Bristol (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HMP Bristol is a Category B
men's prison
, located in the Horfield
area of Bristol
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
.
was hanged
for the murder of William Rowe during a robbery. His accomplice Dennis Whitty
met the same fate at HMP Winchester
on the same morning.
The prison aroused controversy in 1996 when it was revealed that prisoners were sometimes transported to and from Bristol by a stretched limousine
. Officials claimed the limo was only used when commercial taxis were not big enough to handle multiple prisoner transfers with prison officers as security. Soon after Bristol was upgraded to a Category A prison (part of the high security estate) holding the most dangerous prisoners.
A report from the Board of Visitors in 2000 criticised Bristol Prison for keeping some remand inmates on a punishment regime in segregation. Bristol faced more criticism in 2002 when it emerged that a shortage of staff nurses had resulted in the prison paying out thousands of pounds for agency nursing staff. A year later, Bristol was downgraded back to a Category B local prison, after repeated overcrowding and safety concerns from nearby residents.
Bristol Prison came in for more criticism in 2005 after a report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
cited inconsistent management, poor safety, and negative race relations at the jail. A year later officers
at the prison reported rising levels of violence due to widespread use of heroin, crack cocaine
and cannabis
among inmates.
prisoners as well as convicted prisoners, including prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment. The term 'local' means that this prison holds people on remand to the local courts. It also acts as a Category B facility for the southwest of England.
The prison provides courses in inter-personal skills and enhanced thinking as well as employment training. Some prisoners are employed in the prison workshops. In addition there is a listeners scheme operating at Bristol for prisoners who may be at risk from suicide
or self harm.
Prison security categories in the United Kingdom
There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
men's prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, located in the Horfield
Horfield
Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monks Park and Golden Hill are to the west. Lockleaze and...
area of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
.
History
Bristol's history includes fourteen executions, of which the last took place on 17 December 1963 when Russell PascoeRussell Pascoe
Russell Pascoe was—along with his 22-year-old accomplice Dennis Whitty—the third-last prisoner to be executed by hanging in a British prison. He was 23....
was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
for the murder of William Rowe during a robbery. His accomplice Dennis Whitty
Dennis Whitty
Dennis Whitty was the third-to-last prisoner to be executed by hanging in a British prison. He was 22....
met the same fate at HMP Winchester
HMP Winchester
HM Prison Winchester is a Category B men's prison, located in Winchester, Hampshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
on the same morning.
The prison aroused controversy in 1996 when it was revealed that prisoners were sometimes transported to and from Bristol by a stretched limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
. Officials claimed the limo was only used when commercial taxis were not big enough to handle multiple prisoner transfers with prison officers as security. Soon after Bristol was upgraded to a Category A prison (part of the high security estate) holding the most dangerous prisoners.
A report from the Board of Visitors in 2000 criticised Bristol Prison for keeping some remand inmates on a punishment regime in segregation. Bristol faced more criticism in 2002 when it emerged that a shortage of staff nurses had resulted in the prison paying out thousands of pounds for agency nursing staff. A year later, Bristol was downgraded back to a Category B local prison, after repeated overcrowding and safety concerns from nearby residents.
Bristol Prison came in for more criticism in 2005 after a report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
cited inconsistent management, poor safety, and negative race relations at the jail. A year later officers
at the prison reported rising levels of violence due to widespread use of heroin, crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
and cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
among inmates.
The prison today
Bristol Prison currently holds remandDetention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
prisoners as well as convicted prisoners, including prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment. The term 'local' means that this prison holds people on remand to the local courts. It also acts as a Category B facility for the southwest of England.
The prison provides courses in inter-personal skills and enhanced thinking as well as employment training. Some prisoners are employed in the prison workshops. In addition there is a listeners scheme operating at Bristol for prisoners who may be at risk from suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
or self harm.
Notable former inmates
- John StraffenJohn StraffenJohn Thomas Straffen was a British serial killer who was the longest-serving prisoner in British legal history. Straffen killed two young girls in the summer of 1951. He was found to be unfit to plead and committed to Broadmoor Hospital; during a brief escape in 1952 he killed again. This time he...
, the serial killerSerial killerA serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
was held at Bristol from 1947–1949 for lesser charges. - Gary GlitterGary GlitterGary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
, the shamed rock star spent two months at Bristol in 1999 for possession of child pornographyChild pornographyChild pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
.