Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED WELCOME TO BLANTYRE HOUSE INDUCTION BOOKLET Pages marked with this symbol (6,36,37 & 38) need to be completed and returned UNCLASSIFIED Page 1 of 46 Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Page 2 of 46 Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED GOVERNOR’S MESSAGE Welcome to Blantyre House The establishment‟s motto is “enabling resettlement”, and my personal motto is “making a difference”. Combining these not only makes sense but, provides an excellent platform for staff and prisoners to build upon. You will have noted from your first reception that Blantyre is unlike any other establishment you will have been to. The environment is relaxed, supportive and totally focused upon resettlement. Blantyre and its extremely positive professional staff, will help you re-establish or build upon existing family ties, resolve personal conflict, provide confidence and support via education, training and employment, treating you with dignity and respect at all times. We have a personal officer scheme that will support you throughout your stay here. On leaving us you will be ready to rejoin society well equipped and with your head held high. There are of course expectations from you that you will comply with the decency agenda and all matters that come under the heading of diversity. You should engage fully with all services and give 100% in respect of your work ethic, educational application and in supporting your peers. The staff at Blantyre will demand very little of you as you are empowered as a responsible adult to facilitate changes in your life style rather than be told to do so. There are very few strict rules and the language is user-friendly in aiding the process of rehabilitation. For example, you will have a room not a cell, you will have free access for the majority of the core day to all activities, facilities and outside areas and will be able to associate and dine in communal areas which will develop the true community spirit that is “all things Blantyre”. You will also note a creative programme of activity and some unusual events that you may not have experienced in custody. These include local history nights, talks from ex Blantyre men, staff and prisoner quiz nights, prisoner and staff sports teams and events and opportunities to engage with art, music and presentation skills. Of course there are rules, or should I say expectations regarding behaviour, as there are in the community at large. You should expect to lose your valuable placement at Blantyre if you breach any of the following: . Alcohol or Drug offences . Licence breaches . Acts of violence . Diversity – inappropriate language or behaviour There are opportunities to address all aspects of your life style from health and fitness to behavioural attitudes, I therefore encourage you to engage and embrace these aspects of Blantyre as you are unlikely to be offered such a life-changing opportunity anywhere else. Your place here is a truly valuable one and I encourage you to make the most of it. Blantyre House will afford you the opportunity to repay the debts you owe to society, all the staff who invest in you, your family and loved ones and most importantly yourself. In conclusion I once again welcome you to an establishment that enables resettlement and can help you make a difference. I wish you every success. JIM CARMICHAEL UNCLASSIFIED Page 3 of 46 Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED CANTEEN This is via DHL and is on an ordering system. Each Friday every offender will be issued with a canteen list which must be completed and returned to the House Office by Sunday 20:00 Hours. Orders will then be processed and ready for collection on a Wednesday between 18:00-19:00 from Visits. Any canteen not collected due to an offender not being in the prison, will be held in reception, once the Reception Officer has verified the bag is sealed. When you return to the prison you will be asked to check the contents of the sealed bag with the Reception officer and any discrepancies will be recorded on a form, which the Officer will hand to DHL on their next visit. In reception, emergency packs are available and will be issued on a needs basis by the Orderly Officer. UNCLASSIFIED Page 4 of 46 Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED HOUSE RULES Apart from weekends and Bank Holidays; and unless you are on paid work, rest day from kitchen or are medical „Rest in Room‟ you must be out of your room by 0900 hours You must respect others You must respect the fabric of the establishment Furniture must not be moved from room to room without House Officer‟s permission You will spend at least 30 minutes per week ensuring that your room is maintained to a clean, tidy and hygienic condition. You must be in your own room by 2300 hours You are responsible for your own health and safety, any concerns you have should be reported to a member of staff Sunbathing is not permitted during work hours. Be courteous in your dealings with others. UNCLASSIFIED Page 5 of 46 Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED FIRE ALARM PROCEDURES As with immediate effect the following fire evacuation procedures will come into force and will be strictly adhered to! 1. On hearing the fire alarm sound for a continuous period (longer than 30 seconds) all prisoners and staff must evacuate the building. 2. All prisoners will report to the Gymnasium where a roll check will be taken 3. On no account will any prisoner be allowed to return to the house building until authorised by the Orderly Officer. Please Note The fire alarm is tested each Monday afternoon; you will hear many short blasts on the siren as a number of fire points are tested. Any sounding for longer than 30 seconds denotes a „Live‟ event and evacuation procedures must be followed. After a short period the sounder will be silenced, this DOES NOT mean that the evacuation is over or that the event is a false alarm, prisoners will continue to, and remain at the gymnasium until authorised to return. Any prisoner not following the procedures, i.e. found playing computer games or watching TV etc will be dealt with severely Fire Officer UNCLASSIFIED Page 6 of 46 Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED FIRE OFFICER SURVEY Please complete the questionnaire below and return to the Fire Officer Prison No Surname Do you smoke? Yes No Are you allowed incense sticks as part of your religion? Yes No Do you have full mobility? Yes No Are you hard of hearing? Yes No Do you know where the assembly point is in the event of a fire Yes No alarm? Have you familiarised yourself with the fire exits? Yes No Have you ever been convicted of arson? Yes No Do you agree to switch off all electrical appliances every time you Yes No leave your room? Do you agree to not leave any unattended cigarettes or incense Yes No sticks? Do you know that you can only smoke in your room. Yes No Will you report immediately to any member of staff any detected Yes No fire hazard? Are you aware that headphones/ear plugs will reduce your ability Yes No to hear the fire alarm? Signature Date UNCLASSIFIED Page 7 of 46 Induction Information Booklet – HMP Blantyre House UNCLASSIFIED FIRST IMPRESSIONS The following short stories are written by prisoners, (who would like to remain anonymous), about his first impressions of Blantyre House. Our thanks go out to them for their kind contribution. COMING INTO BLANTYRE When I came to Blantyre House it was quite a shock. Once you have been given your welcome pack and shown your room, the mad rush starts, trying to find out the rules, see who you have to see and find your way around the place. It‟s really odd at first, mainly because there is much more freedom and a relaxed manner about the place; I became a bit withdrawn at first because of not knowing what you can or cannot do. I think this was mainly because even after a few hours at Blantyre I didn‟t want to be moved on anywhere else. As time moves on, the daily routine fits in place and things become a lot easier. Blantyre House has a lot to offer but it‟s up to you to want to do things. The staff at Blantyre are here for us, apart from doing their daily prison jobs, they are also there to help sort out personal problems as well as future need to help us move on. Once your lay down period is over, your time has come for town visits, projects and finally paid work. Blantyre House is what you make of it, that‟s something to always remember. Ask for help if you need it and make the most of what‟s on offer. My First Impression of Blantyre House The first thing that you notice on arrival is how relaxed the reception process is here, which gives you a clue as to how Blantyre House runs. You are encouraged to find your way around the prison on your own which is a little unsettling to prisoners who have been in bang up Prisons where everything is done by numbers. Some areas are out of bounds but these areas are very few; you may be doubled up for a few weeks but even that is no trouble because you are hardly ever in your room.