Eastwood Park Prison originally opened as a male juvenile Detention Centre, and then became a Young Offenders Institution. In March 1996 Eastwood Park was converted into a women's prison, receiving staff and prisoners brought from the old Pucklechurch Prison. In September 1998 the Chief inspector of Prisons issued a report warning that Eastwood Park Prison was keeping a number of inmates in cells that were below the nationally recommended standard size. In May 2002 a further inspection of Eastwood Park found that inmates were at serious risk of suicide and self-harm. Referring to Eastwood as "an establishment in crisis", the inspection report noted that staff were having trouble creating decent conditions for its inmates, among whom 56 women had been identified as suicide risks in a single month. In that same month, the report said, 47 separate cases of self-harm had occurred. A further report in March 2004 stated that the prison was still facing "major challenges". However the report also noted that prisoners felt safer at Eastwood Park than in women's prisons generally. On 24 December 2014, it was announced that Prisoners are being allowed to smoke e-cigarettes as part of a pilot scheme that could lead to a jail smoking ban. The e-cigarette brand, Bull, is available in the prison shop in the jail and in other prison shops in the men's prisons HMP Preston in Lancashire and HMP Stocken in Rutland. In May 2016 Jessica Whitchurch killed herself in Eastwood Park Prison. Other prisoners had been bullying Whitchurch and goading her to take her own life. Prison officers did not challenge the other prisoners and failed to prevent the bullying. On the 18th May 2016 Whitchurch was found distressed with a ligature round her neck. Whitchurch was put under observation but the observation was insufficient and hours later Whitchurch was found unconscious with a ligature round her neck, she died later in hospital. An inquest jury was unsure if the death was suicide or extreme self harm that went wrong. The jury found that Whitchurch received inadequate care by prison staff and there were organizational failings within the prison.
The prison today
Eastwood Park Prison offers education courses in Basic Skills, wider Key Skills, Information Technology, Cookery, Diversity, Salon Services, Manicure, Preparation for Work, Drug and Alcohol Awareness and Industrial Cleaning. The prison also offers employment with work-based qualifications. In addition Eastwood Park has a gym for physical education as well as recreational gym. Prisoners also have access to a Health Bar where they can purchase various health and beauty products from waxing strips to tooth whitening products. The Family and Friends Centre is the visitors centre at Eastwood Park Prison, and has facilities including toilets, a refreshments counter, information points and a small play area for children. The prison, like many others, has a big issue around the concealment of tradeable medicines such as pregabalin, quetiapine and gabapentin. These medicines are highly desirable in prison and inmates will trade them for things such as vape re-fills, cigarettes or illicit drugs. Inmates are sometimes bullied for their medicines. Methadone is sometimes concealed by the placement of cotton wool or a tampon in their mouth before they take their methadone, which they then squeeze out once out of sight. There is also the famous 'sick meth' which as the name suggests is regurgitated methadone.
