HM Prison Haverigg is a Category D men's

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

, located in the village of

Haverigg Haverigg is a village on the south-west coast of Cumbria, England, historically part of the county of Cumberland. In 2001 it had a population of 1,791 in 548 households, increasing in 2011 to a population of 1,849 in 549 Households. The name H ...

(near

Millom Millom is a town and civil parish on the north shore of the estuary of the River Duddon in southernmost Cumberland, Cumbria, England. It is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, about north of Barrow-in-Furness ( by road) and ...

) in

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

, and

historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

, England. The prison is situated just outside the

Lake District National Park The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

. Haverigg Prison is operated by

His Majesty's Prison Service His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and ...

, and is part of the Cumbria and Lancashire prison group.

History

Haverigg Prison is built on the site of an old RAF airfield training centre, and was opened in 1967. While some of the prison's workshops and offices are housed in buildings from that era, most of HMP Haverigg has been extensively modernised over the years. In January 1999, HMP Haverigg was awarded a prestigious

Charter Mark The Customer Service Excellence, (previously the "Charter Mark") is an accreditation for organisations, intended to indicate an independent validation of achievement. History The Charter Mark was an award demonstrating the achievement of ''nationa ...

, with particular attention paid to the "excellent service" of the prison's

Physical Education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

department and the

Library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

. However, just a month later nearly 200 prisoners were involved in a riot at HMP Haverigg. The inmates smashed windows and started fires, costing £1 million worth of damage at the prison. In June 2003, the Independent Monitoring Board issued a report stating that cost-cutting measures taken at HMP Haverigg had caused serious problems for staff and prisoners. The report also stated that the board had concerns about particular prisoners, claiming that not all inmates did well with the

billet In European militaries, a billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. In American usage, it refers to a specific personnel position, assignment, or duty station to which a soldier can be assigned. Historically, a billet w ...

style accommodation and relative freedom at the jail. However, the report did also praise HMP Haverigg for its rehabilitation techniques with prisoners. In August 2005, a prisoner escaped while working in a supervised group of inmates at Roudsea

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Haverthwaite Haverthwaite is a small village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. It is also within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park. The village is 7 km or 4.5 miles NE of Ulverston and 5 k ...

. The prisoner (who was serving a 15-year sentence for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

) was recaptured by police three days later. Weeks later another prisoner escaped from HMP Haverigg by scaling the prison fence. The inmate who had been jailed for drugs offences was still on the run a month after his escape. In 2019, the prison was reclassified from a Category C training prison to a Category D open prison.

The prison today

Haverigg Prison accepts inmates suitable for Category D status who are able to participate in full-time employment. Accommodation for prisoners varies from a cellular house block to billets and two Residential Treatment Units. All prisoners take part in full-time employment and/or training. Workshops include

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

plastering Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster Molding (decorative), decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called parge ...

, industrial

cleaning Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. Cleaning is often performed for beauty, aesthetic, hygiene, hygienic, Function (engineering), function ...

, and

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

. Haverigg Prison's

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

also provides training related to gym courses and qualifications as well as recreational PE, and was the first to organise an official prison

Parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents. Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinto ...

Black Combe Parkrun Black Combe Parkrun is a Parkrun that takes place every Saturday morning at 9 am inside HMP Haverigg, Cumbria, England. The event was the first Parkrun to take place within the grounds of a prison. The course The course is named after the ...

. Haverigg Prison has a traditional library facility which also includes IT suites and training facilities, self-help and employment advice. Haverigg Prison's

chaplaincy A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligen ...

, Healthcare Centre, Probation, and Education departments all offer additional courses and one-to-one sessions (where available) for prisoners with a variety of individual needs. There is also a mental health department offering support for both primary mental health (i.e. anxiety, depression) and secondary mental health (i.e. severe and enduring mental health conditions). They also offer various groups. There is a visitors' reception centre outside the prison and a visits hall within the Prison. The visiting hall has a tea bar which provides hot and cold food and drinks, and also a small children's play area. The tea bar and play area are staffed by local volunteers.

References

External links

Ministry of Justice pages on Haverigg

HMP Haverigg - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
{{Prisons in North West England

Prisons in Cumbria 1967 establishments in England

Millom