Kingston (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Kingston is a Category B/C
men's prison
, located in the Kingston
area of Portsmouth
in Hampshire
, England
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
radial design prison. Kingston has had a varied history. At one point, the building was used for a boys' borstal
, and then became a police station during World War II
.
In 1965 capital punishment
was abolished in the UK and, as a result, Kingston began to exclusively hold inmates serving life sentences. Because of this, at one time Kingston was the only prison in England and Wales to have a unit exclusively for elderly male prisoners serving life sentences. In April 2003 a report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
stated that the elderly prisoner unit at Kingston provided unacceptable conditions for its inmates. The report detailed that movement in the unit was severely restricted, there was insufficient privacy and the rooms had too little natural light, poor ventilation and in some cases no power points.
Soon after this Kingston was re-roled to become a more general category B and C prison, with the elderly prisoner unit moving to HMP Norwich
. However Kingston still holds a high percentage of life sentenced prisoners to this day.
Kingston offers inmates employment in the prison's print shop, contract services workshop, gardens, drawing office, braille
unit, kitchen and recycling unit, as well as various cleaning and orderly posts. Education at the prison is contracted out to Milton Keynes College
. Courses offered include literacy
, numeracy
and information technology
, with inmates having the opportunity to study up to and including Open University
level.
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 the Kingston
Kingston, Portsmouth
Kingston is a residential area of the city of Portsmouth in the English county of Hampshire, located between Buckland, Fratton and North End.Kingston Road contains many shops, cafes and churches. Kingston was bombed in World War II when new housing was just built. It was not until the early 1960s...
area of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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
Kingston Prison was originally built in 1877 as a VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
radial design prison. Kingston has had a varied history. At one point, the building was used for a boys' borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
, and then became a police station during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In 1965 capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
was abolished in the UK and, as a result, Kingston began to exclusively hold inmates serving life sentences. Because of this, at one time Kingston was the only prison in England and Wales to have a unit exclusively for elderly male prisoners serving life sentences. In April 2003 a report from 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...
stated that the elderly prisoner unit at Kingston provided unacceptable conditions for its inmates. The report detailed that movement in the unit was severely restricted, there was insufficient privacy and the rooms had too little natural light, poor ventilation and in some cases no power points.
Soon after this Kingston was re-roled to become a more general category B and C prison, with the elderly prisoner unit moving to HMP Norwich
Norwich (HM Prison)
HM Prison Norwich is a Category B/C multi-functional prison for adult and juvenile males, located on Mousehold Heath in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
. However Kingston still holds a high percentage of life sentenced prisoners to this day.
The prison today
Kingston Prison is mainly a Category B prison holding a high percentage of inmates serving life sentences. Accommodation in the main prison is made up of single occupancy cells. In addition there is a smaller unit holding Category C prisoners. Accommodation on the unit comprises multi-occupancy rooms.Kingston offers inmates employment in the prison's print shop, contract services workshop, gardens, drawing office, braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
unit, kitchen and recycling unit, as well as various cleaning and orderly posts. Education at the prison is contracted out to Milton Keynes College
Milton Keynes College
Milton Keynes College is a general further education and training college, serving the Borough of Milton Keynes. It also serves the surrounding areas...
. Courses offered include literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
, numeracy
Numeracy
Numeracy is the ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life...
and information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, with inmates having the opportunity to study up to and including Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
level.
Notable former inmates
- Archibald HallArchibald HallArchibald Thomson Hall , 17 June 1924 - 16 September 2002, was a British serial killer and thief. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he became known as the Killer Butler or the Monster Butler after committing crimes while working in service to members of the British aristocracy...
- 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...
- The M25 ThreeM25 ThreeThe M25 Three were Raphael George Rowe, Michael George Davis, and Randolph Egbert Johnson, who were jailed for life at the Old Bailey in March 1990 after being found guilty of murder and robbery. The name was taken from the location of the crimes, which were committed around the M25, London's...
- Kingston Prison is currently in a transition of re-rolling to a Category C establishment which will be officially so as of 1st April 2011