Garth (HM Prison) - History

History

Garth Prison was opened in October 1988, and a new residential unit (housing 120 prisoners) opened on 2 July 1997.

In 1998, inmates put out a contract on a police dog called Scooby because of its track record in locating illegal drugs at the jail, requiring home security measures and, once, armed police.

In January 2004, one of Garth's prison chaplains resigned over allegations that she had an affair with a prisoner who worked as a cleaner in the prison chapel. In September 2006 a prison officer from Garth was jailed after it emerged that she had smuggled pills and a mobile phone to an inmate she was having an affair with at the prison.

In August 2007, a report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons praised Garth stating that it was "an essentially safe, respectful prison, with an increased focus on resettlement." However the report also criticised the prison for its race relations and overcrowded accommodation. Further accommodation of 180 places was built at Garth Prison in late 2007 and is notable for being the first prison building to incorporate Interseasonal Heat Transfer.

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