HM Prison Parkhurst
 | |
| Location | Parkhurst, Isle of Wight |
|---|---|
| Security class | Adult Male/Category B |
| Population | 497 (as of August 2008) |
| Opened | 1805 |
| Managed by | HM Prison Services |
| Governor | Doug Graham |
| Website | www |
HM Prison Parkhurstis aCategory Bmen's prison inParkhurston theIsle of Wight,operated byHis Majesty's Prison Service.[1]Parkhurst prison is one of the two formerly separate prisons that today make upHMP Isle of Wight,the other beingAlbany.
History
[edit]Parkhurst as an institution began in 1778 as a military hospital and children's asylum. By 1838, it was a prison for children.[2]123Parkhurst apprenticeswere sent to theColony of New Zealandin 1842 and 1843,[3]and a total of almost 1500 boys between the ages of 12 and 18 years were sent to various colonies in Australia and New Zealand.Swan River Colony(Western Australia) received 234 between 1842 and 1849, thenchose to accept adult convictsas well.[4]VictoriaandTasmaniaalso received "Parkhurst Boys", who were always referred to officially as "apprentices", not as "convicts". Parkhurst Prison Governor CaptainGeorge Hall(in office: 1843-1861) employed boys to make bricks to build the C and M block wings onto the building.[3]
Parkhurst was considered one of the toughest jails in the British Isles.[citation needed]Almost from its beginnings as a prison for young offenders, Parkhurst was subject to fierce criticism by the public, politicians and in the press for its harsh régime (including the use of leg irons initially).[5]It became a particular focus of critique for reformers - most notablyMary Carpenter(1807-1877) - campaigning against the use of imprisonment for children.[6]In 1966 Parkhurst became one of the few top-security prisons (called"Dispersals"because they dispersed the more troublesome prisoners rather than concentrating them all in one place) in the United Kingdom, but it lost "Dispersal" status in 1995.[1]In 2009, Parkhurst joinedHM Prison Albanyto form super-prisonHM Prison Isle of Wight,with each site retaining its old name.[7]
1995 escape
[edit]On 3 January 1995, three prisoners (two murderers and a blackmailer) made their way out of the prison and enjoyed four days of freedom before being recaptured. One of them, Keith Rose, was an amateur pilot. During those four days, the escapees lived rough in a shed in a garden in Ryde, having failed to steal a plane from the local flying club.[1]A programme entitledBritain's Island Fortresswas made about this prison escape for National Geographic Channel'sBreakoutdocumentary series.[8]
Notable inmates
[edit]High-profile criminals including LordWilliam Beauchamp Nevill,[9]the Yorkshire RipperPeter Sutcliffe,[10]Moors MurdererIan Brady,drug smugglerTerrance John Clarkand theKray twins,[11]were incarcerated there.
Michael Gaughandied at Parkhurst after a 64-day hunger strike. In December 1971, Gaughan had been sentenced at the Old Bailey to seven years imprisonment for his part in anIRAbank robbery in Hornsey, north London, which yielded£530(equivalent to £9,500 in 2023), and for the possession of two revolvers. On 31 March 1974, Gaughan went on hunger strike demanding political status. British policy at this time was to force feed hunger strikers.[12]Gaughan was force-fed 17 times during course of his hunger strike. The last time he was force-fed was the night before his death on Sunday, 2 June. He died on Monday 3 June 1974, aged 24.[13]Graham Young,also known as the "Teacup Poisoner", died at Parkhurst of a heart attack in 1990.[14]
War criminalRadovan Karadžićhas been serving a life sentence at Parkhurst since May 2021, where he will serve the rest of his sentence.[15]
References
[edit]- ^abc"Parkhurst Prison – Eric Mason homepage".www.ericmasonuk.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 22 October 2009.Retrieved8 December2008.
- ^"PARKHURST PRISON".BlackSheepAncestors.com.Retrieved9 February2016.
- ^abAnthony G. Flude (2003)."CONVICTS SENT TO NEW ZEALAND! The Boys from Parkhurst Prison".Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2016.Retrieved9 February2016.
- ^"Convict Records".State Records office of Western Australia.Retrieved9 February2016.
- ^Hagell A and Hazel N (2001) 'Macro and micro patterns in the development of secure custodial institutions for serious and persistent young offenders in England and Wales.' Youth Justice 1, 1, 3–16.
- ^Carpenter, Mary (1851).Reformatory Schools: For the Children of the Perishing and Dangerous Classes and for Juvenile Offenders.London: C. Gilpin.Retrieved5 April2009.
Reformatory Schools for the Children of the Perishing and Dangerous Classes, and for Juvenile Offenders.
- ^"Isle of Wight County Press –" Prisons to become HMP Isle of Wight "".www.iwcp.co.uk.Retrieved30 March2009.
- ^"Britain's Island Fortess".Archived fromthe originalon 12 April 2013.Retrieved6 April2013.
- ^Nevill, Lord William Beauchamp (28 January 1903).Penal Servitude.London: William Heinemann.
- ^"Peter Sutcliffe: The Yorkshire Ripper – The aftermath".www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2007.Retrieved8 December2008.
- ^"The Kray twins at Parkhurst Prison".www.assistnews.net.Retrieved8 December2008.[dead link]
- ^"JURIST | School of Law | University of Pittsburgh".Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2006.
- ^Coogan, Tim (2000). The I.R.A.. Harper Collins. pp. 415–418.ISBN0-00-653155-5.
- ^"Graham Young - Poison, Death & Teacup".
- ^"'Butcher of Bosnia' Radovan Karadzic imprisoned on Isle of Wight ".The National (Abu Dhabi).29 May 2021.
External links
[edit]- Ministry of Justice pages on ParkhurstArchived16 February 2012 at theWayback Machine