• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Good Book of Prisons

What's good in prisons across England & Wales

The Butler Trust
  • The Introduction
  • The Overall Findings
  • The Individual Prisons
  • The Media
  • The Book

Low Newton

Location: County Durham
Date of visit: 4 December 2018
Visit number: 66
Prison type: Female
Capacity: 352
Opened: 1965
Operator: HMPS

OFFICERS

The Officers said the prison was safe, with dedicated, committed staff, and good, ‘very supportive’ and ‘caring’ staff-prisoner relations. They praised safer custody (self-harm, once a big issue, is ‘much improved’) and Keywork (making ‘a real difference’). They rated specialist support (including 3 counsellors) for victims of abuse and care leavers, the specialist PIPE unit, and the ‘excellent’ Primrose Unit.

PRISONERS

The prisoners agreed it was safe, and ‘very strong’ on bullying and work with bullies and victims, and called relations with staff ‘very good’, ‘respectful’ and ‘supportive’. Education was rated ‘excellent’ (with high aspirations for the women and ‘great’ teachers), as was the Chaplaincy for its support to ‘everyone’. They praised the ‘Inspire’ cancer group supported by Macmillan, and ‘excellent’ visits (including evenings and weekends) and the ‘brilliant’ NEPACS (who run the visit centre, organise homework clubs, family days, lifer days, and monthly full-day parent-child visits etc). The Resident Consultative Committee (RCC), a Prisoner Council (chaired and minuted by prisoners), was ‘very’ active and effective. They also rated monthly meetings with the SMT and ‘celebration of achievements’ events as positives.

MANAGERS

The managers described ‘outstanding’ staff-prisoner relations, and praised the care and support of women with complex needs. They rated family involvement in ACCT reviews for those at risk of self-harm, the ‘fantastic’ group of Listeners, and the range and quality of peer mentors and support workers. Like the women, they praised the RCC and visits. They also valued the staff Colleague Consultative Committee, meeting regularly with managers (including No. 1), the monthly staff newsletter, which includes staff ‘thank yous’ and achievements, the Team & Employee of the Month, which includes nominations from prisoners, and ‘Thank you’ postcards for staff, used by both prisoners and staff.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Category: Female

Primary Sidebar

The Prisons

The Prisons

  • Altcourse
  • Ashfield
  • Aylesbury
  • Bedford
  • Belmarsh
  • Berwyn
  • Birmingham
  • Brinsford
  • Bristol
  • Brixton
  • Bronzefield
  • Buckley Hall
  • Bullingdon
  • Bure
  • Cardiff
  • Channings Wood
  • Chelmsford
  • Coldingley
  • Dartmoor
  • Deerbolt
  • Doncaster
  • Dovegate
  • Downview
  • Drake Hall
  • Durham
  • Eastwood Park
  • Elmley
  • Erlestoke
  • Exeter
  • Featherstone
  • Feltham B
  • Forest Bank
  • Foston Hall
  • Frankland
  • Full Sutton
  • Garth
  • Gartree
  • Grendon
  • Guys Marsh
  • Haverigg
  • Hewell
  • High Down
  • Highpoint
  • Hindley
  • Holme House
  • Hull
  • Humber
  • Huntercombe
  • Isis
  • Isle of Wight
  • Lancaster Farms
  • Leeds
  • Leicester
  • Lewes
  • Lincoln
  • Lindholme
  • Littlehey
  • Liverpool
  • Long Lartin
  • Low Newton
  • Lowdham Grange
  • Maidstone
  • Manchester
  • Moorland
  • New Hall
  • Northumberland
  • Norwich
  • Nottingham
  • Oakwood
  • Onley
  • Parc
  • Pentonville
  • Peterborough
  • Portland
  • Preston
  • Ranby
  • Risley
  • Rochester
  • Rye Hill
  • Send
  • Stafford
  • Stocken
  • Stoke Heath
  • Styal
  • Swaleside
  • Swansea
  • Swinfen Hall
  • Thameside
  • The Mount
  • The Verne
  • Usk
  • Wakefield
  • Wandsworth
  • Warren Hill
  • Wayland
  • Wealstun
  • Whatton
  • Whitemoor
  • Winchester
  • Woodhill
  • Wormwood Scrubs
  • Wymott

Footer

Author

Simon Shepherd has been Director of the Butler Trust since 2008 and has worked in and around prisons for the last three decades.

Butler Trust

The Butler TrustThe Butler Trust is an independent charity set up in 1985 to recognise and promote good practice in UK correctional settings.

Contact

Butler Trust

www.butlertrust.org.uk

info@butlertrust.org.uk

020 8688 6062

Copyright © 2021 The Butler Trust (registered charity no. 1145182)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.