Announcements (Archive)

Member - Volunteers needed on Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) at HMP Gartree

Body
Independent Monitoring Board (IMB)
Appointing Department
Ministry of Justice
Sector
Judicial, Prison & Policing
Location
Gallow Field Road, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 7RP
Number of Vacancies
6
Remuneration
Unremunerated though reasonable expenses will be re-imbursed
Time Requirements
Approx. 4 to 5 visits per month during probation year which then reduces to 3 visits per month and this can be flexible depending on the needs of the Board and the individual
Closing Date
11/12/2016 0000
Interviews
TBC – anticipated End December 2016 onwards

Vacancy Description

We are currently looking for new volunteers to join IMB Gartree helping to ensure that proper standards of care and decency are maintained.

Person Specification

Applicants do not need any special qualifications or experience as we will provide all necessary training and support. Candidates need to be over 18 years of age and live within approx. 20 miles of the prison. You need to be enthusiastic, open minded, possess effective communication skills and have the ability to exercise sound, objective judgement.

Additional Information

HMP Gartree is a Cat B Male Local Prison accommodating up to 710 prisoners. For further information please contact: IMB Clerk: Alison West 01858 426600 Ext 6637 The prison opened in April 1966 and for most of the following period it operated as a dispersal prison until 1989 when it changed its role to a Category B prison with emphasis on indeterminate sentence male prisoners.

It is located 3 miles north of Market Harborough, which is equidistant from the East Midlands conurbations of Leicester and Northampton.

The layout is based upon 9 wings. The original 4 are almost identical forming A, B, C and D wings. The two latest wings, G and H are located south of the original complex and are much longer in length, on two levels. E wing holds a 12 cell Separation and Progression Unit (SAPU), F wing holds the GTC (Gartree Therapeutic Community) and there is an additional unit: Therapeutic Community Plus (TC+) which holds 12 prisoners with learning disabilities. H wing now houses the PIPE (Psychological Informed Planned Environment) unit holding 58 prisoners. In addition on this wing there is the over-50 unit for 60 older prisoners. G wing is the drug-free wing. There are 60 prisoners in the substance free section and a further 60 in drug recovery. I wing, which had been the Induction wing for new prisoners, was given a new role during the year and now accommodates Category C prisoners. New prisoners are now located on B wing, awaiting transfer to other wings.

Inside every prison, there is an IMB – a group of ordinary members of the public doing an extraordinary job. IMB members are independent, unpaid and work an average of 4 visits per month depending on the needs of the Board and the individual. Members are the eyes and ears of Ministers and monitor the day-to-day life in their local prison to ensure that proper standards of care and decency are maintained. Your background can be as a student, a person of working age or retired. We welcome applications from people over 18 and are particularly keen to hear from those of working age and individuals from black and minority ethnic communities, since these groups are under-represented on the existing Boards. The role is about fairness and decency and is always rewarding, educational and challenging. Please click on www.imb.org.uk to find out how being an IMB member can benefit you. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuQ4WxirPlg and view the short film ‘Joining the Independent Monitoring Board’ and hear current IMB members talking about their role.

How to Apply

An application pack along with further details on how to apply is available from http://www.imb.org.uk/join-now/current-vacancies/. Completed applications should be emailed to IMBrecruitment@justice.gsi.gov.uk by the closing date. Alternatively, please telephone 020 3334 3265 providing your name and address and we will post one to you. Completed applications should be posted to IMB Secretariat, 9th Floor, Post Point 9.52, The Tower, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ by the closing date.

Reference Number: 501/Gartree/2016 (to be quoted in all correspondence and on application form)