Usk Prison was built in 1841/2 in red
sandstone and extended in 1868. It opened in 1844 as a
House of Correction, and after the addition of other buildings in 1870 the establishment became the Monmouthshire County Gaol, superseding the
Monmouth County Gaol in
Monmouth. It retained that role until 1922 when it closed, reopening in 1939 as a
borstal. It continued as a borstal until 1964 when it became a Detention Centre. In 1983 Usk became a Youth Custody Centre and from 1988 to 1990 a
Young Offenders Institution. In May 1990, Usk became an Adult Category C prison for Vulnerable Prisoners (mainly
sex offenders) and it continues in that role today. The building received a Grade II*
heritage listing in 1974, being a largely unaltered
Victorian gaol. However, by March 2008 this had been closed down. In July 2003 Usk Prison (along with its satellite prison Prescoed) was described as of the top five performing prisons in England and Wales. The statistics were published by the Prison Service as part of a league table - the first time that prisons had been ranked in this way. In August 2008 an inspection report from
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons stated that standards at both Usk and Prescoed prisons remained good, despite dips in performance. The report said that the two prisons were safe and clean, and that relationships between staff and prisoners were "relaxed".
Racial equality work was also found to be good, as was the education and training provision for inmates at both sites. The report found, however, that staff were not sufficiently trained, and that there was a shortage of trained
psychologists. ==Present day==