HMP Dovegate

HMP Dovegate (Serco) near Uttoxeter, is a category B medium-security prison. It was opened in 2001 and is managed by Serco. The prison holds more than 1,060 adult male prisoners, which includes those on remand as well as prisoners serving sentences from 7 days to 99 years.

All new prison officers must complete an 8-week training course at the beginning of an appointment. The course aims to equip participants with the necessary knowledge, skills and values needed to become a confident, safe and accountable prison officer.

In September 2009, Staffordshire University and HMP Dovegate met to discuss potential opportunities and both were keen to create a mutually beneficial partnership. Following this meeting, a Faculty Showcase was organised with a view to generating ideas and as a result, a need for a higher level qualification for staff working within the Criminal Justice Sector was identified. This led to a collaboration between Staffordshire University Law School and HMP Dovegate to develop a two year Foundation Degree in Offender Management.

The FD is one of the first such qualifications in England and will include teaching about the legal system and sentencing guidelines, exploring the reasons why people commit crimes and how to reduce re-offending.

The part time course which began in February, is being taught by Stafford College but the award will be conferred by Staffordshire University.
There were over seventy applications for the course and following a rigorous selection process fifteen were selected for the first cohort ranging from prison custody officers to assistant directors.

Prison Unit Manager, Damien Holdcroft, who has responsibility for 300 inmates and 40 staff said "Some of us have been doing the job for seven or eight years and have already got the practical skills for working with offenders, but this will cover the academic side. It will include looking at what other agencies do and having a better understanding of sentences handed out and crimes being committed.”

Staffordshire University Law School Director, Ian King said: “The Law School has an excellent reputation for providing high quality and relevant education and we were delighted to be involved in tailoring this unique award to fit the needs of HMP Dovegate and prison employees more generally. 

Rosemary Evans, Dean of the Law School, hopes the new foundation degree will be of interest to other prisons.

There is already a possibility that it could be established across UK prisons and consideration is being given to blended and distance learning modes of delivery in order to increase accessibility. In addition, there are further opportunities for collaboration in consultancy, research and development, student placements and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.

Since October 2010, Staffordshire University’s Faculty of Sciences has provided a two-day rolling programme of Forensic Awareness training to HMP Dovegate staff to give them an insight into crime scene investigations. The course has proved very popular and feedback has been extremely positive.