When pulling into the car park at Kirklevington Grange Prison, one of the most noticeable features is its imposing perimeter fence.
A reminder of its previous life as a category C jail, some have suggested it is inappropriate for a lower security open prison. Walk on a few more steps towards reception, however, and visitors then pass by prisoners working at an in-house car valeting centre and a neighbouring coffee shop.
It’s just one of the first signs indicating this is not a prison aimed at punishment, but a facility tasked with guiding its residents back into life on the outside. Following a report by Government inspectors, which praised the prison for its rehabilitation successes, Teesside Live was invited on a tour to see just how that system operates.
Having previously worked with some of the country’s most notorious and dangerous inmates, the governor at Kirklevington Grange has a lot of interesting tales to tell. During a 30-year career which earned him an OBE in 2022, Phil Husband has worked within the walls of closed clinks including Wakefield and Holme House and also spent five years as governor at HMP Durham.
Perhaps not surprisingly, he admits he jumped at the chance to lead the category D open prison near Yarm. Describing it as a “wonderful place to work,” Phil told Teesside Live: “I also know it’s a great place to serve the end of your jail term.”
The prison houses around 200 low risk men and the mantra is all about rehabilitation. All have the keys to their own rooms, and many can come and go to visit family and work outside the prison walls.
A typical cell. May prisoners have to share rooms which the governors says is not ideal
(Image: Teesside Live)
The vital, final steps to rehabilitation
On arrival, all inmates undergo a nine-week assessment. If successful, they can then venture back out into the community on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL).
Staff strive to provide with them with the necessary tools and skills they need to reintegrate into society. The prison has worked with employers including Taylor Wimpey, Green King and Cod Beck Blenders while the hope is to secure a contract with Amazon in the near future.
“In the last 18 months we’ve tried to move towards working with national employers such as Greene King where they can achieve formal qualifications,” said Phil. Many hope to become self-employed contractors, he said, but after being incarcerated for long periods it’s not always feasible for prisoners to go it alone and set up and run their own businesses.
Governor Phil Husband, left, and deputy, Chris Hounslow
(Image: Teesside Live)
“However it’s all about harnessing that energy and focus,” he said. Many men in the prison had faced difficult upbringings, he said, and the main aim was to break the cycle of reoffending and show prisoners an alternative way of life to what has been their “norm”.
For those still waiting to step foot outside the walls there are a range of activities and jobs to keep them busy. Prisoners also volunteer at events such as beach clean-ups and helped create a remembrance garden at Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital.
‘All about progress’
Mark Affleck has worked at the prison since 2002 when it was a cat C/D prison and has led the highly-praised car valeting service for the past six years. “Here, it’s all about progress and getting the lads jobs at the end of it,” he said. “It’s bettering lives. It gets lads back into community. They work so hard and I am dead proud of the work ethic. They have been so withdrawn but after a couple of months you can’t shut them up!
“I don’t say they are prisoners – they are work colleagues, and I always thank them for their efforts. It’s not a lot to us but to them it’s a really big deal.”
Mark Affleck at the valeting service
(Image: Teesside Live)
Over the years, Mark has noticed changes in the type of prisoner serving sentences. “It used to be more your white collar workers,” he said. “Some of them used to walk around in suits – honestly! And there was very little drug crime then. Now I think the criminals have gotten younger.”
In some cases he has seen generations of the same family come through the prison, he said, before adding: “And that’s awful.”
‘It’s a nice place and you get a lot of help’ – prisoner
One prisoner from Sunderland, who had recently joined the prison, told Teesside Live he has hopes of finding work as a bricklayer as he heads towards the end of his two-and-a-half year sentence. It was his first stint behind bars and he said Kirklevington Grange is a huge improvement when compared to his stretch at Wymott in Lancashire.
The father-of-four and stepdad-of-one is currently helping with the painting and refurbishment of the prison’s cafe which is open to the public. His experience of life there is so far, so good.
“You get your visiting back and can start applying for jobs,” he said. “My partner would have to set off at 4.30am to get to Wymott in time for the visits so it wasn’t ideal. I applied for transfers but didn’t get them. It’s a nice place here, there could be more activities, but you do get a lot of help. Coming here I have a lot more visits.”
Prison ‘runs on consent’
The large sports hall
(Image: Teesside Live)
Strolling around the corridors with the governor and his deputy, Chris Hounslow, the mutual respect between the pair and the prisoners is clear to see. Several men were keen to to stop and share banter over, for example, the latest football results.
“We are a dysfunctional little family at times,” said Phil, who heads out from his office in the historic old part of the building to speak with prisoners every day. Chris and Phil both agreed the prison “runs on consent” and most prisoners are keen to stay on the straight and narrow in their final stretch.
There are only two cells at the prison
(Image: Teesside Live)
Anyone who absconds is sent back to a closed prison. Last year, the prison was dogged by a rare but high-profile case when Merseyside gangster Danny Gee fled in May.
He was originally locked up on an indeterminate sentence in 2010 following a conviction for gun offences. Phil said Gee had been behind bars for “an awful long time” at Wakefield Prison which is “a very different jail”, and had issues abiding with certain rules at Kirklevington Grange such as the strict requirement to study maths and English.
Drugs – one strike and you’re out
For those living at the open prison, there is a obviously a lot at stake and judging by the figures, the vast majority appear to stick to the rules. Illegal drugs are not tolerated, said Phil, and anyone who has a positive test returns to closed conditions.
“I make no apologies for sending them back,” said Phil. They test 21 people a month and, while no positive tests have been recorded in the past three months, Phil added: “We are always always assessing the risks.”
Inside one of the two cells at the prison
(Image: Teesside Live)
There is ongoing support for those with addictions, along with help for prisoners struggling with mental health issues. Such schemes have been praised by inspectors.
Tailored activities are offered for those with neurodivergence conditions include “Mellow Mondays” in the gym when no music is played in order to accommodate prisoners with a calmer, quieter environment. ROTL prisoners can also attend community support groups like Gambling and Narcotics Anonymous. An education centre offers courses on-site, while reading specialists are on hand to help prisoners develop their skills.
Creepy tale of prison’s longest ‘resident’
Prisoners all have the key to their own rooms, and there are only two cells for misbehaving inmates. While few prisoners complain as they are never locked away, there is one “inhabitant” whose protests can be heard on a daily basis – its “resident ghost”.
According to prison folklore, during the 1800s, a fire broke out in the listed stately home, owned by the Richardson family, which still forms part of the prison building. The story goes that a nanny found herself trapped in her room and she died in the blaze.
Now, whenever the door on an adjoining corridor from her room is locked, she protests by “banging”. Chris explained: “If we shut it, the myth is the ghost doesn’t like it and makes it abundantly clear she wants it left open.”
The historic stately home which still stands as part of the prison
(Image: Copyright unknown)
Chris, who insists he does not believe any of it, offered a demonstration. The clang was clearly heard a few seconds after the door was locked.
While the locks have been changed over the years and the door has also been altered to meet fire regulations, he said the banging persists. And even the most hardened prisoners can be rattled by a demonstration.
After recently showing one the clang of the “Grey Lady”, Chris said: “I have never seen someone move so fast. He ran that way, that way, down the stairs and back to his room!”
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Lego-building and ‘cramped’ older wings
Lego builds by the prisoners
(Image: Teesside Live)
Moving on from the “haunted” wing, we pass by a well-equipped gym, library and education facilities. A range of activities are held in and outside the prison such as weekly park runs, chess and sea fishing.
Staff at the prison are also encouraged to come up with their own ideas and initiatives. One officer now runs a Lego-building club while another gives guitar lessons to prisoners.
Walking through the accommodation areas, it’s clear some are in need of a spruce and this was reflected in the recent inspection report. It said: “Some parts of the prison were run down, and cleaning was variable.”
The communal showers
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The report also said the older wings were cramped while communal showers and toilets were in poor condition. While work has been carried out to improve the conditions, a lot of the men have to share a bedroom, which Phil admits is not ideal.
It’s something he’s keen to change – but with the prison population crisis and tight budgets, it can be an uphill challenge. In May 2024, the Ministry of Justice announced plans to add a further 152 places at Kirklevington Grange but this has been hindered by delays.
Jimmy Savile case was ‘game-changer’
The governor, who lives in North Yorkshire and is a former student of Teesside Polytechnic, has also seen many changes in crime trends. Early in his career, Phil said it was mostly violence and acquisitive crime, while the predominance now is “complicated” drug users and “a shedload of drug problems”.
The Tranquility Garden at the prison
(Image: Teesside Live)
The type of drugs seen in prisons has also switched, he said. “In the late 90s, problems with heroin at Holme House took hold, the prisoners were emaciated on heroin”. Now it’s the abuse of prescribed drugs such as pregabalim and the opioid painkiller tramadol.
The Jimmy Savile case was also “a game-changer” for the prisons service , said Phil. He explained it led to more victims of sexual abuse feeling able to come forward, which resulted in a huge rise in the sex offender population.
Kirklevington Grange, however, does not take on such offenders. “We’re not geared up for it,” said Phil.
‘They all just want to get off the roundabout’
The tour of the prison was an eye-opener, to say the least. While prisoners blatantly enjoy much greater freedoms than in a closed jail, it’s no holiday camp and all are expected to work and pull their weight.
Since joining in June 2023, Phil says his main focus has been to see all men leaving the prison securing employment as soon as possible. Figures suggest the prison’s approach is working.
Within six months of leaving, 60pc had found work. And in a prisoner survey, over three quarters said they were less likely to reoffend as a result of their experiences in the prison.
“When I joined, I wanted more out to work”, said Phil. “You can never under-estimate the self-esteem it gives them. We have to give them an opportunity – they all just want to get off the roundabout. You get bad people who have done bad things but you also get good people who have done bad things and it isn’t about punishing them to the enth degree.”
In September this year, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, paid an unannounced visit to Kirklevington Grange. It was given top scores in in all four key areas including safety, teaching, work and activities and preparation for leaving the jail.
The re there was “clear motivation” for prisoners to behave well, violence was rare and the prison had made good connections with local employers. “With 60% in employment six months after release, there was a strong record in finding sustainable work for those leaving prison,” said the inspector.
“Prisoners approaching the end of their sentences were also allowed home leave to reconnect with their families. We were, however, concerned that staff were not conducting any follow-up checks on those going on home leave and that this was well known among the prisoner group.
“Relationships between prisoners and staff were good, with many experienced officers offering authoritative care and support. Despite the unnecessary and imposing fences round the prison that were, we were told, too costly to remove, there was an open feel and men were given freedom to move round the jail and take advantage of the extensive, well-tended grounds.
“Although some accommodation was old and shabby, few prisoners complained because they were never locked in their rooms and most were not locked onto their units until 8pm every evening.”
Some areas did require improvement and some of the older wings were described as “cramped and rundown”. IOt also said, while use of force was rare, body-worn cameras were no troutinely used and some aspects of oversight were “not good enough.”
The report also said the older wings were “cramped and run down”. md Bedbugs were a recurrent problem and, while appropriate measures were taken whenever they were found, the general condition of the older buildings meant that they could not be eradicated.
Summing up, the inspector said: “”Leaders and staff should be proud of their achievements at Kirklevington Grange and there was no sense that the prison would rest on its laurels after this inspection. We left confident that the prison would take on our concerns and would continue to improve.”
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