HM Prison Ashfield (formerly Pucklechurch Remand Centre) is an adult male sex offenders

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

located in the village of

Pucklechurch Pucklechurch is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It has a current population of about 3000. The village dates back over a thousand years and was once the site of a royal hunting lodge, as it adjoined a large fo ...

(near

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

), in

South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The prison is operated by

Serco Serco Group plc is a British company with headquarters based in Hook, Hampshire, England. Serco primarily derives income as a contractor for the provision of government services, most prominently in the sectors of health, transport, justice, i ...

. Ashfield Prison was built on the site of the ''Pucklechurch Remand Centre'', and opened in 1999. It was the first

private prison A private prison, or for-profit prison, is a place where people are imprisoned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with governments that commit pr ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

to house young offenders. The prison was soon mired in controversy after repeated

riots A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...

and reports of poor management. Conditions at the prison became so bad in 2003 that the

Youth Justice Board The Youth Justice Board ( cy, Bwrdd Cyfiawnder Ieuenctid), for England and Wales (YJB) is a non-departmental public body created by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to oversee the youth justice system for England and Wales. It is sponsored by the ...

withdrew prisoners from Ashfield, and threatened to recommend that the prison should be taken over by the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, infra ...

. Conditions improved however, and the prison (under new management) was given a good inspection report the following year. In May 2006, staff at Ashfield won a Health team award from the 'Public Servants of the Year Awards'. The award was in recognition of the staff's dedication to improving healthcare and personal health education for inmates held at Ashfield. In March 2008, a new wing for first-time offenders was opened at Ashfield. The wing is specifically designed to create a positive environment for new inmates, and also has amenities for prisoners aged 15 and 16. In 2013 an inspection report that concluded offenders were "exposed to unacceptable levels of violence", including bones broken after the use of force by staff. Ashfield was converted to an adult male prison for sex offenders since July 2013 and a Treatment site since 2014.

Pucklechurch Remand Centre

From 1962 the Pucklechurch Remand Centre was built on the site of the former

RAF Pucklechurch RAF Pucklechurch was a Royal Air Force site in Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire from 9 August 1939 until 31 December 1959. It became known as RAF Pucklechurch on 16 June 1952. It was transferred to HM Prison Service in September 1962 and became Pu ...

, opening in 1965 and expanded in 1978. The

remand centre Remand, also known as pre-trial detention, preventive detention, or provisional detention, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and charged with an offence. A person who is on remand is held i ...

was destroyed in a riot in 1990.

Notable former inmates

Rosemary West Rosemary Pauline West (née Letts; born 29 November 1953) is an English serial killer who collaborated with her husband, Fred West, in the torture and murder of at least nine young women between 1973 and 1987;

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

(as former prison HMP Pucklechurch)

References

External links

Ministry of Justice pages on HMP Ashfield

Serco pages on HMP Ashfield

HMP Ashfield - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
{{Authority control Ashfield Ashfield 1999 establishments in England Ashfield Ashfield Ashfield