HM Prison Full Sutton

HM Prison Full Sutton is a Category A and B men's prison in the village of Full Sutton, near Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Full Sutton is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service and holds some 600 inmates. The prison's primary function is to hold, in conditions of high security, some of the most difficult and dangerous criminals in the country.The Prison also has a unit known as the 'Close Supervision Centre', which is referred to as a "Prison inside a Prison". This is used to house prisoners, who are a high risk to the public and national security. HMP Full Sutton will not accept prisoners who have been sentenced to less than 4 years, or who have less than 12 months left to serve.HistoryFull Sutton Prison opened in 1987, as a purpose-built maximum security prison for men. Over the years, it has held some of the most difficult, violent and dangerous criminals in the country.In March 2000, the Home Office ordered an inquiry into Full Sutton after evidence emerged of racism among prison officers at the jail. The evidence centred on a log of an Asian inmate's phone conversations kept by two prison officers. In January 2003, the prison was criticised again, when it emerged that inmates at Full Sutton were being paid as an incentive to learn to read and write. Payments of £1 to £3 were being made to prisoners on successful completion of literacy and numeracy courses at the jail.In December 2005, a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons stated that gangs inside the prison were arranging "fight clubs" to pay off debts. The level of bullying and violence was so great that many wings were unsafe. There was evidence that gangs who had been operating on the streets continued to function inside the prison using intimidation. Security concerns had led to prisoners being denied access to outside sports.