NCJ Number
163167
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The design and operation of the Wolds Remand Prison, the first contract remand prison in the United Kingdom, were evaluated and compared with concurrent developments in new public-sector prisons.
Abstract
The Wolds Remand Prison opened under the management of Group 4 in 1992. The analysis revealed that Wolds management and Group 4 succeeded in operating this new prison for its first 2 years with relatively few major incidents, none of which involved the loss of control of the prison. Nearly 80 percent of the Wold inmates regarded it as better than other prisons they had experienced. However, comparable achievements occurred in some public-sector local prisons. Therefore, no data suggested that the Wolds achievements were necessarily related to its contract status. Both personnel and prisoners noted the inmate-staff relations as being one of the most important aspects of Wolds, but staff reported the negative impacts of long shifts and high levels of isolation. Although staffing levels did not lead directly to any serious compromises in prison security, situations existed in which higher staffing levels might have improved the maintenance of order and helped reduce staff concerns about their potential vulnerability. Findings did not permit simple conclusions about the advantages or disadvantages of the private and public sectors.