HM Prison Littlehey

HMP Littlehey

Location	Perry, Cambridgeshire
Security class	Adult Male/Category C
Population	1,200 (as of July 2015)
Opened	1988
Managed by	HM Prison Services
Governor	David L Taylor
Website	Littlehey at justice.gov.uk

HM Prison Littlehey is a Category C male sex offenders prison, located in the village of Perry (near Huntingdon) in Cambridgeshire, England. Littlehey Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

History

The site was originally known as Gaynes Hall Youth Custody Centre, and was used as a borstal for juvenile males from 1945 to 1983, when the establishment was closed and demolished. Littlehey was built in its place and opened as an integrated Category C prison for adult males in 1988.

in April 2003 an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised Littlehey Prison for not helping inmates integrate back into society. The report found that "prisoners needed more help with finding jobs and accommodation before their release", but noted positively that the staff had good relationships with the prisoners and were doing better managing the health care of prisoners.

Littlehey is a purpose-built category C prison for adult males. Accommodation at Littlehey comprisies of eight residential units, two of which are 'Ready to Use' units, one added in 1997 and the second in 2003. Most cells are single occupancy but there are some shared cells.

Littlehey Prison reports that it provides a range of work provision for inmates including accredited vocational training courses in forklift trucks, carpentry, joinery, motor mechanics, hospitality and PICTA (Cisco IT Essentials, M.O.S 2010(Microsoft). Educational classes range from basic and key skills to degree level learning.

In January 2010, HMP Littlehey opened a large expansion to its current site to accommodate a population of up to 480 young offenders. This investment has allowed for the addition of four new accommodation blocks, an all-weather sports pitch and a gymnasium, adult learning and kitchen buildings. The regime claims to focus on providing young offenders with a portfolio of skills and qualifications to change their futures. Employability and functional skills are said to be at the centre of the establishment's drive towards reducing re-offending.

There is also a Prison Visitor Centre which is operated by the Ormiston Children and Families Trust.

In January 2011 a disturbance at the prison left two prison officers injured.

In 2014 the prison was re-categorised to accommodate only prisoners convicted of sex offences (falling within category C security level). With a population of 1,200, it is the largest dedicated prison for sex offenders in the UK.

A 2015 report from the Independent Monitoring Board observed that HMP Littlehey had an unusually high population of inmates over the age of 50 (34%). Concerns were raised over the lack of provision for elderly and disabled prisoners, and reports have emerged of inmates struggling with wheelchair access and not receiving support for health problems such as incontinence.

Notable inmates

• Stephen Downing
• Harry Roberts
• Max Clifford

External links

• Ministry of Justice pages on Littlehey