Onley Prison

Onley (HM Prison)

Onley Prison is situated in Rugby, Warwickshire in the Midlands of England. Opened as a Borstal in 1968, Onley became a Young Offender Prison in 1976. Onley is a category C establishment accepting all suitable determinate sentence prisoners. It began housing prisoners of all ages above the age of 18 from February 2003, prior to which it was purely a young offenders institution with most of its inmates under the age of 21. It is currently governed by Robin Eldridge.

Facilities

All residential training wings apart from I Wing have 60 single cells each with internal sanitation, in-cell electricity and TV. There are showering facilities, association and dining areas and a laundry room with industrial type washing machines and dryers. J and K Wings accommodate adults and Young Offenders with resettlement needs. G and H Wings are the Induction Wings. D and E Wings are the Drug and Alcohol Support Units (DASU) for Young Offenders and Adults respectively. I Wing holds 100 prisoners in 50 double cells all with internal sanitation and comparable facilities to the training wings.

Education

There are 116 education places in total. In addition, inclusive learning support is offered on the residential wings for vulnerable prisoners and on the segregation wing. Education may be followed on a full or part time basis depending on the age and needs of the prisoner and meets the requirements of both the National Curriculum and National Specifications for numeracy, literacy and information technology. Subjects such as parenting, art, drama, pottery, life skills and performing arts are also offered within the daytime provision. An evening programme of recreational education in a broad range of subjects is also available.

Training

Onley offers over three hundred training places in a wide range of industries and activities. The courses include Information Technology (PICTA Project), Concrete Workshop (which includes Forklift Truck qualification), Painting and Decorating Workshop, Motor Mechanics and Engineering Workshops, Bricklaying Workshop, Reparative Workshop (which includes Bike Repair qualification and Driving Test Theory), Market Gardens, Industrial Cleaning Workshop and the Waste Management Unit.

Other employment / training opportunities include residential wing cleaning / painting and orderlies (for example: Gym, Stores, Healthcare, Library) and Catering.

A wide range of qualifications is achievable across all of these activity areas. Prisoners who successfully complete an externally accredited qualification are rewarded with an achievement bonus.

Prisoner Learning Support

Basic Skills, Key Skills and language support is offered to all prisoners across all activity areas. This may be within formal, timetabled sessions or may be workplace-based. Particular support is offered to those prisoners completing NVQ portfolios.

Library

Onley has a well stocked and well staffed library. The library is open weekdays and Monday to Thursday evenings. The stock comprises approximately 8000 books, 150 videos, magazines and newspapers. There are four multimedia computers for prisoner use and reprographic facilities are available. There is a large stock of audiobooks and foreign language material. Facilities are available for prisoners to record books and send tapes home to their children. Prisoner learning support is available in the evenings so that prisoners can fully benefit from the facilities.

Healthcare

Onley has type 2 Healthcare catering for both Young Offenders and Adults with an outpatient service. There is a full time Medical Officer. The establishment makes use of NHS services for Dental, Optical, G.U.M. and Psychiatric needs and was due to move to PCT control in 2005.

Drugs Strategy

Prisoners with drug issues/problems are seen on the Induction Units. There is a comprehensive range of CARAT treatments available including one-to-one work, group work, auricular acupuncture, voluntary testing, detoxification and a drug support unit. Onley has strong links with outside agencies including the Drug Action team. The PASRO course (offending behaviour programme linked to drug misuse is also available).

Probation

Onley Probation team are part of a multi-disciplinary team responsible for risk assessments, casework and resettlement. The aim of the team is to ensure effective targeting of the resources and participation in the regime at Onley. Core work includes OASys risk assessments, Public Protection, ROTL, HDC and Sentence Planning. Additionally, team members also tutor and manage Onley’s offending behaviour programme – Enhanced Thinking Skills.