HM Prison Northumberland is a
Category C men's
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 Morpeth near the village of
Acklington
Acklington is a small village in Northumberland, England. It is situated to the south-west of Amble, inland from the North Sea coast. It is served by Acklington railway station. The name is Anglo-Saxon Old English 'farmstead of Eadlac's people'. ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
,
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 ...
. Since 2013 Northumberland has been operated by private prison firm
Sodexo Justice Services
Sodexo Justice Services (formerly United Kingdom Detention Services and Kalyx), a subsidiary of Sodexo, is a private prison operator in the United Kingdom and in several other countries. The company changed its name to Sodexo Justice Services in ...
under contract with
His Majesty's Prison Service
His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wale ...
.
History
Northumberland was formed on 31 October 2011 from a merger of
HM Prison Acklington
HM Prison Acklington was a Category C men's prison, located near the village of Acklington a few miles from Amble), in Northumberland, England. Acklington Prison was operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. In 2011 Acklington was merged into ...
and
HM Prison Castington and on 1 December 2013 management of HMP Northumberland passed from
Her Majesty's Prison Service
His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wale ...
to
Sodexo Justice Services
Sodexo Justice Services (formerly United Kingdom Detention Services and Kalyx), a subsidiary of Sodexo, is a private prison operator in the United Kingdom and in several other countries. The company changed its name to Sodexo Justice Services in ...
.
HMP Acklington was the most northerly adult prison in England, and was built on the site of the former
RAF Acklington
Royal Air Force Acklington, simply known as RAF Acklington, is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station located south west of Amble, Northumberland and north east of Morpeth, Northumberland.
The airfield was operational initial ...
airfield.
When Sodexo Justice Services began management of Acklington Prison in 2013, the firm promised to save taxpayers' money and many jobs were lost. The
Prison Officers Association warned at the time this could cause escapes and riots.
In March 2014, there was a "major incident" after more than fifty prisoners took over a wing at the former Acklington Prison. In August 2014 a prison officer was hospitalised by an inmate. In response to this incident Mike Quinn, vice chairman of the Northumbria branch of NAPO, made a statement criticising the "violent culture" at the institution which could cause an incident unable to be dealt with due to reduced staffing levels. Between 2010 and 2013 staff at HMP Northumberland were reduced from 441 to 270.
Fires broke out in six cells in November 2014 and seven inmates were evacuated from the prison. Following the evacuation there were violent incidents in the exercise yard. Inmates surrendered after additional officers were deployed. Firefighters tackled the blazes.
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Panorama
A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...
'' investigation found illegal drugs rife and prison staff "not in control". Staff were unable to confront prisoners due to lack of back up and prisoners threatened staff. Some door alarms did not work. Single prison officers dealt with large groups of prisoners. A hole in an internal security fence was found where prisoners could get out and find drugs or other contraband thrown over the prison fence. Prisoners were sometimes incapacitated by drugs.
References
External links
Ministry of Justice pages on HMP Northumberland
{{Prisons in North East England
2011 establishments in England
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
Sodexo Justice Services