HMP Canterbury is a former prison in Canterbury, Kent, England. The prison was operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. The former prison site was bought by

Canterbury Christ Church University , mottoeng = The truth shall set you free , established = 2005 – gained University status 1962 – teacher training college , type = Public , religious_affiliation = Church of England , city ...

in April 2014.

History

The prison originated as a county gaol in 1808 and served as a Home Office archive during the First World War. After a time as a

Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

Detention Centre during the Second World War, the prison reopened in 1946 as a local prison to serve the courts of Kent. In 2002 it became a category C training prison and in 2006 a foreign nationals prison. In 2003 Canterbury Prison was highlighted by the Prison Reform Trust as being one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country, claiming that Canterbury was overpopulated 57%. Two years later the Howard League for Penal Reform criticised the prison for its high rates of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

s amongst inmates. In 2007 Canterbury Prison was converted to hold only foreign national prisoners in the UK. This was to allow a centralisation of specialised immigration and language services for foreign prisoners, as well as to allow dedicated immigration officials to work on the deportation of as many inmates as possible (on completion of their sentence). In 2008 the Princess Royal visited Canterbury as part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the prison. On 10 January 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced that Canterbury was one of six prisons that would close. The prison formally closed on 31 March 2013 and was put up for sale in March 2014. In April it was announced that

had bought the former prison site, and is consulting on using the site for student accommodation for its North Holmes Campus.

Notable former inmates

* Michael Stone * Silvino Francisco * Ronnie and Reggie Kray * Salman Butt * Mohammad Asif

References

External links

History of Canterbury Prison from theprison.org.ukHMP Canterbury - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
{{Prisons in South East England Canterbury 1808 establishments in England Prison 2013 disestablishments in England Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury