Askham Grange continues to provide outstanding support to the women it holds, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the women’s open prison in Yorkshire.

Askham Grange is one of only two women’s open prisons in England and Wales. Its primary function is to provide resettlement and though the gate support to women coming towards the end of longer sentences. It aims to deliver a decent regime where women are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves and others. Its ethos is to provide a supportive environment where women can develop confidence, build employability skills and access the community through the temporary release scheme. It continued to do all of these things very well, despite the threat of closure.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• women arriving at the prison were well looked after and care was taken to communicate what was expected in terms of behaviour and participation in the regime;
• it was a safe prison with very few incidents, built on the supportive relationships fostered between staff and prisoners;
• the environment was very good, and women took real pride in ensuring it was looked after and clean;
• activity provision was of a high standard and met the needs of the population; and
• resettlement was embedded in almost all the work being done.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• a number of women had been transferred to the prison with very little of their sentence left to serve and their presence potentially undermined the resettlement ethos of the prison; and
• there were some weaknesses in the risk assessment processes being used before women were released on temporary licence.

Nick Hardwick said:

“Askham Grange continues to provide outstanding support to the women it holds, and we have again given the prison our highest mark in all four of our healthy prison tests. There is real encouragement that the resettlement work being done will make it less likely that women will offend in the future with, for example, over 40% of women gaining employment on release, and nearly as many going into further education or training. The threat of closure is a real one, and it is not yet clear whether the proposed smaller units in closed women’s prisons will be able to replicate the full range of provision available at Askham Grange. The prison in a sense sets a benchmark of what needs to be achieved at these new planned facilities.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), said:

“I’m pleased that the Chief Inspector has highlighted the excellent work being done at Askham Grange which has been maintained despite uncertainty over its long term future. The Governor and her staff deserve huge credit for their dedication and commitment – and for the outcomes they are achieving.

“The intention to close Askham Grange is not about its current performance but reflects our strategic aim to improve the women’s estate by enabling more women to be held closer to home with resettlement services being provided more effectively at prisons across the country.

“We have made clear that we will continue to operate Askham Grange until alternative resettlement provision in the closed estate is in place and working effectively”

Notes to Editors:

1. Read the report.
2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 28 July – 7 August 2014.
4. HMP & YOI Askham Grange is an open prison for sentenced adult and young adult women.
5. Please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Prisons on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview.