HM Prison Ford (informally known as Ford Open Prison) is a low-security prison near Arundel and Littlehampton in West Sussex, England. It is administered by Her Majesty's Prison Service for the Ministry of Justice of the United Kingdom government. Ford was formerly a Fleet Air Arm Station, and was converted to an open prison in 1960. It has a capacity of around 540, and is renowned for its regime focusing on training and resettlement. The prison houses convicted adult males, and specialises in housing non-violent offenders with a low risk of absconding. It was until recently particularly known as the favoured location for the placement of high-profile and celebrity prisoners. In 1996 Lord Brocket was transferred to Ford following an incident where he was stabbed in a semi-secure prison in Bedfordshire. There was a great deal of media interest in Lord Brocket, who had been convicted of insurance fraud, and shortly after his arrival he was photographed visiting a physiotherapist in the local town of Bognor Regis. Following that incident, he was denied the usual freedom that comes with a stay in an open prison. Since about 1999 Ford has had a more varied population, and some high-profile prisoners who were expected to be sent to Ford were in fact sent to other open prisons. Jonathan Aitken was sent to an Open Prison in Kent, and Jeffrey Archer was sent to North Sea Camp in Lincolnshire. The prison has been criticized for its lax security – especially after it was revealed that 70 people, including three murderers, absconded in 2006 alone.[1]
