HM Prison Durham

Last updated

HMP Durham
Durham Prison - geograph.org.uk - 228811.jpg
Durham Prison viewed from the main tower of the cathedral
HM Prison Durham
Location Durham, County Durham
Security class Adult Male/Category B
Capacity980 as of 2022 [1]
Population980(as of September 2022)
Opened19th century
Managed by HM Prison Services
Governor Tim Healy
Website Durham at justice.gov.uk

HM Prison Durham is a Georgian era reception Category B men's prison, located in the Elvet area of Durham in County Durham, England. Built in 1819, the prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Its women prisoners were all moved out to other prisons in 2005 due to overcrowding and suicides.

Contents

History

The Northgate was established in Saddler Street around 1072. [2] [3] It was rebuilt by Bishop Thomas Langley in the early 15th century to provide custodial facilities, which became known as the Northgate Prison or the County Gaol, and was enlarged in 1773. [4] There was also a House of Correction, also known as the Bridewell, established on the north side of Elvet Bridge in 1634. [5]

In the early 19th century, the two institutions were consolidated at the current site, just south of the new Durham Courthouse: the new prison, consisting of some 600 cells, opened in 1819. [6] The prison's C wing was built in 1850. [7]

In 1832, protests over working conditions in the South Shields workhouse were supported by miners' strikes. Soldiers were sent to evict striking miners from their pubs. One miner, William Jobling, was convicted of the murder of a local magistrate near Jarrow Slake. He was hanged amid heightened security of 50 mounted Hussars and 50 infantrymen to protect the gallows. His body was gibbeted after death. [6] Between 1869 and 1958, 95 judicial executions took place on the gallows at Durham prison or the court house. [6] On 17 December 1958, the final execution at Durham took place when Private Brian Chandler (aged 20) was hanged for the murder of Martha Dodd in the course of theft. Chandler was a soldier based at Catterick camp, and had beaten the 83-year-old widow to death with a hammer. [6] [8] [9]

Irish Republicans were imprisoned in Durham in 1918. [10]

During the late 1960s and 1970s the prison became a study project for Stan Cohen and Laurie Taylor, which led to their publication of three books, namely Psychological Survival: The Experience of Long-term Imprisonment (1972), [11] Escape Attempts (1976) and Prison Secrets (1978). Cohen additionally published Visions of Social Control: Crime, Punishment and Classification (1985).

In 1990 19-year-old-prisoner Darren Brook was murdered by another prisoner. [12]

In 2001, Durham (which was a Category A prison for men and women at the time) was praised by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for its progressive regime, integration of inmates and falling levels of violence. [13] However, in 2003 it was revealed that Durham had the highest prison suicide rate in England [14] and, in 2004, a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised it for being severely overcrowded and the lack of education and work opportunities. [15] The following year, the female high-security wing with 120 prisoners was discontinued and the prisoners transferred elsewhere after HM Inspectorate of Prisons reports concluded, following several suicides, that it was unsuitable for housing female prisoners. [16]

In 2011 it was announced that, along with several other prisons, HMP Durham would be put up for market testing as part of a Ministry of Justice plan to make savings of almost 25%. [17]

A 2014 report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found that a third of inmates tested positive for drug use, a rate almost twice as high as similar prisons. Rates of violence were also higher than expected which indicated that monitoring should be improved. The prison was, however, praised for the quality of work activity and learning available to prisoners. [18]

In 2018 the Channel 4 documentary Prison was filmed over a 7 month period in the jail. [19]

As of 2022, Durham is a Reception prison [20] for remand adult/ young male prisoners, primarily serving the courts of County Durham, Tyne and Wear, Teesside and Cumbria. It is divided into seven wingspans secure units, a segregation section and a healthcare section. [20] The prison offers part-time education to all inmates, including courses on data input, bricklaying, woodwork, painting and decorating, waste management and gardening. [21]

Notable inmates

Current

Former

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moors murders</span> Murders in and around Manchester, England

The Moors murders were a series of child killings committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in and around Manchester, England, between July 1963 and October 1965. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—aged between 10 and 17, at least four of whom were sexually assaulted. The bodies of two of the victims were discovered in 1965, in graves dug on Saddleworth Moor; a third grave was discovered there in 1987, more than twenty years after Brady and Hindley's trial. Bennett's body is also thought to be buried there, but despite repeated searches it remains undiscovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Pentonville</span> Mens prison in London

HM Prison Pentonville is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury area of the London Borough of Islington, north London. In 2015 the justice secretary, Michael Gove, described Pentonville as "the most dramatic example of failure" within the prisons estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Wandsworth</span> Mens prison in London, England

HM Prison Wandsworth is a Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West London, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service and is one of the largest prisons in the UK.

John Thomas Straffen was a British serial killer who was the longest-serving prisoner in British history. After killing two young girls in the summer of 1951, he was found unfit to plead at trial and committed to Broadmoor Hospital. During a brief escape from Broadmoor in 1952, Straffen murdered a child in a nearby community, for which he was convicted and sentenced to death. Reprieved because of his mental state, he had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment. Straffen remained in prison until his death after 55 years, 3 months, and 26 days of incarceration.

In England and Wales, life imprisonment is a sentence that lasts until the death of the prisoner, although in most cases the prisoner will be eligible for parole after a minimum term set by the judge. In exceptional cases a judge may impose a "whole life order", meaning that the offender is never considered for parole, although they may still be released on compassionate grounds at the discretion of the Home Secretary. Whole life orders are usually imposed for aggravated murder, and can only be imposed where the offender was at least 21 years old at the time of the offence being committed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Frankland</span> Mens prison in County Durham, England

HM Prison Frankland is a Category A men's prison located in the village of Brasside in County Durham, England. Frankland is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is located next to HM Prison Low Newton, a closed women's prison.

HM Prison Low Newton is a closed prison for female adults and young offenders in Brasside, County Durham, England. The prison, which is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, is next to HMP Frankland, a Category A men's prison. Notable inmates at the prison include formerly Rosemary West, as well as spree killer Joanna Dennehy and serial killer Lucy Letby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Wakefield</span> Prison in West Yorkshire, England

His Majesty's Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been nicknamed the "Monster Mansion" due to the large number of high-profile, high-risk sex offenders and murderers held there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Cardiff</span> Prison in Cardiff, Wales

HM Prison Cardiff is a Category B men's prison, located in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff, Wales. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Long Lartin</span> Mens prison in Worcestershire, England

HM Prison Long Lartin is a Category A men's prison, located in the village of South Littleton in the Wychavon district in Worcestershire, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Bristol</span> Prison in Bristol, England

HMP Bristol is a Category B men's prison, located in the Horfield area of Bristol. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Styal</span> Womens prison in Styal, England

HM Prison Styal is a Closed Category prison for female adults and young offenders in Styal, Cheshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Winchester</span>

HM Prison Winchester is a Category B men's prison, located in Winchester, Hampshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

HM Prison Gartree is a Category B men's prison, located in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England. Gartree is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Bedford</span> Prison in Bedford, England

HMP Bedford is a Category B men's prison, located in the Harpur area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Chelmsford</span> Prison in Essex, England

HM Prison Chelmsford is a Category B men's prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in Chelmsford, Essex, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

HM Prison Deerbolt is a male Category C Training Prison in Barnard Castle, County Durham, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

HM Prison Highpoint North is a Category C men's prison, located in the village of Stradishall in Suffolk, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Rikki Neave</span> 1994 child murder in Peterborough, England

Rikki Neave was a six-year-old boy who was murdered on 28 November 1994 by a 13-year-old boy, James Watson, in Peterborough, England. In 1996, his abusive mother, Ruth Neave, was tried and acquitted of his murder. Watson was convicted of the murder in 2022 after new DNA evidence was found.

References

  1. Ministry of Justice Durham Prison information Prison finder, 5 March 2012, retrieved 30 September 2015
  2. "Northgate Prison, Durham". British Library. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  3. "The Great North Gate". Durham World Heritage Site. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  4. "The History of Durham Prison". Durham University. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  5. "What was it like to be a prisoner?". Durham University. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Durham prison". Capitalpunishmentuk.org. n.d. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  7. "DURHAM PRISON C WING, City of Durham - 1310524 | Historic England".
  8. "Crime and Punishment in Durham: The History of Durham Prison". Dur.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  9. Published on 12/06/2008 10:49 (17 December 1958). "1958: Last man hanged - News". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 12 April 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. "Irish Republicans, Durham Prison, England, August 1918".
  11. Cohen, Stanley; Taylor, Laurie (1972). Psychological Survival: The Experience of Long-term Imprisonment. ISBN   9780140216578.
  12. "Durham Prison - Hansard - UK Parliament".
  13. "Progressive prison wins praise". BBC News. 18 September 2001. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  14. "Durham Prison tops suicide table". BBC News. 12 January 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  15. "Report highlights overcrowding". BBC News. 13 January 2004. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  16. "Call to move 'She Wing' prisoners". BBC News. 5 September 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2010. She Wing has seen six suicides in 18 months among its female inmate population of 100.
  17. "Two prisons to shut in efficiency bid, MoJ says". BBC News. 13 July 2011.
  18. Mike Kelly Durham Prison criticised for violence and drug taking among inmates The Journal, 20 May 2014
  19. "Prison | Channel 4".
  20. 1 2 "Durham Prison".
  21. "It has housed Rose West, Myra Hindley and Ronnie Kray - but what is Durham Prison really like?".
  22. "The brutal murder of Greenhithe teenager Claire Tiltman and why it took 21 years to bring her killer to justice". Kent Online. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  23. Dalton, Nia; Eve, Carl (14 April 2024). "Dad is campaigning to ensure his family's killer is not released". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  24. Irish Republican Female Prisons Account - Durham Prison Blogsome.com 2007/12/21 Archived 5 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  25. "Durham Prison History Including Mary Anne Cotton". Archived from the original on 5 January 2008.
  26. Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 17 Jan 2000 (pt 35)". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. 1 2 3 "From gangsters to moors murderers: Meet HMP Durham's most notorious inmates". 21 September 2020.
  28. "Turbulent day at Climbié inquiry". 8 January 2002.
  29. "Sex with 'Chucky' killer; Prison boss resigns over his secret affair". The Free Library. 28 January 1996. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  30. Pettifor, Tom; Smith, Louie (22 April 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: Rikki Neave's mum shared jail with killer Myra Hindley who said 'you're not a murderer'". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  31. "24 Hours in Police Custody: The Murder of Rikki Neave". All4.
  32. Innocent. "Guardian Newspaper: Guildford Four Ten Years On". Innocent.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  33. "Mother admits killing third baby". BBC News. 22 April 2004. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  34. Hughes, Marcos (30 September 2018). "The brutal killing of a pensioner by two teenage girls who stabbed and scalped her". Wales Online. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  35. "'The darkest hour is before the dawn'". The Independent. 3 June 1996. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  36. Ambushed: My Story - Judith Ward, Vermilion Books, December 1995
  37. 1 2 "Crime and Punishment in Durham: The History of Durham Prison". Durham University. Archived from the original on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
  38. "Rose West's prison unit to close". BBC News. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
  39. 1 2 "The Hood, The Bad and the Ugly - Scotsman Newspaper". News.scotsman.com. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  40. "Former Newcastle footballer Andy Ferrell talks about losing it all and getting back on track". Chronicle Live. 27 May 2015.
  41. "New book throws up surprise twists in case of Kieran Kelly, Irishman reputed to have killed 31 people".
  42. Carter, Helen; Weaver, Matthew (5 July 2010). "Police were warned of Raoul Moat's threat to harm ex-girlfriend". The Guardian. London.
  43. 1 2 McVicar by Himself first published by Hutchinson's in 1974
  44. "Straffen moved", The Times, 23 May 1968, p. 1
  45. Kennedy, Rob; Finnegan, Sophie (20 June 2022). "Nikki Allan murder accused in court: Man pleads not guilty". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  46. "Durham prison". Capital Punishment UK.
  47. Wilson, David; O'Sullivan, Sean (2004). Images of Incarceration: Representations of Prison in Film and Television Drama. ISBN   9781904380085.

54°46′24″N1°34′05″W / 54.77333°N 1.56806°W / 54.77333; -1.56806