Askham Grange Prison

Tel: 01904 772 000 – Askham Richard, York, Yorkshire YO23 3FT

HMP Askham Grange, which is also a YOI, is located just outside York, in Askham Richard village. It is an open prison, and currently holds only female prisoners. It also holds young offenders. HMP Askham Grange enables up to 10 mothers to continue caring for their children full-time whilst incarcerated. The prison is currently able to house 128 inmates, and increasingly, most only remain there for a short period of time.

We looked into how the UK prison service copes with mothers behind bars and found that Askham was one of just six UK prisons equip for such purpose.

Read our blog post entitled;

Prison Babies – What Should the UK Do About Babies Behind Bars?

If you’re visiting a relative or friend at HMP Askham Grange, and would like directions, here’s a helpful map.

Tel: 01904 772000

Operational capacity: 128 as of 7th October 2008

Askham Richard, York, Yorkshire YO23 3FT

Prison Phone have been helping the women at Askham Grange prison keep in touch with their friends and family back home by reducing the cost of calls from Askham’s payphones by around 75%.

If your loved one is currently an inmate at HMP Askham Grange then sign up today so they can begin calling your mobile phone at a greatly reduced rate!

Here’s some facts about Askham Grange Prison

HMP/YOI Askham Grange is one of two women’s category D prisons in England and Wales. It is located in Askham Richard, Yorkshire. It can hold 128 prisoners at a time in its dormitories and single rooms. Justice inspectorates say it is “a very well run women’s prison”

There is a mother and baby unit which offers single rooms for the mothers to spend their time with their children.

Askham Grange was opened as a public open prison in 1947 for women who are either at the end of a long sentence or are judged suitable to be on an open environment.

Mary Bell spent the end of her imprisonment here after being sentenced to twelve years after being convicted of manslaughter in 1968 after strangling two boys. She was released in 1980.

Two former prisoners in Askham Grange founded the production company Clean Break in 1979.

Visiting hours are between 13:45 and 15:45 on Saturdays and Sundays.

More Facts

FACT 1

Inmates in 2001 launched a court case about “babies behind bars”, which attracted the attention of the media.

FACT 2

Susan McCormick became governor of the prison in 1973. She was only 28, and was the youngest person to serve as governor of a women’s prison in the UK.