Stanley Prison
Encyclopedia
Stanley Prison is one of the five maximum security prison
s in Hong Kong
and is currently the oldest institution still in service (the oldest prison built in Hong Kong was Victoria Prison
, which ceased operation on 24 December 2005). It was set up by the then Prisons Department, and is now administered by the Correctional Services Department
. The maximum capacity of the prison is 1,714 and has over 800 staff and officers. Stanley Prison, at the time of its construction, was considered to be one of the finest prisons in the British Empire. It was a modern structure built of stone, concrete and steel and consisted of six cell blocks set behind an 18-foot wall. It was originally designed to house 1,500 prisoners.
Hong Kong officially abolished Capital Punishment
in 1990. Before that Stanley Prison had been a place of execution. 122 criminals executed there between 1946 and 1966. Although the law did not change until 1993, the last execution that was carried out in Stanley Prison was in November 1966. (This figure (122) does not include the large number of prisoners who were killed by the Japanese there during the occupation of Hong Kong in World War Two. (see below)) The area which once housed the gallows has now been replaced with the prison hospital.
. It was a place of torture and execution with Mateen Ahmed Ansari
, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross
for his heroism in resisting the Japanese being one of the most famous victims. During the Japanese invasion of China, refugees crawled across the border to Hong Kong and many became hawkers on the streets. Those who were caught were sent to Stanley Prison and soon the inmate population grew to over 3,000, well over its limits.
Nearly 600 prisoners of war and civilians, killed by the Japanese during the occupation, are buried in the nearby Stanley War Cemetery.
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...
s in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and is currently the oldest institution still in service (the oldest prison built in Hong Kong was Victoria Prison
Victoria Prison
Victoria Prison , or Victoria Gaol was Hong Kong's first prison. A testimony to the evolution of Hong Kong's correctional services, it had been the centre of the local prison system until it ceased operation in December 2005....
, which ceased operation on 24 December 2005). It was set up by the then Prisons Department, and is now administered by the Correctional Services Department
Hong Kong Correctional Services
Hong Kong Correctional Services is responsible for prisoners and prisons in Hong Kong. The Commissioner of Correctional Services reports to the Secretary for Security....
. The maximum capacity of the prison is 1,714 and has over 800 staff and officers. Stanley Prison, at the time of its construction, was considered to be one of the finest prisons in the British Empire. It was a modern structure built of stone, concrete and steel and consisted of six cell blocks set behind an 18-foot wall. It was originally designed to house 1,500 prisoners.
Hong Kong officially abolished 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...
in 1990. Before that Stanley Prison had been a place of execution. 122 criminals executed there between 1946 and 1966. Although the law did not change until 1993, the last execution that was carried out in Stanley Prison was in November 1966. (This figure (122) does not include the large number of prisoners who were killed by the Japanese there during the occupation of Hong Kong in World War Two. (see below)) The area which once housed the gallows has now been replaced with the prison hospital.
Japanese Occupation
Hong Kong fell to the invading Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 following a brief but brutal conflict. During the Japanese occupation, the grounds of the prison were used as part of Stanley Internment CampStanley Internment Camp
Stanley Internment Camp was a civilian internment camp in Hong Kong during World War II. Located in Stanley, on the southern end of Hong Kong Island, it was used by the Japanese imperial forces to hold non-Chinese enemy nationals after their victory in the Battle of Hong Kong, a battle in the...
. It was a place of torture and execution with Mateen Ahmed Ansari
Mateen Ahmed Ansari
Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari GC of the 5th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment, in the Indian Army during World War II, and member of the British Army Aid Group was awarded the George Cross posthumously...
, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
for his heroism in resisting the Japanese being one of the most famous victims. During the Japanese invasion of China, refugees crawled across the border to Hong Kong and many became hawkers on the streets. Those who were caught were sent to Stanley Prison and soon the inmate population grew to over 3,000, well over its limits.
Nearly 600 prisoners of war and civilians, killed by the Japanese during the occupation, are buried in the nearby Stanley War Cemetery.