High Down was opened in 1992 on the site of a former mental hospital. It serves the Crown Court at Guildford and Croydon, and surrounding magistrates’ courts. It was originally a category A prison but re-roled to a category B local prison in 2002. Originally holding 747, the prison expanded in 2008/9 with two new house blocks and ancillary works and now holds 1203. The prison has been roled as a Cat C prison as part of the prison estate reconfiguration, but this decision had been pending for a considerable period of time and has now been fully implemented
High Down opened the renown “Clink” restaurant in 2009 click here , a ground breaking development in prisoner training opportunities.
Accommodation
- House blocks 1–6 house around 200 prisoners each.
- Houseblock 1 – vulnerable prisoners’ unit
- Houseblock 2 – induction unit and general population
- Houseblock 3 – full-time workers
- Houseblock 4 – substance misuse treatment unit
- Houseblock 5 – incentivised substance-free living and community living units
- Houseblock 6 – general population
- Segregation unit – holding up to 21 prisoners.
.
Health care inpatient unit – Has 22 beds.