealed that more than one inmate a week was absconding from Leyhill. Statistics showed that 66 prisoners had left Leyhill in the 2005/06 financial year. The Prison Service claimed the number of escapes was down to population pressures in the UK prison estate, with less trustworthy prisoners being transferred to open prisons like Leyhill.[3]

The prison today

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Leyhill is a prison for adult male prisoners of category D status, meaning that either a parole board or the Prison Service has deemed them suitable for open conditions.[4]

Leyhill was strongly criticised for failing to manage the risks posed by this population properly and not assisting enough with effective resettlement.[citation needed]

Leyhill runs a variety of courses designed to help prisoners prepare for release. These include a general joinery woodwork shop (offering City & Guilds qualifications in woodwork), a printing shop, a commercial laundry; industrial cleaning and car-valeting training, waste management and recycling training, and forklift truck and tractor training.[citation needed]

The prison's farms and gardens also provide work and training for prisoners on a 55-hectare estate, including extensive ornamental grounds. There is a nationally important arboretum run in conjunction with the Forestry Commission; it is often open to the public.[citation needed]

As an open prison, several prisoners at Leyhill are placed in the community to complete work and training placements. These placements are designed to improve a prisoner's chance of successful resettlement in the community on release.[citation needed]

In November 2016, three potentially violent prisoners absconded.[5]

Notable inmates

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References

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  1. ^ "Leyhill Prison". April 2022.
  2. ^ "Open prison 'fails to help inmates'". BBC News. 19 March 2002. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Inmates walk out weekly from jail". BBC News. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2010.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Steven Swinford (31 March 2013). "Pilates, tennis and organic food in Chris Huhne jail". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  5. ^ Two convicted rapists and GBH man abscond from HMP Leyhill BBC
  6. ^ "Jailed duo return to Bristol City". BBC. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Senior detective risked officers for bribe from Britain's top drug". The Independent. 25 September 1998. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  8. ^ Adu, Aletha (16 September 2021). "Shamed ex-Tory Charlie Elphicke freed from prison after serving half of sentence". mirror. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  9. ^ David Barrett (23 March 2013). "Chris Huhne: Disgraced ex-minister moved to open jail". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  10. ^ Jaroslav Krupka (23 March 2013). "Sériový vrah Patrick Mackay: Říkali mu ďáblův učedník, teď má šanci na svobodu". Denik. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  11. ^ Ramsey, Nancy (22 July 2001). "FILM; Never Too Tough to Be Softened Up by a Flower". The New York Times. p. 22. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  12. ^ Dietz, Paula (16 July 1998). "Free to Grow Bluebells in England". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
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