Location | North Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°47′57″S151°00′00″E / 33.79905°S 151.0°E |
Status | Closed |
Security class | Medium security (males only) |
Capacity | 580 |
Opened | 1 January 1798(in Parramatta) |
Closed | 9 October 2011 |
Former name | Parramatta Gaol |
Managed by | Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council |
Building details | |
Location in Greater Sydney | |
General information | |
Opened | 2 January 1842(current site) |
Owner | Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council |
Technical details | |
Material | Sandstone, stone slab floors, ashlar walls and timber roof trusses |
Grounds | 8.743 hectares (21.60 acres) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | George Barney and Mortimer Lewis |
Architecture firm | Colonial Architect of New South Wales |
Official name | Parramatta Gaol (former),73 O'Connell St,North Parramatta,NSW,Australia |
Designated | 14 May 1991 |
Reference no. | 3090 |
Criteria | a.,c.,e. |
Designated | 2 April 1999 |
Reference no. | 00812 |
The Parramatta Correctional Centre is a heritage-listed former medium security prison for males on the corner of O'Connell and Dunlop Streets,North Parramatta,Sydney,New South Wales,Australia. It was in operation between 1798 and 2011. The centre was initially called Parramatta Gaol until its name was changed to Parramatta Correctional Centre in 1992. When in operation,the centre was managed by Corrective Services NSW,an agency of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales. Immediately prior to its closure,the centre detained short term sentenced and remand inmates,operated as a transient centre,and was the periodic detention centre for metropolitan Sydney.
Designed by George Barney and Mortimer Lewis,the complex is listed on the Register of the National Estate [1] and the New South Wales State Heritage Register as a site of State significance. [2]
Correctional facilities were first established in Parramatta in 1798,being "a strong logged gaol of 100 feet in length,with separate cells for the prisoners ... and paled around with very high fence",housing eight prisoners. [3] In 1799,a fire destroyed this facility and it was rebuilt in 1802 on the same site (now occupied by Riverside Theatres). [4]
The current Parramatta Correctional Centre was the third gaol to be built in Parramatta and was completed in 1842. The original design was submitted by Mortimer Lewis for Governor Bourke in 1835,however the buildings were commenced to a design by Captain George Barney,the Commanding Royal Engineer. When the first building was completed in 1842 by (James) Houison and Payten,Thomas Duke Allen was installed as the gaoler,with his wife Martha acting as matron for the female prisoners. [5] [2]
Between 1842 and 1861,a number of improvements were made to conditions within the prison,but major extensions were not undertaken until 1862. As a result of the population boom caused by the gold rushes,both Victoria and New South Wales were forced to expand their penal facilities between 1858 and 1865. During this time,the perimeter wall of the original gaol was extended to enclose a portion of land equal in size to the existing allotment. In August 1863 as the wall was nearing completion,William Coles,the first clerk of works for the Colonial Architect,initiated a substantial works programme in both the original and new areas of the gaol. This included demolition of the portion of wall separating the new and old sections of the gaol and the construction of various workshops,a cookhouse and extra cells in existing wings,as well as the installation of new utilities including underground water tanks. [2]
Three further extensions of the gaol perimeter wall were carried out during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Within the new enclosure,three cell wings were slowly built between 1883 and 1889,largely with prison labour. Owing to overcrowding of the observation ward at Darlinghurst Gaol part of one of these wings was set aside for prisoners who had been deemed insane. In 1899,a 32 unit radial exercise yard was constructed in the space formed on three sides by the recently constructed wings. At this time the cells were also converted from associated cells to single cells,under the influence of comptroller general,William Frederick Neitenstein. [5] [2]
The period from the end of the nineteenth century to WWI was devoted to the improvement of auxiliary facilities –industrial,spiritual and hygienic. In 1906 –1908,a chapel was constructed within the prison walls while sewerage and ablutions blocks were upgraded. [2]
Due to declining entries into the penal system,the gaol was disestablished on 15 September 1918 and the property given over to the inspector of mental hospitals. At this time the western sandstone perimeter walls were demolished and much of the equipment and internal fittings removed. By 1927 however,with an increase in demand on the system,the gaol was rehabilitated and was re-established in 1927. Notably,this rehabilitation involved the conversion of the single cells back to associated cells. Parramatta became a centre for re-training and rehabilitation. [5] [2]
The 1940s began a period of official mistreatment of nineteenth century institutional establishments and a number of unsympathetic buildings were approved for construction. In the 1970s,the Parramatta Linen Service,a large auditorium and an extension to the gatehouse were built. This period also saw the opening of periodic detention centres for males and females. [2]
A new development scheme completed in 1993 included a pedestrian and large vehicle entry off Dunlop Street and new adjacent buildings for reception,administration and visiting facilities. These new designs attempted to match the form and scale of the original precinct,with hipped roofs and bricks which complemented the sandstone. [5] [2]
The centre closed briefly between 3 September 1997 and 1998. [3]
In 2004,there were calls for the centre to be closed after two inmates escaped by scaling the prison wall using ladders without being seen by guards. [6]
In July 2011,Corrective Services NSW announced that the Parramatta Correctional Centre would close,which took effect on 9 October 2011. [7] [8] [9] State Property Management Authority administered the site until 2015, [2] and has now been returned to the Deerubin Local Aboriginal Lands Council as part of a historic lands grant. [10]
During 2012 the centre was used for the setting of a film,The Convict,and has been used in filming for Home and Away , Underbelly , [12] Packed to the Rafters , Rake , Redfern Now ,and Housos television series. [13]
On 24 February 2012 the NSW Aboriginal Land Council lodged a land claim on the former jail site (as decommissioned Crown Land); [2] and it was reported that management of the property was transferred to the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council in 2015. [14]
The Gaol also runs "Ghost Hunts" and tours fortnightly. [15]
Parramatta Gaol is a tooled sandstone structure of several wings,enclosed by high sandstone walls topped with observation towers. Designed in Old Grecian style,it consists of six cell blocks,three storeys in height. To the rear are three radiating semi-circular or rectangular two storey prison blocks. A number of cells have been enlarged to house two prisoners. Uniformity of materials used during times of addition contribute to the cohesion of this group of sandstone buildings. Talls are generally hand dressed,with slate clad timber roof structure. [2]
It was reported to be in good condition as at 28 July 1997. Much of the original precinct remains intact although many of the internal fittings have been removed. [2]
Parramatta Correctional Centre was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. [2]
The place is important in demonstrating the course,or pattern,of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.
Up until its closure in 2011,the Parramatta Correctional Centre was the oldest gaol in original use in Australia. It is the most intact of the pre-1850s gaols of Australia. It has strong,documented,century and a half associations with people who have shaped its fabric and regimes and with those who have been shaped by it. The complex is also of value to Parramatta as an element in a group of early institutions linked by a parkland setting along the left bank of the Parramatta River,including the Cumberland Hospital (former Female Factory 1822) and the Norma Parker Centre. (former Roman Catholic Orphan School of 1841–43). [2]
The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.
The constructional character and quality of the early buildings,in particular the stone slab floors,ashlar walls and timber roof trusses,are exceptional. It is significant in its physical and spatial quality as an enclosed complex:in particular the character established by its coherent architectural form and predominant sandstone and slate materials. [2]
The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The fabric reflects the shifts in penal philosophy and changes in use from the 1830s to the construction of Long Bay in the early twentieth century. The fabric is an educational and archaeological resource,as a continuing document of Australian social history and a potential source of information about the cultural past of the colony since 1788. [2]
The song "Tomorrow",recorded by Australian rock band Cold Chisel on their 1980 album East ,apparently portrays the desperation of a Parramatta Gaol inmate on a life sentence who,having escaped three days earlier,faces imminent recapture. [16]
The Parramatta Correctional Centre has been the filming location of various Australian productions,including Wake in Fright ,Home and Away,Rake,Redfern Now,Packed to the Rafters and Underbelly. [17]
The following individuals have served all or part of their sentence at the Parramatta Correctional Centre:
Inmate name | Date sentenced | Length of sentence | Incarceration status | Nature of conviction / Notoriety | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darcy Dugan | Life imprisonment | Released on parole in 1984. Died 1991. | Bank robbery and a notorious prison escape artist. | [18] | |
William Henry Eyes | July 1884 | 3 years | Pardoned in 1885. Deceased 1907. | English-born Australian convicted for the sexual assault of a young girl;later a successful politician in New Zealand. | [19] |
George Freeman | 1954 | Deceased 1990 | Convicted of theft. An organised crime figure and illegal casino operator. | [18] | |
John 'Chow' Hayes | several | 15 years to begin | Deceased 1993 | Underworld figure,standover man and convicted murderer. | [13] |
Len Lawson | Life imprisonment | Died in custody in 2003 | Rapist and murderer. | [20] | |
Jim McNeil | 17 years | Released on parole in c. 1974. Died 1982. | Playwright,armed robbery | [21] | |
Neddy Smith | Life imprisonment | Died in custody at Long Bay Gaol in 2021 | Armed robbery,murderer and heroin dealer,accused of being a hitman,served life. | [13] [22] | |
Tim Anderson | 1979 | 16 years | Exonerated and released in 1985. | Anderson's 1979 conviction of conspiracy to commit murder was overturned in 1985. His original conviction is cited as a miscarriage of justice. | [23] [24] |
One of the killers of Dr Victor Chang,Choon Tee Philip Lim,a Malaysian citizen,was in Parramatta jail. He was released into the custody of waiting immigration officials and was deported to Malaysia soon after this. He was one of the last prisoners in the jail before its closure. [25]
The Long Bay Correctional Complex, commonly called Long Bay, is a correctional facility comprising a heritage-listed maximum and minimum security prison for males and females and a hospital to treat prisoners, psychiatric cases and remandees, located in Malabar, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The complex is located approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the Sydney CBD and is contained within a 32-hectare (79-acre) site. The facility is operated by Corrective Services New South Wales, a department administered by the Government of New South Wales.
The former Grafton Gaol, later called the Grafton Correctional Centre and then Grafton Intake and Transient Centre is a heritage-listed former medium security prison for males and females, located in Grafton, Clarence Valley Council, New South Wales, Australia. The centre was operated by Corrective Services NSW an agency of the Department of Attorney General and Justice of the Government of New South Wales. In its last correctional use, the centre detained sentenced and remand prisoners under New South Wales and/or Commonwealth legislation. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Broken Hill Correctional Centre, formerly Broken Hill Gaol, is an Australian minimum and medium security prison for men and women located in Broken Hill, New South Wales, around 1,190 km (740 mi) from Sydney. Opened in 1892, it is the fourth-oldest prison still in operation in NSW.
Parklea Correctional Centre, a privately managed Australian maximum and minimum security prison for males, is located at Parklea, in the north-western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. The facility is operated by MTC Ventia and has a current capacity for 1,350 inmates. The Centre accepts prisoners charged and convicted under New South Wales and/or Commonwealth legislation and incorporates a minimum-security work-release centre for inmates nearing release with a capacity of 120. A Compulsory Drug Treatment Correctional unit is incorporated within the centre.
The Goulburn Correctional Centre, is an Australian supermaximum security prison for males. It is located in Goulburn, New South Wales, three kilometres north-east of the central business district. The facility is operated by Corrective Services NSW. The Complex accepts prisoners charged and convicted under New South Wales and/or Commonwealth legislation and serves as a reception prison for Southern New South Wales, and, in some cases, for inmates from the Australian Capital Territory.
St Heliers Correctional Centre is a prison farm for men located outside the town of Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia, and operated by the Corrective Services division of the Department of Communities and Justice. St Heliers generally holds prisoners serving sentences under State or Australian criminal law and has a capacity of 256.
Lithgow Correctional Centre is a prison near Lithgow, Australia, operated by Corrective Services NSW, an agency of the New South Wales state government. The prison houses sentenced male inmates with a maximum security classification.
Tamworth Correctional Centre, an Australian medium security prison for males, is located in Tamworth, New South Wales, 397 kilometres (247 mi) north of Sydney. The facility is operated by Corrective Services NSW, an agency of the Department of Communities and Justice, of the Government of New South Wales. The Centre detains sentenced and remand prisoners under New South Wales and/or Commonwealth legislation and serves as a reception prison for north–western New South Wales. A periodic detention centre for males was opened in March 1997.
The Silverwater Correctional Complex, an Australian maximum and minimum security prison complex for males and females, is located in Silverwater, 21 km (13 mi) west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The complex is operated by Corrective Services NSW, an agency of the New South Wales Government Department of Communities and Justice.
Bathurst Correctional Centre, originally built as Bathurst Gaol in 1888, is a prison for men and women located in the city of Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, and operated by the Department of Communities and Justice. Bathurst holds inmates sentenced under State or Australian criminal law, along with a small number of remand prisoners.
Cessnock Correctional Centre, an Australian minimum and maximum security prison for males, is located in Cessnock, New South Wales. It was opened in 1972 under the name Cessnock Training Centre. The centre is operated by Corrective Services NSW. It detains sentenced and remand prisoners under New South Wales and/or Commonwealth legislation.
Cooma Correctional Centre, an Australian minimum to medium prison for males, is located in Cooma, New South Wales. The centre is operated by Corrective Services NSW an agency of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales. The centre detains sentenced prisoners and persons on remand under New South Wales and/or Commonwealth legislation.
The Old Maitland Gaol, also known as Maitland Correctional Centre, is a heritage-listed former Australian prison located in East Maitland, New South Wales. Its construction was started in 1844 and prisoners first entered the gaol in 1848. By the time of its closure, on 31 January 1998, it had become the longest continuously-run gaol in Australia. It has since been turned into a museum and is a popular tourist attraction. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Berrima Correctional Centre was an Australian prison, located at Berrima, New South Wales. The Centre was operational between 1839 and 2011 with a number of breaks in between, was re-opened in September 2016 and then permanently closed in 2020. Initially established as Berrima Gaol, the facility closed in 1909 and reopened in 1949 as the Berrima Training Centre. The Centre was the oldest Australian correctional facility in operation. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Parramatta Female Factory, is a National Heritage Listed place and has three original sandstone buildings and the sandstone gaol walls. The Parramatta Female Factory was designed by convict architect Francis Greenway in 1818 and the only female building authorized by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. It comprises the 1821 Matron's Quarters and Administration and Stores Building, the 1821 Female Hospital and the 1826 3rd Class Female Penitentiary. It is the first female factory in the penal colony of New South Wales, and is located at 5 Fleet Street, North Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. It was one of 13 female factories in the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. In New South Wales, female factories were also established in Bathurst, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay. The factory idea was a combination of the functions of the British bridewells, prisons and workhouses. The Parramatta Female Factory is being considered for World Heritage listing.
The Hay Gaol is a heritage-listed former prison and now museum at 355 Church Street, Hay, Hay Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was an adult prison from 1880 to 1915 and 1930 until 1940, a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, and a juvenile facility, the Hay Institution for Girls, from 1961 to 1974. It was designed by James Barnet and Colonial Architect and built from 1879 to 1880 by Witcombe Brothers. The site faces Church Street, and is otherwise bounded by Piper, Macauley and Coke Streets, north-east of the town centre. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 13 March 2009.
Corrective Services New South Wales (CSNSW) is a division of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. CSNSW is responsible for the state's prisons and a range of programs for managing offenders in the community. The state has 36 prisons, 33 run by CSNSW and three privately operated. The agency traces its origins back to 1788, when New South Wales was founded as a penal colony.
Prince Alfred Square is a 1.5-hectare (3.7-acre) park on the northern side of the Parramatta River in the central business district of Parramatta. It is one of the oldest public parks in New South Wales and is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. St Patrick's Cathedral is located directly opposite the square to the west.
The Royal Commission into New South Wales Prisons, also known as the Nagle Royal Commission, was established in 1976 to inquire into the management of prisons in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The commission was headed by Supreme Court Justice John Flood Nagle. Nagle's report, handed down in 1978, described "an inefficient Department administering antiquated and disgraceful gaols; untrained and sometimes ignorant prison officers, resentful, intransigent and incapable of performing their tasks." The first of the Royal Commission's 252 recommendations was the dismissal of Corrective Services Commissioner Walter McGeechan – though the Government sacked McGeechan three months before receiving Nagle's final report.
This Wikipedia article was originally based on Parramatta Correctional Centre , entry number 00812 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 2 June 2018.