Ashfield sex offender ‘bombshell’ revealed
Young Offenders Institution to become dangerous adult sex offender prison
Prison chiefs have ‘dropped a bombshell’ on Pucklechurch village by revealing plans to house dangerous adult sex offenders in the community.
At a public meeting last night (Wednesday 20th February), top officials from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) - who had been invited by Pucklechurch’s South Gloucestershire Conservative councillors Steve Reade and Ben Stokes to talk to the community - revealed plans to convert the village’s Ashfield Young Offenders Institute into a prison for adult sex offenders.
Previously, the community had been led to believe that low threat level adult prisoners were to be housed at the 400-place Ashfield facility.
Commenting on the new plans, Boyd Valley ward Cllrs Reade and Stokes, who have been carrying out a survey of the village, said:
“What prison chiefs revealed at this public meeting has come as a complete shock to the Pucklechurch community - they have dropped a bombshell on our village.
The responses to our survey were already showing a large majority of residents concerned about the change to a low threat level adult prison – residents will be horrified to know that dangerous adult sex offenders are to be housed at Ashfield instead.
It is feared that some of the sex offenders who are released from Ashfield will want to settle in the local area and that thought will fill local people with dread.
The Ashfield facility is an important local employer and so we will be urging the National Offender Management Service to come forward with alternative uses that the community would find acceptable.
The National Offender Management Service really needs to learn lessons from its atrocious handling from the start of what is an incredibly sensitive issue.”
NOMS are still in negotiations with Serco Group plc, the contractors who manage and operate the establishment, about the change of use.
Ashfield sex offender ‘bombshell’ revealed
Young Offenders Institution to become dangerous adult sex offender prison
Prison chiefs have ‘dropped a bombshell’ on Pucklechurch village by revealing plans to house dangerous adult sex offenders in the community.
At a public meeting last night (Wednesday 20th February), top officials from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) - who had been invited by Pucklechurch’s South Gloucestershire Conservative councillors Steve Reade and Ben Stokes to talk to the community - revealed plans to convert the village’s Ashfield Young Offenders Institute into a prison for adult sex offenders.
Previously, the community had been led to believe that low threat level adult prisoners were to be housed at the 400-place Ashfield facility.
Commenting on the new plans, Boyd Valley ward Cllrs Reade and Stokes, who have been carrying out a survey of the village, said:
“What prison chiefs revealed at this public meeting has come as a complete shock to the Pucklechurch community - they have dropped a bombshell on our village.
The responses to our survey were already showing a large majority of residents concerned about the change to a low threat level adult prison – residents will be horrified to know that dangerous adult sex offenders are to be housed at Ashfield instead.
It is feared that some of the sex offenders who are released from Ashfield will want to settle in the local area and that thought will fill local people with dread.
The Ashfield facility is an important local employer and so we will be urging the National Offender Management Service to come forward with alternative uses that the community would find acceptable.
The National Offender Management Service really needs to learn lessons from its atrocious handling from the start of what is an incredibly sensitive issue.”
NOMS are still in negotiations with Serco Group plc, the contractors who manage and operate the establishment, about the change of use.