Blundeston (HM Prison)

Infobox HM Prison
name = HMP Blundeston


size =
caption =
opened = 1963
type = Adult Male/Category C
figures = 466 (July 2007)
location = Arncott, Suffolk
governor = Sue Doolan
prisonid = 268

HMP Blundeston is a Category C prison, located in the Village of Blundeston in Suffolk, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

History

Opened in 1963 with four wings, Blundeston Prison was expanded in 1975 with two additional wings. Soon after this a new therepeutic wing for prisoners with serious medical conditions was created in the the old hospital wing of the prison.

In 1996 the prison came under intense criticism after six inmates escaped whist being transferred to other jails. The escapees had allegedly been running their own 'criminal empire' at Blundeston before their transfer [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61268457.html] Further controvery hit the prison in 2003 when a prison officer was sacked for making an insulting remark about Osama bin Laden. [http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=24&art_id=vn20031205144005564C186338&set_id=1] This followed reports that inmates at Blundeston had seen their fruit quota cut after some had been accused of fermenting it to make alcohol. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/3258749.stm]

The prison today

Accommodation at the prison includes 4 wings of single cells and 2 wings of 2 or 4 man cells. The therepeutic wing has single cell accommodation. As none of the cells are located on the ground floor of the prison (And there is no accessible lift system) Blundeston cannot accept disabled prisoners.

HMP Blundeston provides workshops, training courses, a Listener Scheme and a full-time Resettlement Officer. Blundeston's visitor centre is staffed and managed by the Ormiston Children and Families Trust with facilities including a refreshments area, toilets, public pay phone and play facilities for children. There is also a supervised small playroom for children between the ages of 2-8 years.

Notable inmates

* John Stonehouse, a former Member of Parliament who was convicted of fraud, theft, forgery, conspiracy to defraud, causing a false police investigation and wasting police time after faking his own death. Stonehouse served the last years of his sentance at Blundeston before being released in 1979.
* Richard Reid, known as the "Shoe Bomber", spent time at Bludeston for a lesser charge in the 1990s [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/feb/28/september11.race]
* Michael Carroll, lottery winner and self-proclaimed 'King of Chavs' spent two years at Blundeston between 2002-2006 for drugs offences [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-122217434.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/prisoninformation/locateaprison/prison.asp?id=268,15,2,15,268,0 HM Prison Service pages on Blundeston]