NCJ Number
143098
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the special regime that has developed in "A" Wing of the Littlehey Prison in England, as it has evolved from a Vulnerable Prisoner Unit (VPU) to a unit that focuses on the treatment of sex offenders.
Abstract
Prior to the opening of "A" Wing, the criteria set for admission were proven inability to adjust or be safe in the general prison population, a history of self-mutilation, a past history of mental illness or treatment in a psychiatric setting, a history of being persistently bullied in prison, a history of persistently getting into debt in prison, evidence of poor personal hygiene, no history of serious institutional violence, and has not been housed under Rule 43 (segregation for disciplinary problems) within the past 28 days. Within days of the opening of "A" Wing, however, literally bus loads of sex offenders were brought to the prison gates, rather than the "vulnerable prisoners" that were initially expected. Within less than a year, there were 84 sex offenders out of 112 inmates on the wing, of whom 68 were pedophiles. To date, with rare exceptions, almost all the inmates are sex offenders or have committed sexually motivated offenses. The prison authorities were determined that "A" Wing would not become just another Rule 43 unit, which typically provides only segregated housing. This was done by building the unit's program around the special treatment needs of sex offenders. This paper does not detail the form of treatment used, but it did result in staff reorienting its priorities toward helping inmates not to reoffend upon release. The uniformed staff have developed a treatment program and an expertise in understanding the sex offender that is probably unequalled in the Prison Service.