HM Prison Cookham Wood

HM Prison Cookham Wood is a male juveniles' prison and Young Offenders Institution in the village of Borstal (near Rochester) in Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

History

The prison was built in 1978, next to HMP Rochester and was named Cookham Wood Young Offenders Institution. The new prison was originally for young men, but its use was changed to meet the growing need for secure female accommodation at the time.

In 1998 the prison started accepting female juvenile offenders (aged 12–14), and was refurbished for that purpose. The costs involved with the refurbishment and the new facilities provided at the prison led to the media branding Cookham Wood "Britain's most controversial jail".

In a 2003 report the Prison Reform Trust criticised Cookham Wood for being one of the most overcrowded women's prison in the UK. The report also highlighted serious drug misuse amongst inmates at the prison. However, a 2005 report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons commended the prison for improving standards.

Cookham

Coordinates: 51°33′29″N 0°42′29″W / 51.558°N 0.708°W / 51.558; -0.708

Cookham is a village and civil parish in the north-easternmost corner of Berkshire in England, on the River Thames, notable as the home of the artist Stanley Spencer. It is 2 miles (3 km) north of Maidenhead close to the boundary with Buckinghamshire and forms part of the High Wycombe Urban Area. It has a population of 5,519. In 2011 The Daily Telegraph deemed Cookham Britain's second richest village.

Geography

The parish includes three villages:

The village's neighbours are Maidenhead to the south, Bourne End to the north, Marlow and Bisham to the west and Taplow to the east.

The River Thames flows past Cookham on its way from Marlow to Taplow, and forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire. Several islands in the Thames belong to Cookham, such as Odney Island, Formosa Island and Sashes Island which separates Cookham Lock from Hedsor Water. The Lulle Brook and the White Brook are tributaries of the River Thames which flow through the parish.