• 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

Stoke Heath

Location: Shropshire
Date of visit: 8 August 2018
Visit number: 38
Prison type: Category C
Capacity: 782
Opened: 1964
Operator: HMPS

PRISONERS

The prisoners called the jail ‘calm’, and ‘very safe’ compared to others, with security ‘on it’, staff ‘who don’t mess about’, and a structured regime ‘helping time fly’. Staff-prisoner relations were ‘good’, as were vocational courses with ‘excellent’ local employer links. They liked the Prisoner Council, and said family visits were ‘fantastic’ (‘great atmosphere’, ‘lots of activities for kids’) helped by an ‘excellent’ Chaplaincy and Barnardo’s. The farms and gardens were ‘excellent’.

OFFICERS

The Officers called this ‘great jail’, safer than others, with ‘excellent’ security, and staff

‘definitely in charge’. They praised ‘excellent’ staff relations, with new staff made ‘very welcome’, and good retention, but with colleagues prepared to challenge underperformance where required. Prisoner relations were ‘excellent’, and staff ‘cared passionately’ about helping them change. Spice and phones were thought ‘low’ due to Rapiscan mail-checks and new phone scanners. They said VR reps played ‘a big role’ in safety. They also praised veteran, lifer and traveller support, high quality prisoner activities, the Enhanced, drug, and Cat D resettlement units, and the ‘excellent’ family visits.

MANAGERS

The managers called staff ‘a big family’, who socialise in the gym, staff mess, and outside. They felt being ‘all FMI trained’ helped create ‘excellent jailcraft’ in a ‘safe’, ‘staff run’ prison (‘prisoners respect that’), with ‘very good’ prisoner relations. They said local police and NCA links made phones and drugs ‘hard to get’ (prisoners and staff agreed). Positives for staff included being able to alter their detail (with permission), regular well-being days, a ‘widely valued’ staff recognition scheme, and good development and training opportunities – as well as a visible and supportive Governor. They too also highlighted the range of specialist units, as well as workshops and education, as positives with regard to prisoners.

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: Category C

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.