Managed by HM Prison Services Opened 1987 | Phone +44 1442 836300 | |
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Location Bovingdon, Hertfordshire Population 720 (as of January 2007) Website The Mount at justice.gov.uk Address Molyneaux Ave, Bovingdon HP3 0NZ, UK Security class Prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom Similar Hemel Hempstead, Spurgeons, Apsley, Drive25, Rainbow Travel Limited | ||
HM Prison The Mount is a Category C men's prison, located on the outskirts of Bovingdon village in Hertfordshire, England. The Mount Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.
Contents
History
The Mount Prison was designed as a Category C Training prison built on the site of the former Bovingdon RAF station. However, when the establishment opened in 1987, it was used as a Young Offenders Institution for males aged 18 to 21. This has changed over the years however, and today the prison is used to hold Category C adult male prisoners.
In November 1994, two inmates escaped from The Mount in a violent breakout. The pair attacked a civilian instructor, tied him up and fled from the bricklaying workshop being held inside the prison. The instructor was taken to hospital suffering from a fractured skull.
In February 2005, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons condemned The Mount Prison, claiming that the jail's drug problem was out of control and threatened security and safety of prisoners. Nearly half the inmates said they felt unsafe, 25% had been victims of bullying and another 44% said it was easy to get hold of illegal drugs, according to the inspection report. The inspection also found significant tensions amongst ethnic minorities held at the prison, and that the jail was dirty.
In 2007, The Mount Prison went into a partnership with Hertfordshire Highways for inmates to repair damaged roadwork signs. The prison announced the contract for its offenders learning metalwork, welding and painting skills to repair the broken road signs, as part of training towards qualifications offered at the prison.
In January 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced that an additional houseblock will be constructed at The Mount Prison, increasing the overall capacity of the gaol.
The prison today
The Mount is a Category C prison for adult males. The regime at the prison includes full- and part-time education, workshops, training courses, farms and gardens, and a works department. Other features include listener groups (community based project to keep juveniles out of prison), a job skills course, and prisoner driven drug-free meetings.