- Wandsworth (HM Prison)
Infobox HM Prison
name = HMP Wandsworth
size =
caption =
opened =1851
type = Adult Male/Local
figures = 1456 (November 2007)
location =Wandsworth ,London
governor = Ian Mulholland
prisonid = 474HM Prison Wandsworth Gaol is a
prison in theWandsworth area ofLondon , England. The prison is operated byHer Majesty's Prison Service . As of November2007 , the operational capacity of Wandsworth Prison was 1456, making it the largest prison in London, and Britain, and one of the largest in western Europe, with similar capacity to Liverpool prison.History
The gaol was built in
1851 when it was known as "Surrey House of Correction". It was designed according to the humanePanopticon principle with a number ofcorridor s radiating from a central control point with each prisoner havingtoilet facilities. The toilets were subsequently removed to increase prison capacity and the prisoners had to engage in the purposefully humiliating process of 'slopping-out' until1996 .In
1930 , inmate James Edward Spiers, serving a 10 year sentence forarmed robbery committed suicide in front of a group of Justices of the Peace who were there to witness him receive 15 lashes, then a form ofcorporal punishment . cite news |title=Wandsworth Walloper |publisher=Time magazine online |date=1930-02-17 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,738671,00.html |accessdate=2007-06-23]In
1951 , the gaol was chosen as the site for a national stock of two types of implement for serious corporal punishment inflicted in prison under Magistrate's orders, either as part of the original sentence or as a disciplinary punishment under the prison rules - birch andcat o' nine tails .Fact|date=June 2007Execution site
Wandsworth was the site of 135 executions, from
1878 to1961 . Among those executed wereDuncan Scott-Ford ,William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw ) andJohn Amery who were hanged for treachery, as well as George Chapman,John George Haigh ,Guenther Podola andAugust Sangret hanged formurder . One of the last prisoners to be executed, 19-year-oldDerek Bentley , was controversially hanged in1953 for murder.The
gallows were dismantled in1993 and the condemned suite is now used as atea room for theprison officer s.Fact|date=June 2007The prison today
Wandsworth Prison contains eight wings on two units. The smallest unit, containing three wings, was originally designed for women but now houses the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit - primarily those convicted of
sex offences .Education and training courses are offered at Wandsworth, and are contracted from
Amersham and Wycombe College . Facilities at the prison include twogym s and a sports hall. The large prison chaplaincy offers chaplains from theRoman Catholic ,Anglican ,Methodist ,Muslim ,Jewish ,Sikh ,Hindu ,Buddist ,Mormon andJehovah's Witness faiths.The PACT Centre is a visitors' centre at Wandsworth Prison. Facilities include a rest area, refreshments and a children's play area. The centre also provides information on a selection of support agencies, such as the Prisoners' Families & Friends Service.
Notable inmates
*
Oscar Wilde ,writer
*Ronnie Kray ,organised crime leader [ [http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/kray/brother_6.html Crime Library - He's My Brother] ]
*Ronnie Biggs , participant in the Great Train Robbery, who successfully escaped from the prison in 1965 before fleeing the countryIn Popular culture
*Wandsworth is mentioned in:
**TheSqueeze songCool for Cats .
**Spike (Elvis Costello album) songLet Him Dangle .
**Gene (band) songTruth rest your head .
**Wandsworth prison is mentioned in James Lloyd's infamous diary detailing the exploits of bent screws (prison officers) and the high availibility of controlled substances, a direct consequence of the corrupted system that is currently in place to manage people that have been convicted of a crime or are simply awaiting trial...References
External links
* [http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/prisoninformation/locateaprison/prison.asp?id=474,15,2,15,474,0 Wandsworth Prison]
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