Wormwood Scrubs (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs (informally "The Scrubs") is a Category B
men's prison
, located in the Wormwood Scrubs
area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
, in inner
west London
, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
, and at that time the head of the Prison Department, who had been inspired by the construction of Sing Sing
prison in the US. Du Cane was also the architect of the prison.
The initial steps in the winter of 1874 involved the construction of a small prison made of corrugated iron and a temporary shed to serve as a barracks for the warders. Nine specially picked prisoners, all within a year of release, completed the buildings after which 50 more prisoners were brought in who in turn erected a second temporary prison wing. Building then began on the permanent prison, with bricks being manufactured on site. By the summer of 1875 enough bricks had been prepared to build the prison's first block, whose ground floor was finished as winter began. Construction was completed in 1891.
During World War II
the prison was taken over by the War Department and the prisoners evacuated. It was used as secure office space for the duration of hostilities and housed MI5
and MI8
.
In 1979 there was a rooftop protest over visiting rights staged by IRA
prisoners. 60 inmates and several prison officers were injured. In 1982, an inquiry blamed much of the difficulties on failings in prison management. The governor, John McCarthy, had quit before the rioting. He had described Wormwood Scrubs as a "penal dustbin" in a letter to The Times
.
In the 1990s, a police investigation into allegations of staff brutality resulted in the suspension of 27 prison officers and the conviction of six for assault (three later won appeals against conviction). The Prison Service paid over £3 million in out-of-court settlements with ex-prisoners who had alleged brutality. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
delivered a damning report on the conditions and regime in which the prison was told to improve or close.
In March 2004, a further report from the Chief inspector stated that Wormwood Scrubs had greatly improved after making fundamental changes. Three quarters of inmates at the prison had said that staff treated them with respect, which was better than the national average. However the report also stated that inmates spent too much time in their cells, and only 36% of eligible inmates were involved in education or prison work.
In November 2008, another report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector stated that conditions at Wormwood Scrubs Prison had deteriorated since the last inspection. Heightened prison gang
activity had been detected, and 20% of prisoners had failed drugs tests.
On 10 March 2009 the prison was listed as a Grade II building, principally because of its distinctive gatehouse.
There is a contracted prison shop previously run by Aramark
, but now run by DHL who provide a selection of consumables for purchase by the prisoners.
Gary Moore
is shown at the prison entrance on the cover of the 1978 album, Back on the Streets. The prison is mentioned in The Jam
's hit song, "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
" and Billy Bragg
's 'Rotting on Remand' from the Workers Playtime
album. The Pete Doherty
song 'Broken Love Song' is about the singer's tenure in the prison in early 2008. Comedian Spike Milligan
recorded "The Wormwood Scrubs Tango" about an elderly car thief in the prison.
A documentary entitled Wormwood Scrubs was aired on ITV1
in May 2010. It showed the life of the prisoners and staff over a two part series.
Author Sarah Waters
published the book "The Night Watch" (No. 1 Bestseller) in 2006, one of the main characters had served his sentence at the Scrubs prison.
Journalist Peter Wildeblood
was imprisoned in 'The Scrubs' in 1954. His book "Against the Law", in which he describes his trial and imprisonment, was described in The New Statesman
as "the noblest, and wittiest, and most appalling prison book of them all".
The prison is mentioned in the Russian novel Figure-head, by Danil Koretsky (Данил Корецкий, Подставная фигура). The parents of the principal protagonist are held in HMP Wormwood Scrubs and are unsuccessfully sought-out by the Russian SVR
.
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 Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha , and one of the largest areas of common land in London...
area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
, in inner
Inner London
Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. The terms Inner London and Central...
west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. 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
Wormwood Scrubs Prison was constructed completely using convict labour. The idea of doing so was originated in 1874 by General Sir Edmund du Cane of the Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, and at that time the head of the Prison Department, who had been inspired by the construction of Sing Sing
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
prison in the US. Du Cane was also the architect of the prison.
The initial steps in the winter of 1874 involved the construction of a small prison made of corrugated iron and a temporary shed to serve as a barracks for the warders. Nine specially picked prisoners, all within a year of release, completed the buildings after which 50 more prisoners were brought in who in turn erected a second temporary prison wing. Building then began on the permanent prison, with bricks being manufactured on site. By the summer of 1875 enough bricks had been prepared to build the prison's first block, whose ground floor was finished as winter began. Construction was completed in 1891.
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...
the prison was taken over by the War Department and the prisoners evacuated. It was used as secure office space for the duration of hostilities and housed MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
and MI8
MI8
MI8, or Military Intelligence, Section 8, was the cover designation for the Radio Security Service , a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
.
In 1979 there was a rooftop protest over visiting rights staged by IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
prisoners. 60 inmates and several prison officers were injured. In 1982, an inquiry blamed much of the difficulties on failings in prison management. The governor, John McCarthy, had quit before the rioting. He had described Wormwood Scrubs as a "penal dustbin" in a letter to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
In the 1990s, a police investigation into allegations of staff brutality resulted in the suspension of 27 prison officers and the conviction of six for assault (three later won appeals against conviction). The Prison Service paid over £3 million in out-of-court settlements with ex-prisoners who had alleged brutality. 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...
delivered a damning report on the conditions and regime in which the prison was told to improve or close.
In March 2004, a further report from the Chief inspector stated that Wormwood Scrubs had greatly improved after making fundamental changes. Three quarters of inmates at the prison had said that staff treated them with respect, which was better than the national average. However the report also stated that inmates spent too much time in their cells, and only 36% of eligible inmates were involved in education or prison work.
In November 2008, another report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector stated that conditions at Wormwood Scrubs Prison had deteriorated since the last inspection. Heightened prison gang
Prison gang
Prison gang is a term used to denote any type of gang activity in prisons and correctional facilities. Prison officials and others in law enforcement use the term security threat group or STG...
activity had been detected, and 20% of prisoners had failed drugs tests.
On 10 March 2009 the prison was listed as a Grade II building, principally because of its distinctive gatehouse.
The prison today
Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B prison for adult males, sentenced or on remand from the local courts. The prison has five main wings plus a number of smaller dedicated units. All the accommodation has electricity and integral sanitation with a TV and accompanying bedroom furniture:- A wing - remand and sentenced prisoners
- B wing - remand and sentenced prisoners
- C wing - prisoners on an Intensive Drug Treatment System
- D wing - workforce prisoners and Difficult to Manage prisoners
- E wing - resettlement of prisoners unit
- Super enhanced wing - enhanced prisoners who are considered to be trustworthy
- Conibeere Unit - prisoners who require a substance misuse stabilisation regime
There is a contracted prison shop previously run by Aramark
Aramark
Aramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American foodservice, facilities, and clothing provider supplying businesses, educational institutions, sports facilities, federal and state prisons, and health care institutions. It is headquartered at the Aramark Tower in Center City,...
, but now run by DHL who provide a selection of consumables for purchase by the prisoners.
Notable former inmates
- Paul BlackburnPaul Blackburn (UK)Paul Blackburn was a British prisoner who was convicted at the age of 15 of attempted murder, served a life sentence, and was later found to have been wrongly convicted...
- George BlakeGeorge BlakeGeorge Blake is a former British spy known for having been a double agent in the service of the Soviet Union. Discovered in 1961 and sentenced to 42 years in prison, he escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in 1966 and fled to the USSR...
- Reginald Horace Blyth
- Horatio BottomleyHoratio BottomleyHoratio William Bottomley was a British financier, swindler, journalist, newspaper proprietor, populist politician and Member of Parliament .-Early life:...
- Charles BronsonCharles Bronson (prisoner)Charles Bronson is a Welsh criminal often referred to in the British press as the "most violent prisoner in Britain"....
- Basil BuntingBasil BuntingBasil Cheesman Bunting was a significant British modernist poet whose reputation was established with the publication of Briggflatts in 1966. He had a lifelong interest in music that led him to emphasise the sonic qualities of poetry, particularly the importance of reading poetry aloud...
- Morris CohenMorris Cohen (Soviet spy)Morris Cohen also known in London as Peter Kroger was an American convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union. His wife Lona was also an agent.-Birth and education:...
- Fred CopemanFred CopemanFred Copeman OBE was an English volunteer in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, commanding the British Battalion...
- Pete DohertyPete DohertyPeter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
- Lord Alfred DouglasLord Alfred DouglasLord Alfred Bruce Douglas , nicknamed Bosie, was a British author, poet and translator, better known as the intimate friend and lover of the writer Oscar Wilde...
- John HampsonJohn Hampson (novelist)John Frederick Norman Hampson Simpson , who wrote as John Hampson, was an English novelist.Best known for his 1931 novel Saturday Night at the Greyhound - an unexpected critical and commercial success for the Hogarth Press - he was a member of the Birmingham Group of working class authors which...
- Nicholas van HoogstratenNicholas van HoogstratenNicholas van Hoogstraten is a British businessman and real estate magnate. van Hoogstraten is known for his business empire as well as his controversial life story: In 1968, he was convicted, and sent to prison, for paying a gang to attack a business associate...
- John HopkinsJohn Hopkins (political activist)John "Hoppy" Hopkins is a British photographer, journalist, researcher and political activist, and "one of the best-known underground figures of Swinging London" in the late 1960s.-Life:...
- Thomas William Jones, Baron Maelor
- Mike LesserMike LesserMike Lesser is a mathematical philosopher and political activist.The youngest member of the Committee of 100, he was sent, aged sixteen, to Wormwood Scrubs Prison along with most of the Committee...
- Saunders LewisSaunders LewisSaunders Lewis was a Welsh poet, dramatist, historian, literary critic, and political activist. He was a prominent Welsh nationalist and a founder of the Welsh National Party...
- Konon MolodyKonon MolodyKonon Trofimovich Molody was a Soviet intelligence officer, better known in the West as Gordon Arnold Lonsdale. He was an illegal resident spy during the Cold War and the mastermind of the Portland Spy Ring....
- Mark MorrisonMark MorrisonMark Morrison is a British R&B singer. He was the most successful UK R&B singer of the mid-90s and the first black male solo artist to reach number one in the 90s. His single "Return of the Mack" became a #1 or Top 10 hit in several European countries in 1996...
- Timmy MurphyTimmy MurphyTimothy James Murphy , commonly known as Timmy Murphy, is a National Hunt jockey who overcame difficult personal problems to win the 2008 John Smith's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on the horse Comply or Die. He recorded his 1,000th winner at Taunton on 21 January 2010.- References :...
- Count Geoffrey Potocki de MontalkCount Geoffrey Potocki de MontalkCount Geoffrey Wladislas Vaile Potocki de Montalk , poet, private printer, pamphleteer, pagan and pretender to the Polish throne, was born in New Zealand, the eldest son of Auckland architect Robert Wladislas de Montalk, grandson of Paris-born Professor Count Joseph Wladislas Edmond Potocki de...
- Keith RichardsKeith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
- Richard StarkieRichard StarkieRichard Starkie was a British doctor who was charged with distributing illegal narcotics while performing abortions in 1921. Starkie, a former police surgeon, began illegally performing abortions during the early 1900s...
- John StonehouseJohn StonehouseJohn Thomson Stonehouse was a British politician and minister under Harold Wilson. Stonehouse is perhaps best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt at faking his own death in 1974...
- Michael TippettMichael TippettSir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
- Lewis ValentineLewis ValentineLewis Edward Valentine was a Welsh politician, Baptist pastor, author, editor, and Welsh-language activist.-Early life:Valentine was born in Llanddulas, Conwy, the son of Samuel Valentine, a limestone quarryman, and his wife Mary...
- David John Williams
In popular culture
In films and TV programmes set in Britain, when someone is shown being released from prison, the front entrance of Wormwood Scrubs is frequently chosen as a filming location, e.g.- Billy LiarBilly Liar (film)Billy Liar is a 1963 film based on the novel by Keith Waterhouse. It was directed by John Schlesinger and stars Tom Courtenay as Billy and Julie Christie as Liz, one of his three girlfriends. Mona Washbourne plays Mrs. Fisher, and Wilfred Pickles played Mr. Fisher...
- The Spy Who Came in from the ColdThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. The film stars Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, along with Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack...
- The Horse's MouthThe Horse's MouthThe Horse's Mouth is a 1944 novel by Joyce Cary, the third in his First Trilogy, whose first two books are Herself Surprised and To Be A Pilgrim...
- Hot MillionsHot MillionsHot Millions is an 1968 crime comedy film made by MGM. It was directed by Eric Till and produced by Mildred Freed Alberg, from a collaborative screenplay by Ira Wallach and star Peter Ustinov. The music score was composed by Laurie Johnson, featuring the single "This Time" from Scottish singer Lulu...
- A Very British CoupA Very British CoupA Very British Coup is a 1982 novel by British politician Chris Mullin. In 1988, the novel was adapted for television, directed by Mick Jackson, with a screenplay by Alan Plater and starring Ray McAnally...
- CassCass (film)Cass is a 2008 British crime drama film. It stars Nonso Anozie as Cass Pennant and is directed by Jon S. Baird-Plot:Cass is based on the true story of the life of Cass Pennant, adapted from his book. The film tells of how he was adopted by an elderly white couple in 1958 and brought up in Slade...
- The Sweeney (TV) - One Of Your Own
- The Baron (TV) - Something for a Rainy Day
- PorridgePorridge (TV series)Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland...
, in both the television series and film - MinderMinder (TV series)Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
, in the episode The Birdman of Wormwood Scrubs
Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
is shown at the prison entrance on the cover of the 1978 album, Back on the Streets. The prison is mentioned in The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
's hit song, "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" was the second single taken from the album All Mod Cons by The Jam. Released on 21 October 1978, it charted at number 15 and was backed by a cover of the Who song "So Sad About Us", and "The Night", written by Bruce Foxton...
" and Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
's 'Rotting on Remand' from the Workers Playtime
Workers Playtime
Workers Playtime is a 1988 album by Billy Bragg. Originally released on the Go! Discs label, it is his fourth release but third full length album...
album. The Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
song 'Broken Love Song' is about the singer's tenure in the prison in early 2008. Comedian Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
recorded "The Wormwood Scrubs Tango" about an elderly car thief in the prison.
A documentary entitled Wormwood Scrubs was aired on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
in May 2010. It showed the life of the prisoners and staff over a two part series.
Author Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society, such as Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith.-Childhood:Sarah Waters was born in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1966....
published the book "The Night Watch" (No. 1 Bestseller) in 2006, one of the main characters had served his sentence at the Scrubs prison.
Journalist Peter Wildeblood
Peter Wildeblood
Peter Wildeblood was a British-Canadian journalist, novelist, playwright, and gay rights campaigner. He was one of the first men in the UK to publicly declare his homosexuality.-Career:...
was imprisoned in 'The Scrubs' in 1954. His book "Against the Law", in which he describes his trial and imprisonment, was described in The New Statesman
The New Statesman
The New Statesman is an award-winning British sitcom of the late 1980s and early 1990s satirising the Conservative government of the time...
as "the noblest, and wittiest, and most appalling prison book of them all".
The prison is mentioned in the Russian novel Figure-head, by Danil Koretsky (Данил Корецкий, Подставная фигура). The parents of the principal protagonist are held in HMP Wormwood Scrubs and are unsuccessfully sought-out by the Russian SVR
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
.