HM Prison Stoke Heath is an adult male Category C

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 ...

and

Young Offenders Institution His Majesty's Young Offender Institution (or HMYOI) is a type of prison in Great Britain, intended for offenders aged up to 18, although some prisons cater for younger offenders from ages 15 to 17, who are classed as juvenile offenders. Typically t ...

, located in the village of Stoke Heath (near

Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "D ...

) in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

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 His Majesty's Prison Service.

History

Stoke Heath was built in 1964 as a Category C prison for adult males. It was converted to a

Borstal A Borstal was a type of youth detention centre in the United Kingdom, several member states of the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. In India, such a detention centre is known as a Borstal school. Borstals were run by HM Prison Service ...

2 years later and, up until 2011, was used to hold Young Offenders. The establishment now houses prisoners over the age of 18. At the beginning of December 2004 the

Howard League for Penal Reform The Howard League for Penal Reform is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. It was founded as the Howard Association in 1866 and changed its name in 1921, ...

accused Stoke Heath of abusing the

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

of young offenders. The Howard League’s main criticism was concerned with the use of strip cells by the staff of Stoke Heath. In October 2006 four prison officers were injured in a riot involving more than 30 inmates at Stoke Heath. None of the inmates were injured during the disturbance. In 2007 a spot inspection criticized Stoke Heath for failing to make improvements recommended in a 2005 inspection. The inspectorate recommended that the prison must refurbish its "unacceptably grubby" segregation unit and establish proper risk assessments for strip searches. In 2013 Stoke Heath implemented the pepper course to help reintegrate offenders back into the community using the pepper principals.

The prison today

Stoke Heath houses male adults and Young Offenders of 18 years and above. Because of this, education and training for inmates is the main focus of the prison. Education and training courses are provided by

The Manchester College The Manchester College is the largest further education college in the United Kingdom and the largest single provider of 16-19, adult and higher education in Greater Manchester, with more than 25% of Greater Manchester’s learning provision un ...

. A variety of courses and vocational training placements are offered, most of which can lead to

NVQ National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are practical work-based awards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are achieved through assessment and training. The regulatory framework supporting NVQs was withdrawn in 2015 and replaced by the ...

qualifications in related fields. In addition the prisons

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

and sports department offer various

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

courses, as well as being available for recreational use. The prison also has a multi-faith

chaplaincy A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

References

External links

Ministry of Justice pages on Stoke Heath
{{Prisons in the West Midlands Stoke Heath Stoke Heath Stock Heath Stoke Heath