HM Prison Peterborough is a Category B private prison for men, and a closed prison for women and female young offenders, located in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services, and is the only dual purpose-built prison holding males and females in the United Kingdom. The prison, which has a population of around 1,100 inmates,[2] comprises four large wings, each with a separate housing arrangement for female detainees and male detainees. It is managed by the Newton Secure Training Centre (NSTC), and the associated training centre, which operates under Sodexo Services, comprises 26 housing units, ranging from 12-storey purpose built units to 10-storey semiprivate accommodation units.
 | |
| Location | Peterborough, Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|
| Security class | Category B/Adults & Young Offenders |
| Capacity | 840 (August 2008) |
| Opened | 2005 |
| Managed by | Sodexo Justice Services |
| Director | Ian Whiteside [1] |
History
editHMP Peterborough was built on the site of the former Baker Perkins engineering works. It opened in 2005, despite protests from local residents. The Prison Service stated that Peterborough, as a 'mixed-use' prison, would become a blueprint for future prisons.[3] The prison was involved in controversy when it advertised for two holistic therapists to offer inmates reflexology, aromatherapy and Indian head massages. The MP for Peterborough, Stewart Jackson accused the prison of pampering inmates and sending out the wrong message to hard-working families.[4]
In January 2008, a national table of prisons compiled by the Prison Service revealed that the prison had performed worst out of 132 prisons and prison clusters, with low marks for reducing re-offending, organisational effectiveness and decency.[5] A month later, women prisoners complained that the food served at the jail was too high in calories, and made them put on weight. Officials at the prison claimed that healthy options were always available.[6]
In January 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced that an additional houseblock will be constructed at the prison, increasing its capacity.[7]
On 13 April 2018, a Royal Air Force bomb disposal team deployed a bomb disposal robot to interact with a silver Volkswagen Golf at the prison.[8] Authorities later stated they had been responding to a reported bomb but it proved to be a hoax.[9]
Notable inmates
editMale
edit- Samuel Johnson,[10] Prolific criminal from Northampton.
- Dennis McGrory,[11] double jeopardy rapist and murderer.
Female
edit- Lucy Connolly,[12] former childminder, and wife of West Northamptonshire councillor, sentenced to 31 months over social media posts inciting hatred during the 2024 United Kingdom riots
- Rekha Kumari-Baker,[13] woman who stabbed to death her own two children in 2007
- Lucy Letby,[14] neonatal nurse who murdered numerous babies that were in her care
- Virginia McCullough,[15] woman who killed her parents in 2019 and continued to live in the family home for four years; sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 36 years in 2024.
- Chelsea O'Mahoney,[16] part of a group of youths convicted of the "happy slapping" homophobic killing of David Morley in 2005
- Emma Tustin,[17][18] woman convicted of torturing and murdering her step-son in June 2020. Sentenced in 2021.
References
edit- ^ "Director's welcome". hmppeterborough.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ Ministry of Justice. "Prison population: monthly prison figures 2024". Gov.uk. Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "Mixed prison opens for inspection". bbc.co.uk. 9 March 2005. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "Prison 'pampering' move angers MP". bbc.co.uk. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "Private jails 'worse than public'". bbc.co.uk. 19 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "Women losing prison flab battle". bbc.co.uk. 19 February 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "Seven prison closures in England announced". BBC News. 10 January 2013.
- ^ "Bomb disposal experts at prison in Peterborough amid ongoing incident". The Daily Telegraph. 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Bomb threat at Peterborough Prison was a "hoax"". ITV News. 14 April 2018.
- ^ "Three men charged with burglary…". Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ Media, P. A. (13 January 2023). "Man sentenced to life for 'brutal' murder of 15-year-old girl in 1975". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ Cunningham, Alice (17 October 2024). "Politician's wife Lucy Connolly jailed for race hate post". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Murderer could face High Court date over trial costs". Ely Standard. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Mal, Nisha (4 October 2021). "Nurse Lucy Letby, 31, denies murder of eight babies at hospital". Cambridge News. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ Lee, Matt (11 October 2024). "Daughter hid parents in 'makeshift tomb' for years jailed". Essex Live. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Murder Mile UK True-Crime Podcast #73: The Raising of David & Chelsea". Murder Mile UK True-Crime Podcast. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Which jail is Emma Tustin in? Furious inmates 'toss salt at killer stepmum' who tortured Arthur Labinjo-Hughes". Yorkshire Live. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' father has sentence increased but no change for murderer stepmum". CoventryLive. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
External links
edit- Ministry of Justice pages on Peterborough Archived 13 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Sodexo Justice Services page on Peterborough
52°35′11″N 0°15′36″W / 52.58639°N 0.26000°W
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