Prisons
G4S designs, builds, manages and finances prisons on behalf of governments in the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa. We pioneered the concept of contracting out the management of prisons to the private sector to bring additional value, expertise and ideas to HM Prison Service in the United Kingdom.
Training of prisoners plays a vital role and the prime objective is to stop re-offending by teaching them skills that will help their reintegration into society. We provide an environment that emulates in all aspects the conditions, practices and standards offered as well as those expected by industrial employers.
We give prisoners real work experience and instil the ethics required in business. We provide opportunities for prisoners to gain national vocational qualifications and these demonstrate to potential employers the commitment needed by offenders to find work.
UK:
HMP Wolds in Hull, which opened in 1992, was the first contract for a privately managed prison in England. HMP Wolds is a category ‘C’ training prison that holds 350 sentenced male adults that has a minimum of 6 months to serve at category ‘C’.
HMP Altcourse in Liverpool was the first private finance initiative (PFI) prison to open in the UK. HMP Altcourse is a category ‘B’ prison that holds 1288 young offenders and adult males sentenced and remanded.
HMP & YOI Parc in Bridgend, South Wales is a category ‘B’ local prison. The prison holds 1200 sentenced adult males. A separate unit was opened to enable the Youth Justice Board (YJB) to house 64 17 year old young males sentenced and remanded.
HMP Rye Hill on the Warwickshire / Northamptonshire border is a category ‘B’ training prison that holds 660 sentenced males adults, which includes a separate unit for 150 vulnerable prisoners which has its own regime and facilities.
Australia
Mount Gambier Prison is South Australia’s first privately operated prison. The prison houses 110 remand and sentenced medium security prisoners from all over the state. Most are adult males although occasionally it holds local female prisoners for short periods. Prisoners are held in a variety of accommodation configurations ranging from 27 bed cell blocks to two bed self contained cottages.
Port Phillip Prison is a maximum security facility for male offenders. It is located at North Laverton in Melbourne. The prison accommodates 740 male prisoners sentenced and remanded. The prison has 13 self contained accommodation units, a 35 bed psycho-social unit for prisoners with intellectual disabilities and a 60 bed young offenders unit for 17-25 year olds.
South Africa
Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein is a high security prison that holds 3000 prisoners. Mangaung was the first PFI/PPP correctional centre built in South Africa. The Mangaung facility is well know for delivering world class performance and is recognised as an exemplar prison.