Gartree (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Gartree is a Category B
men's prison
, located in Market Harborough
, Leicestershire
, England
. Gartree is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
The prison is infamous for a daring helicopter escape in 1987. The breakout remains the only one of its type to have been carried out in the United Kingdom. On 10 December 1987 at 3.15 pm, John Kendall and Sydney Draper were sprung from Gartree's exercise yard with the aid of a hijacked Bell 206L helicopter
. Kendall was a gangland boss serving eight years while Draper was serving a life sentence for murder. The escape caused great controversy at the time and led to a tightening of security at the jail. Kendall was recaptured 10 days later, but Draper remained on the run for another 13 months.
In 1992 Gartree was downgraded from a category A to a category B training prison. Since then the population of life sentenced prisoners at Gartree grew, and in 1997 the prison's role changed to that of a main life prisoner centre.
In a 2003 report the Board of Visitors criticised Gartree Prison for a serious shortage of staff, and budget cuts which were having a significant impact on services at the jail. The report noted that despite more than 30 proven allegations of racial discrimination between prisoners, there were not enough resources at the prison to release a member of staff to train as a race relations officer.
In June 2004 a scheme to support older prisoners was launched at Gartree Prison. This was in response to the fact that Gartree had one of the highest number of older prisoners in the country, holding 400 inmates aged over 50, with 17 aged over 60 and three in their 70s. The scheme which was backed by Age Concern
was designed to work with older prisoners to promote access to their rights and discuss services within the prison.
including offending behaviour programmes.
Prison security categories in the United Kingdom
There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
men's prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, located in Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Gartree is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
.
History
Gartree Prison opened in 1965, and was originally a Category C training centre, but its status was quickly upgraded to a maximum security prison.The prison is infamous for a daring helicopter escape in 1987. The breakout remains the only one of its type to have been carried out in the United Kingdom. On 10 December 1987 at 3.15 pm, John Kendall and Sydney Draper were sprung from Gartree's exercise yard with the aid of a hijacked Bell 206L helicopter
Bell 206
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected...
. Kendall was a gangland boss serving eight years while Draper was serving a life sentence for murder. The escape caused great controversy at the time and led to a tightening of security at the jail. Kendall was recaptured 10 days later, but Draper remained on the run for another 13 months.
In 1992 Gartree was downgraded from a category A to a category B training prison. Since then the population of life sentenced prisoners at Gartree grew, and in 1997 the prison's role changed to that of a main life prisoner centre.
In a 2003 report the Board of Visitors criticised Gartree Prison for a serious shortage of staff, and budget cuts which were having a significant impact on services at the jail. The report noted that despite more than 30 proven allegations of racial discrimination between prisoners, there were not enough resources at the prison to release a member of staff to train as a race relations officer.
In June 2004 a scheme to support older prisoners was launched at Gartree Prison. This was in response to the fact that Gartree had one of the highest number of older prisoners in the country, holding 400 inmates aged over 50, with 17 aged over 60 and three in their 70s. The scheme which was backed by Age Concern
Age Concern
Age Concern was the banner title used by a number of charitable organisations specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people based chiefly in the four countries of the United Kingdom....
was designed to work with older prisoners to promote access to their rights and discuss services within the prison.
The prison today
Gartree Prison currently has Category B status, and many of its inmates are long-term prisoners serving life sentences. Most prisoners are employed in prison workshops or in the prison gardens, however there is a small learning department which provides educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
including offending behaviour programmes.
Notable former inmates
- Ian Brady
- Anthony SawoniukAnthony SawoniukAnthony Sawoniuk, formerly Andrei Andreeovich Sawoniuk was a Belorussian Nazi collaborator from the town of Domaczewo in pre-war Poland . After taking part in the murder of Jews in his home town, he served in the SS and later with the Polish II Corps...
- Tony MartinTony Martin (farmer)Anthony Edward "Tony" Martin is a farmer from Norfolk, England, who in 1999 killed one burglar and wounded another who had both entered his home...
- Reggie Kray