Healthcare: Primary Healthcare is provided HNS and Durham and Chester-le-Street PCT with access to local hospitals for clinics etc. The prison has trained Listeners for those who need support during difficult times.
Drugs Strategy: Random drug testing is carried out at the prison, supported by a CARATs team
Catering: Supplies all meals, and has menu’s for special and ethnic diets. Most of the work in the kitchens are serveries is done by prisoners
Race Equality Action Team: Low Newton has a Race Equality Action Team under the direct responsibility of the Governor.
Psychology and Programmes : The programmes available are Enhanced Thinking Skills, Relapse Prevention, and Life Skills Development. The Psychology Unit works on a 1:2:1 with prisoners on risk assessment and offence focused work covering issues such as anger management, sex offending, victim empathy and violent offending.
Offender Management: The works with outside agencies to assist the with the prpearation of the prisoners for release. These agenies include NEPACS who have helped to set up child/parent visits allowing more informal contact between mother and child outside of the usual domestic visits thereby helping to maintain family ties, and Job Centre Plus who have set up a benefits service to assist prisoners on release. Risk assessment is ongoing throughout sentence and is subject to formal review through sentence planning and assessments for release particularly HDC and parole. The Housing Advice Office is staffed by a mix of selected prisoners and prison staff who work alongside each other to try and help women find accommodation on release.
Chaplaincy: Multi-faith with all faiths catered for either on a regular basis or by special arrangements.
Prison Shop: The canteen is operated by Aramark, on a bagging system.
Phones: Telephones are available to all residential areas and are accessible by pin-phone accounts.