HM Prison Durham

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 continues to be operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Women prisoners were moved in 2005 due to overcrowding and suicides.

"Durham prison" redirects here. For the high security prison on the outskirts of Durham, see HM Prison Frankland.

HMP Durham
Durham Prison viewed from the main tower of the cathedral
LocationDurham, County Durham
Security classAdult Male/Category B
Capacity980 as of 2022[1]
Population980 (as of September 2022)
Opened19th century
Managed byHM Prison Services
GovernorPhil Husband OBE
WebsiteDurham at justice.gov.uk

History

The Northgate was established in Saddler Street in 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 it was enlarged in 1773.[4] There was also a House of Correction, also known as the Bridewell, which was established on the north side of Elvet Bridge in 1634.[5]

In the early 19th century it was decided to consolidate these two institutions at the current site, just south of the new Durham Courthouse: the new prison, consisting of some 600 cells, opened in 1819.[6]

In 1832, protests over working conditions in the South Shields workhouse were supported by miner 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] The prison's C wing was built in 1850.[7] Between 1869 and 1958, 95 judicial executions took place on the gallows at Durham prison or the court house.[6]

Irish Republicans were imprisoned in Durham in 1918.[8]

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][9][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 a 19-year-old-prisoner Darren Brook was murdered by another prisoner.[12]

Durham (which was a Category A prison for men and women at the time) was praised in 2001 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 suicide rate of all prisons in England.[14]

In 2004 a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised Durham for being severely overcrowded. The report highlighted the lack of education and work opportunities for inmates at the prison.[15] In 2005 Durham's 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]

On 13 July 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 budget 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 would be expected in 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]

21st Century

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, plus a segregation section and 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
  • The 1980 British film McVicar starring Roger Daltrey is partially set in Durham Prison.[45]
  • The Prison is featured in Longford (2006) - Myra Hindley as an inmate

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. "Durham prison". Capitalpunishmentuk.org. n.d. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  7. "DURHAM PRISON C WING, City of Durham - 1310524 | Historic England".
  8. "Irish Republicans, Durham Prison, England, August 1918".
  9. "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.
  10. Published on 12/06/2008 10:49 (17 December 1958). "1958: Last man hanged - News". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  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. "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. Irish Republican Female Prisons Account - Durham Prison Blogsome.com 2007/12/21 Archived 5 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  24. "Durham Prison History Including Mary Anne Cotton". Archived from the original on 5 January 2008.
  25. 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)
  26. "From gangsters to moors murderers: Meet HMP Durham's most notorious inmates". 21 September 2020.
  27. "Turbulent day at Climbié inquiry". 8 January 2002.
  28. "Sex with 'Chucky' killer; Prison boss resigns over his secret affair". The Free Library. 28 January 1996. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  29. 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.
  30. "24 Hours in Police Custody: The Murder of Rikki Neave". All4.
  31. Innocent. "Guardian Newspaper: Guildford Four Ten Years On". Innocent.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  32. "Mother admits killing third baby". BBC News. 22 April 2004. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  33. 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.
  34. "'The darkest hour is before the dawn'". The Independent. 3 June 1996. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  35. Ambushed: My Story - Judith Ward, Vermilion Books, December 1995
  36. "Crime and Punishment in Durham: The History of Durham Prison". Durham University. Archived from the original on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
  37. "Rose West's prison unit to close". BBC News. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
  38. "The Hood, The Bad and the Ugly - Scotsman Newspaper". News.scotsman.com. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  39. "Former Newcastle footballer Andy Ferrell talks about losing it all and getting back on track". Chronicle Live. 27 May 2015.
  40. "New book throws up surprise twists in case of Kieran Kelly, Irishman reputed to have killed 31 people".
  41. Carter, Helen; Weaver, Matthew (5 July 2010). "Police were warned of Raoul Moat's threat to harm ex-girlfriend". The Guardian. London.
  42. McVicar by Himself first published by Hutchinson's in 1974
  43. "Straffen moved", The Times, 23 May 1968, p. 1
  44. Kennedy, Rob; Finnegan, Sophie (20 June 2022). "Nikki Allan murder accused in court: Man pleads not guilty". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  45. Wilson, David; O'Sullivan, Sean (2004). Images of Incarceration: Representations of Prison in Film and Television Drama. ISBN 9781904380085.

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