This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2021) |
Location | Perth, Perth and Kinross |
---|---|
Status | Operational |
Security class | Category A |
Capacity | 670+ |
Opened | 1840 |
Managed by | Scottish Prison Service |
Governor | Andrew Hodge |
HM Prison Perth is a prison in Perth, Scotland, which houses remand, short term, long term and life adult male prisoners (those prisoners serving under four years). It was originally constructed to hold French prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars, and is the oldest working prison in Scotland.
The prison is a maximum security establishment which also houses fine defaulters and those on remand from the courts of Angus, the Dundee City council area, Perth and Kinross and the northern part of Fife. There is a secure unit for Category A prisoners who are serving sentences of up to life imprisonment. It is Scotland's oldest prison still in use. [1]
The main building, a half-mile (1 km) south of the city centre beyond the South Inch, was constructed by architect Robert Reid (1774–1856) from 1810-12 to hold French prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars, when it was known as the Depot. In 1842, the building began service as a civilian prison. It comprises three halls, labelled A to C, (originally five) and has a capacity of 630 prisoners.
A second building, Friarton Hall, which was, until 1999, a separate institution known as HM Prison Friarton, was situated opposite the southern end of Moncreiffe Island, 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) south southeast of the town centre. This modern building once served to prepare prisoners for open conditions and had a capacity of 89. Friarton closed in early 2010 and was demolished to make way for a housing estate. [2]
The prison no longer has a D or an E hall. The original C Hall was replaced in 2006 by a newer Hall holding 365 prisoners. The prison now holds approaching 700 prisoners, including a large number serving for more than four years.
In 1965, the United Kingdom's last condemned suite to be built was constructed at the prison. The building was separate from the rest of the prison and was known as the 'Hanging Block'. It was never used as the death penalty was suspended later that year and abolished for murder in 1969. [3]
When the gallows at HMP Barlinnie were removed in 1995, the Perth facility was retained for use in the unlikely event of a death sentence being executed for one of the remaining capital offences. After the final abolition of the death penalty for all offences in 1998, it became an officer training facility and was demolished in 2006. [4]
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.
His Majesty's Young Offenders Institution are youth detention centres for offenders between ages 15 to 21 in the United Kingdom. These offenders will have received a custodial sentence following criminal offence convictions or may be being held on remand awaiting trial on pending charges.
Forest Bank Prison is a Category B men's private prison, in the Agecroft area of Pendlebury in Salford, England. The prison is currently operated by Sodexo Justice Services.
Castle Huntly is a castle in Scotland, now used as a prison under the name HMP Castle Huntly. It is located approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of Dundee in the Carse of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, close to the shore of the Firth of Tay, and can be seen from the main road linking Dundee and Perth. The castle sits on top of a rocky outcrop surrounded by what is now farmland. In ancient times this land was marshy wilderness and the decision to locate the castle on the rock may have been taken with a view to the castle's defensive position in mind.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with managing prisons and Young Offender Institutions.
HM Prison Barlinnie is the largest prison in Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Prison Service and is located in the residential suburb of Riddrie, in the north east of Glasgow, Scotland. It is informally known locally as The Big Hoose, Bar and Bar-L. In 2018, plans for its closure were announced.
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 Dumfries services the courts of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The establishment serves as a local community prison that holds adult and under 21 males who are remanded in custody for trial and those convicted but remanded for reports. The prison was built in 1883 by Thomas Bernard Collinson and extended with additions in 1988. The old building is a Category B Listed Building. It is one of only three purpose built 19th century prisons still in use, the others being HM Prison Perth and HM Prison Barlinnie.
HMP Edinburgh is located in the west of Edinburgh on the main A71, in an area now known as Stenhouse, and, although never named as such, has commonly been known as Saughton Prison from the old name for the general area. The prison is situated on the edge of a predominantly residential area and has good transport and road links to the city centre, which provides good access both for local courts and prison visitors. The building of the prison began on 31 July 1914 with the first prisoner being received in 1919. The prison consists of four halls: Glenesk, Hermiston, Ingliston and Ratho.
In the United Kingdom, prisoners are divided into four categories of security. Each adult is assigned to a category according to their crime, sentence, the risk of escape, and violent tendencies. The categories are designated with the letters A to D, with A being the highest level of security, and D the lowest.
HMP Greenock is a prison located in Greenock, Scotland, serving designated courts in western Scotland by holding male prisoners on remand, and short-term convicted prisoners. It also provides a national facility for selected prisoners serving 12 years or over, affording them the opportunity for progression towards release. It also accommodates a small number of female prisoners ranging from remand to long-term. Although officially labelled as HMP Greenock, it continues to be known by its original name Gateside Prison.
HM Prison and Young Offenders Institute Bullingdon is a prison in Oxfordshire, England. It is a public sector prison operated by HM Prison and Probation Service.
HM Prison Foston Hall is a women's closed category prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of Foston in Derbyshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
HM Prison Haverigg is a Category D men's prison, located in the village of Haverigg in Cumbria, and historically in Cumberland, England. The prison is situated just outside the Lake District National Park.
HM Prison Risley is a category C men's prison, located in the Risley area of Warrington, Cheshire, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
HMP Glenochil is a prison located near Tullibody, Scotland. It houses male offenders of High, Medium and Low security classifications. The prison does not accept prisoners directly from the courts but commits prisoners who have been previously convicted and located in other prisons, primarily HMP Perth, HMP Edinburgh, HMP Barlinnie and HMP Grampian. The prison has a design capacity of 670 prisoners and in May 2010 held 668 prisoners. The governor is Natalie Beal.
HM Prison Shotts is a prison near Shotts, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is a prison holding male prisoners with maximum security classification. Shotts exclusively holds prisoners serving a term of 5 years or longer, with some prisoners being transferred from other prisons due to a need for a more secure environment. The original prison was opened in 1978 with a design capacity of 528 inmates; the prison was completely rebuilt and new facilities opened in 2012, with a capacity of 538 adult male prisoners.
HMP & YOI Grampian is a high security prison in Peterhead, Scotland. It is the only such facility in the northeast of the country, having replaced the former HMPs in Aberdeen and Peterhead in 2014. It is the newest jail in Scotland and amongst the newest in the United Kingdom. It has a design capacity of around 560 inmates.
HM Prison Friarton was a place of detention for young (male) offenders aged between 16 and 21. It was located on the outskirts of Perth, Scotland, opposite the southern end of the city's Friarton Island. It occupied the former site of Friarton Fever Hospital, designed by Perth natives J. & G. Young. Upon its opening in 1963, it became one of two such establishments in Scotland, the other being South Inch House in Clackmannanshire.