HM Prison Thameside is a Category B men's

private prison A private prison, or for-profit prison, is a place where people are imprisoned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with governments that commit pris ...

in the

Thamesmead Thamesmead () is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly c ...

area of the

Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...

, south-east

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Thameside Prison is operated by

Serco Serco Group plc is a British multinational corporation, multinational military, defence, Healthcare, health, Space industry, space, private prison, justice, Human migration, migration, customer service, customer services, and transport company ...

and is situated next to

Belmarsh His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison located in Thamesmead, south-east London, England. Belmarsh Prison is run by His Majesty's Prison Service and is situated next to HMP Isis and HMP Thameside. The prison is used for ...

and Isis prisons.

History

The prison was designed and constructed by

and opened on 30 March 2012, becoming fully operational in the autumn of 2012, with a capacity of 900. It holds prisoners from courts previously served by

Brixton Prison HM Prison Brixton is a Category C training establishment men's prison, located in Brixton area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner- South London. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Before 2012, it was used as a loca ...

and other prisons in London. In January 2013, the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

announced that an additional houseblock would be constructed at Thameside Prison, increasing its capacity. In May 2013, a report by the

Chief Inspector of Prisons His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales. The current chief inspe ...

was critical of the levels of violence at the prison and its restricted regime. The report found that there was a high level of assaults and use of force, while 60% of prisoners were locked up during the working day, and some inmates spent 23 hours a day in their cells. However, the report also praised the quality of accommodation throughout the prison.

The prison today

The regimen at Thameside Prison combines work, education, vocational training, accredited offending behaviour programmes, and prisoner health and appropriate interventions. It is a Local category B establishment. The prison has a baseline Certificate of Normal Accommodation of 932, and an in-use operational capacity of 1232 convicted and remand male prisoners.

References

External links

Serco pages on ThamesideInside Time information on HMP Thameside
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thameside Prisons in London Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Category B prisons in England 2012 establishments in England 2012 in London Private prisons in the United Kingdom Serco