Prisons
Protecting the public and helping prisoners lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and after release...
There are three prisons in Cambridgeshire, operating under Her Majesty's Prison Service. Of those, two are public sector prisons, called HMP Littlehey and HMP Whitemoor.
The third prison in Cambridgeshire, which is privately-run, is called HMP Peterborough. It's the country's only dual-purpose prison, housing both male and female prisoners.
The Prison Service serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts. Its duty is to look after them with humanity and help them lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and after release.
HMP LIttlehey
HMP Littlehey is a category C prison in Perry, near Huntingdon, which holds about 700 adult men.
It was opened in 1988 on the site of Gaynes Hall Youth Custody Centre, and is a purpose-built category C prison with eight residential units.
The prison runs Accredited Offending Behaviour courses for all prisoners who are assessed as needing them, including a sex offender treatment programme and enhanced thinking skills programme. It also offers an intensive drug and alcohol rehabilitation scheme.
The Foundation Training Company provide a pre-release accredited course and Nacro and Job Centre Plus facilities are available.
There are well established Listener and Buddy Schemes to combat bullying and to offer support to prisoners and a joint staff and prisoner Race Equality Team to assist with diversity issues.
HMP Whitemoor
HMP Whitemoor in March is a maximum security prison for Category A and B offenders. It's one of eight High Security prisons within the prison estate.
The prison, housing about 458 men, is focusing on rehabilitation and offending behaviour.
Whitemoor houses a Close Supervision Centre, which opened in October 2004. The unit is a small, therapeutic centre, aiming to provide a supportive, safe, structured and consistent environment.
Prisoners are offered vocational training, educational opportunities and sporting activities. Accredited and non-accredited courses are available, including Enhanced Thinking Skills and CALM and Focus (drug and alcohol), Alpha Courses, Sycamore Tree project and the Insight course.
HMP Peterborough
HMP Peterborough is a Category B local prison, catering for male and female remand prisoners aged 18 and over and sentenced prisoners aged 21 and over.
The prison takes male remand and newly sentenced prisoners from all the Crown and magistrates' courts in Cambridgeshire. The intake of female prisoners is much wider, encompassing courts throughout East Anglia and the East Midlands.
HMP Peterborough also accommodates long-term Category B and Category C prisoners, allowing Cambridgeshire prisoners to serve a large part of their sentence close to their community.
The prison is privately managed by Kalyx. It can house up to 624 male and 396 female prisoners, including a 12-bed, 13-cot mother and baby unit for infants up to the age of 18 months. Male and female prisoners are kept separate at all times.
HMP Peterborough offers '"safety, dignity and opportunity" to those in its care. Staff encourage prisoners to address the reasons why they're in jail and to do something about it.
The prison offers drug addiction therapy, vocational opportunities and educational courses. Prisoners are offered debt management advice and life skills as well as help to cope with mental illnesses, if appropriate.