Gloucester (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Gloucester is a Category B
men's prison
, located in Gloucester
, Gloucestershire
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
, Gloucester opened as a County Gaol in 1782, and was substantially rebuilt in 1840. A new young offenders wing was built at the prison in 1971. Further improvements were made in 1987, including a new gate, administration block and visits centre.
In April, 2003, Gloucester was singled out in a survey as "among the 20 most overcrowded jails" in the United Kingdom. The following day, the prison was the scene of a three-and-a-half hour siege
when two prisoners protested over visiting rights by barricading themselves in a cell.
A Time Bank scheme was launched at Gloucester Prison in February 2006. Inmates who join the scheme restore bicycles in the prison workshop, and this time is credited to their friends and families who can cash it in to get help from volunteers in the community. The scheme continues at the prison today.
In June 2007, the Independent Monitoring Board
criticised Gloucester Prison for its overcrowding, poor dining provision and cramped cells. A month later over 100 prisoners had to be moved to other jails after severe flooding across the Gloucestershire area submerged the ground floor of the prison and interfered with its water supplies.
In August 2007, the prison was criticised by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
after an inspection report found the levels of organised activities for inmates at Gloucester (such as training and education) were "woeful". The report also stated that one wing of the prison should be refurbished. However the prison was described as "very positive" overall because of good management.
to the local courts; it also holds defendants sentenced by local courts before dispersal to longer-term prisons.
The prison's Enterprise Centre is a work, education and training centre. As well as education courses the centre accommodates the cycle repair workshop. The Resettlement Unit which opened in 2003 helps inmates that are soon to be released in obtaining employment and accommodation after their prison term ends. There is also a Listener scheme for inmates which is organised by the Samaritans.
The prison's original gate house (dating back to 1742) has been converted into a Visitors and Family Support Centre which is open for every visits session. There is also a private visits room, which is available in afternoon visiting sessions.
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 Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, 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...
. The prison 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
Designed by William BlackburnWilliam Blackburn
William Blackburn was the leading prison architect of the Georgian Era. Following the principles of John Howard, his designs aimed to provide inmates with dry and airy cells....
, Gloucester opened as a County Gaol in 1782, and was substantially rebuilt in 1840. A new young offenders wing was built at the prison in 1971. Further improvements were made in 1987, including a new gate, administration block and visits centre.
In April, 2003, Gloucester was singled out in a survey as "among the 20 most overcrowded jails" in the United Kingdom. The following day, the prison was the scene of a three-and-a-half hour siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
when two prisoners protested over visiting rights by barricading themselves in a cell.
A Time Bank scheme was launched at Gloucester Prison in February 2006. Inmates who join the scheme restore bicycles in the prison workshop, and this time is credited to their friends and families who can cash it in to get help from volunteers in the community. The scheme continues at the prison today.
In June 2007, the Independent Monitoring Board
Independent Monitoring Board
Independent Monitoring Boards are statutory bodies established by the Prison Act 1952 to monitor the welfare of prisoners in the UK to ensure that they are properly cared for within Prison and Immigration Centre rules, whilst in custody and detention...
criticised Gloucester Prison for its overcrowding, poor dining provision and cramped cells. A month later over 100 prisoners had to be moved to other jails after severe flooding across the Gloucestershire area submerged the ground floor of the prison and interfered with its water supplies.
In August 2007, the prison was criticised by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
after an inspection report found the levels of organised activities for inmates at Gloucester (such as training and education) were "woeful". The report also stated that one wing of the prison should be refurbished. However the prison was described as "very positive" overall because of good management.
The prison today
Gloucester is a category B adult local prison and young offender remand centre. The term 'local' means that this prison holds people on remandDetention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
to the local courts; it also holds defendants sentenced by local courts before dispersal to longer-term prisons.
The prison's Enterprise Centre is a work, education and training centre. As well as education courses the centre accommodates the cycle repair workshop. The Resettlement Unit which opened in 2003 helps inmates that are soon to be released in obtaining employment and accommodation after their prison term ends. There is also a Listener scheme for inmates which is organised by the Samaritans.
The prison's original gate house (dating back to 1742) has been converted into a Visitors and Family Support Centre which is open for every visits session. There is also a private visits room, which is available in afternoon visiting sessions.
Notable inmates
- Herbert Rowse ArmstrongHerbert Rowse ArmstrongHerbert Rowse Armstrong TD. MA. was an English solicitor and convicted murderer, the only solicitor in the history of the United Kingdom to have been hanged for murder...
(executed in 1922) - Stefan KiszkoStefan KiszkoLesley Susan Molseed was an eleven-year old girl from Turf Hill, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, who was murdered on Rishworth Moor in West Yorkshire....
- Fred WestFred WestFrederick Walter Stephen West , was a British serial killer. Between 1967 and 1987, he alone, and later, he and his wife Rosemary, tortured, raped and murdered at least 11 young women and girls, many at the couple's homes. The majority of the murders occurred between May 1973 and September 1979 at...
(held on remand)