HM Prison Lindholme

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HMP Lindholme is a Category C prison for adult men near Hatfield Woodhouse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is run by HM Prison Service and can hold about 1,010 inmates.

History
The site began as RAF Lindholme in World War II, hosting Bomber Command’s Bombing School and the RAF Navigation School. After the air force left, it became a radar site and storage, later closing as a military facility. The prison opened there in 1985. Many old RAF buildings are still used as prison wings, with some new buildings added.

In 2000, the old Officers’ Mess building was turned into an Immigration Removal Centre for a time. The prison’s annual running cost was about £18.3 million in 2011–12, and the cost per prisoner in 2010 was about £32,757 (education and healthcare costs are funded separately).

Private management and inspections
Plans were announced in 2011 to put Lindholme out to tender to private companies, with Serco among bidders, but the decision was postponed to avoid other public-sector issues. In 2013 it was announced that Lindholme would remain in public hands.

In 2012 the Immigration Removal Centre closed and was turned back into a Category D wing. A 2013 inspection criticized the Category D wing for religious tensions, widespread drugs and alcohol problems, and neglect of disabled prisoners. It also noted that some prisoner training was good, with construction and baking courses described as outstanding. The site is now Category C for men over 21 with a minimum sentence of four years; the D wing was closed in 2013.

Facilities and wings
Lindholme’s Category C site has 11 wings. Some wings were dormitories from the RAF era, while others have single rooms or mixed layouts. A few newer wings have single cells. An Induction Unit has double cells, and a Care and Separation Unit opened in 2008.

Kitchens, catering and education
Kitchens at Lindholme were criticised repeatedly between 2009 and 2012. A new £7 million kitchen opened in April 2013 but initially lacked a reliable power supply, so it was closed for a time while fixes were made, which raised questions about value for money. In 2014, inspectors praised the catering staff for good food and for accommodating religious and dietary needs.

Education and healthcare
Prison education offers qualifications such as NVQs, GCSEs and A Levels in many subjects, including ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), IT, business administration, graphic design, printing, art, catering, hairdressing, construction trades, carpentry, plumbing, engineering and more. Healthcare is provided by Nottingham NHS Trust, and education is supplied by the City of Manchester College for Learning and Skills.