| Administrative History | HM Prison Service acquired the Foston Hall and grounds in 1953 and it was opened as juvenile detention centre in 1955. During the period of these records it was also used as an immigration centre. It was closed in 1996 for major refurbishment and building work and re-opened on 31 July 1997 as a closed-category female prison and young offenders institution.
Boards of visitors for prisons were established under the 1952 Prison Act to monitor the welfare of prisoners. Each board consisted of several members of the public as unpaid volunteers, appointed by the Home Secretary (later by the Ministry of Justice). Since April 2003, the boards have been known as Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs). Detainees could apply to the Board to hear grievances. |
| Custodial History | These records were donated to Derbyshire Record Office by a former Chair of the Board of Visitors in July 2013. |
| Arrangement | The records were received in two large bundles, primarily split between the minutes of the meetings and the reports, each bundle being in rough chronological order, with a few strays. The stray items were organised into the chronological series. The numbering reflects the fact that there are some gaps in the records, particularly for the period before 1978, and that these records may be deposited in the future. |