HM Prison Thameside

HM Prison Thameside is a Category B men's private prison in the Thamesmead area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, England. Thameside Prison is operated by Serco and is situated next to Belmarsh and Isis prisons.

HMP Thameside

Aerial view of HM Prison Thameside. To the left, a section of HM Prison Belmarsh.
Location	Thamesmead, London, England
Security class	Adult Male/Category B
Population	1,232 (as of February 2017)
Opened	March 2012
Managed by	Serco[1]
Director	Gary Summers and Sam Lee[2]

History

The prison was designed and constructed by Serco and opened on 30 March 2012, becoming fully operational in the autumn of 2012, with a capacity of 900. It holds prisoners from courts previously served by Brixton Prison and other prisons in London.^[3][4]

In January 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced that an additional houseblock would be constructed at Thameside Prison, increasing its capacity.^[5]

In May 2013, a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons was critical of the levels of violence at the prison and its restricted regime. The report found that there was a high level of assaults and use of force, while 60% of prisoners were locked up during the working day, and some inmates spent 23 hours a day in their cells. However, the report also praised the quality of accommodation throughout the prison.^[6]

The prison today

The regimen at Thameside Prison combines work, education, vocational training, accredited offending behaviour programmes, and prisoner health and appropriate interventions. It is a Local category B establishment.

The prison has a baseline Certificate of Normal Accommodation of 932, and an in-use operational capacity of 1232 convicted and remand male prisoners.^[7]