HM Prison Haverigg is a Category D 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 village of

Haverigg Haverigg is a village on the south-west coast of Cumbria, England, historically part of the county of Cumberland. In 2001 it had a population of 1,791 in 548 households, increasing in 2011 to a population of 1,849 in 549 Households. The name H ...

(near

Millom Millom is a town and civil parish on the north shore of the estuary of the River Duddon in southwest Cumbria, historically part of Cumberland, England. It is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, about north of Barrow-in-Furne ...

) in

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

, and

historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

, England. The prison is situated just outside the

Lake District National Park The Lake District National Park is a national park in North West England that includes all of the central Lake District, though the town of Kendal, some coastal areas, and the Lakeland Peninsulas are outside the park boundary. The area was desi ...

. Haverigg Prison is operated by

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 ...

, and is part of the Cumbria and Lancashire prison group.

History

Haverigg Prison is built on the site of an old RAF airfield training centre, and was opened in 1967. While some of the prison's workshops and offices are housed in buildings from that era, most of HMP Haverigg has been extensively modernised over the years. In January 1999 HMP Haverigg was awarded a prestigious

Charter Mark The Customer Service Excellence, (previously the "Charter Mark") is an accreditation for organisations, intended to indicate an independent validation of achievement. History The Charter Mark was an award demonstrating the achievement of ''nationa ...

, with particular attention paid to the "excellent service" of the prison's

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 ...

department and the

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

. However just a month later nearly 200 prisoners were involved in a riot at HMP Haverigg. The inmates smashed windows and started fires, costing £1 million worth of damage at the prison. In June 2003 the Independent Monitoring Board issued a report stating that cost-cutting measures taken at HMP Haverigg had caused serious problems for staff and prisoners. The report also stated that the board had concerns about particular prisoners, claiming that not all inmates did well with the

billet A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alth ...

style accommodation and relative freedom at the jail. However the report did also praise HMP Haverigg for its rehabilitation techniques with prisoners. In August 2005 a prisoner escaped while working in a supervised group of inmates at Roudsea

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Haverthwaite Haverthwaite is a small village and civil parish in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. It is also within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park. It is located several miles east of Ulverston and is near the southern end of Winde ...

. The prisoner (who was serving a 15 year sentence for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

) was recaptured by police three days later. Weeks later another prisoner escaped from HMP Haverigg by scaling the prison fence. The inmate who had been jailed for drugs offences was still on the run a month after his escape. In 2019 the prison was reclassified from a Category C training prison to a Category D open prison.

The prison today

Haverigg Prison accepts inmates suitable for Category D status who are able to participate in full-time employment. Accommodation for prisoners varies from a cellular house-block to billets and two RTUs. All prisoners take part in full-time employment and/or training. Workshops include

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

plastering Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting. The process of ...

, industrial

cleaning Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. Cleaning is often performed for aesthetic, hygienic, functional, environmental, or safety purposes. Cl ...

, and

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. Haverigg Prison's

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 ...

also provides training related gym courses and qualifications as well as recreational PE, and was the first to organise an official prison

Parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior parkrun) ...

Black Combe Parkrun Black Combe Parkrun is a Parkrun that takes place every Saturday morning at 9am inside HMP Haverigg, Cumbria, England. The event was the first Parkrun to take place within the grounds of a prison. The course The course is named after the Black ...

. Haverigg Prison has a traditional library facility which also includes IT suites and training facilities, self-help and employment advice. Haverigg Prison's

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 ...

, Healthcare Centre, Probation and Education departments all offer additional courses and one-to-one sessions (where available) for prisoners with a variety of individual needs. There is a visitors' reception centre outside the prison and a visits hall within the Prison. The visits hall has a tea bar which provides hot and cold food and drinks, and also a small children's play area. The tea bar and play area are staffed by local volunteers.

References

External links

Ministry of Justice pages on Haverigg

HMP Haverigg - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
{{Prisons in North West England

Prisons in Cumbria 1967 establishments in England

Millom