HM Prison Aylesbury
 HM Prison Aylesbury, shortly after construction in 1847 | |
| Location | Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire |
|---|---|
| Security class | Young Offenders Institution |
| Population | 444 (as of May 2006) |
| Opened | 1847 |
| Managed by | HM Prison Services |
| Governor | Kevin Leggett |
| Website | Aylesbury at justice.gov.uk |
HM Prison Aylesbury (full title Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution (HMYOI) Aylesbury) is a Young Offender Institution situated in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. The prison is located on the north side of the town centre, on Bierton Road. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.
History
There has been a prison or gaol of some description in Aylesbury since 1810. The current prison is of early Victorian design and has been on its present site since 1847 following extensive public building in the area that also included the workhouse (now the Tindal Centre). Since construction, it has gone through a variety of changes, starting as a county gaol, then became an adult women's prison in 1890, changing to a girls' borstal in the 1930s, and between 1959-1961 was an adult male prison, after which it became a male YOI, and since 1989 has held only male long term prisoners.[1]
In 1998 Aylesbury Prison was criticised after an inspection report highlighted its poor health regime (the jail saw the rapid turnover of five senior medical officers in two years). The report opened up a wider debate about the pay of medical staff in UK prisons compared to those in the NHS.[2]
In 2001 the Imam for Aylesbury Prison was suspended after allegations of inappropriate comments after the September 11 New York terror attacks.[3] A year after this a study of prisoners' diets at Aylesbury (conducted by Surrey University) found that adding vitamins, minerals and other nutritional elements to the diets of young offenders 'remarkably' reduced their antisocial behaviour.[4]
The prison was back in the headlines in 2007 after it was revealed to have a higher rate of self-harm by inmates than any other Young Offenders Institution in England[5] Following the introduction of the prison service ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork) system the rate of self-harm has reduced significantly.
In December 2008, police officers and Prison Service 'Tornado Teams' were called in to contain a disturbance at Aylesbury Prison, officially described as a 'Concerted Indiscipline'. The incident lasted six hours, and involved a number of inmates who were taking part in Eid celebrations. A number of these were charged with 'Prison Mutiny'.[6]
In November 2009, a prison officer from Aylesbury was jailed after it emerged that she had become pregnant after having a sexual relationship with an inmate. The prison officer was also convicted of smuggling three mobile phones into Aylesbury Prison.[7]
The prison today
As a Young Offenders Institution, Aylesbury prison holds long term male inmates between the ages of 17 and 21 only. Accommodation comprises Single and double cells in eight residential wings.
There are full and part-time education programmes at the prison, which range from basic and key skills courses up to Art, French and Sociology at A Level and Physical Education. Vocational courses and work programmes include Construction, Painting and Decorating, Bricklaying, Motor Vehicle Mechanics, Industrial and General Cleaning, Laundry, Catering, Gardening and Waste management. Inmates also have opportunities to pursue award-based courses including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
In February 2013 Her Majesty's Prison: Aylesbury appeared in an ITV documentary focusing on the lives of inmates and officers.
Notable inmates
Former inmates
Women
- Kitty Byron, convicted in 1902 of murdering her lover Arthur Reginald Baker, was released from Aylesbury in December 1908.
- Edith Carew convicted in 1897 in the British Court for Japan in Yokohama for murdering by poisoning her husband, Walter Carew. Carew was transferred from Yokohama (via Hong Kong) in 1897 and released in 1910[8]
- Mathilde Carré, a French Resistance agent during World War II who turned double agent. Carré was held at Aylesbury for the last years of the war where she acted as an informant against other detainees. Carré was deported to France after the war ended.
- Florence Maybrick, a former United States citizen who was imprisoned at Aylesbury for murdering her considerably older English husband. Maybrick was released in 1904.
Men
- Jade Braithwaite was at HMYOI Aylesbury for a time after being convicted of the murder of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella. He was ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years.
References
- ↑ HMP Service - Prisons - HMYOI Aylesbury, Accessed 02/08/2012
- ↑ "Health | Prison health care 'failing'". BBC News. 1998-10-28. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ↑ "UK | Prison service imams suspended". BBC News. 2001-12-28. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ↑ "Article: Junk food is linked to violent behaviour. | AccessMyLibrary - Promoting library advocacy". AccessMyLibrary. 2002-12-16. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ↑ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-172812218.html
- ↑ "UK | England | Beds/Bucks/Herts | Youth facility unrest contained". BBC News. 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ↑ "UK | England | Beds/Bucks/Herts | Inmate-sex prison officer jailed". BBC News. 2009-11-13. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ↑ M Whitthington-Egan, Murder on the Bluff
External links
- Ministry of Justice on HMYOI Aylesbury
- HMYOI Aylesbury - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
- Victorian Prisoners Database at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies
Coordinates: 51°49′19″N 0°47′59″W / 51.8220°N 0.7997°W
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