HMP Brixton
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HM Prison Brixton is a local men's prison, located in
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
area of the
London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London ...
, in
inner Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...
-
South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...
. The prison is operated by
His Majesty's Prison Service His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wale ...
.


History

The prison was originally built in 1820 and opened as the ''Surrey House of Correction'', Brixton Prison was intended to house 175 prisoners. However, regularly exceeding its capacity supporting over 200 prisoners, overcrowding was an early problem and with its small cells and poor living conditions contributed to its reputation as one of the worst prisons in London (worsened when Brixton became one of the first prisons to introduce penal treadmills in 1821). There is an illustration of prisoners on the 1821 treadmill used to mill corn in Surrey House of Correction. Conditions for women were especially harsh as newly arrived female inmates were made to spend four months in
solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...
and, following their introduction into the general prison population, would be required to maintain a condition of silent association. Female inmates were allowed over time to earn privileges, which included limited conversation, payment for labour, the right to receive letters and visitation rights. Eventually the problem of overcrowding was addressed, with the prison expanding to house over 800 prisoners and, in 1852, the British government converted Brixton into a women's correctional facility after Van Diemen's Land (modern day Tasmania) became the final colony to refuse to accept women prisoners from England, under the
penal transportation Penal transportation or transportation was the relocation of convicted criminals, or other persons regarded as undesirable, to a distant place, often a colony, for a specified term; later, specifically established penal colonies became their ...
process. Conditions in the prison gradually improved during the mid-19th century as a nursery was opened in the prison for children under the age of four and, by 1860, inmates were allowed to keep their children until the end of their prison sentences. Brixton eventually became a military prison from 1882 until 1898 and remained a trial-and-remand prison for London and the Home Counties until 2012. The footings for the treadmill remain and are visible and the former condemned cell is now an enlarged cell with six beds. A 1902 photograph shows the newly-built execution shed, which was never used and was repurposed as a staff gym. On 7 July 1991 two Provisional IRA prisoners, Pearse McAuley and Nessan Quinlivan, escaped from the prison by subduing a guard. They managed to scale the walls and hijack the car of a passing member of the public before reaching the Baker Street Underground station. They managed to flee to the Republic of Ireland.


Recent history

In October 1999, Prisons Minister Paul Boateng had to make an emergency visit to Brixton Prison after a spate of multiple suicide attempts by inmates being held in the medical wards of the jail. The minister subsequently promised more nurses and staff for the prison's healthcare unit. A month later, Boateng threatened to privatise Brixton Prison if improvements were not made by management to the regime and conditions at the jail. In the spring of 2000 a surprise inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons resulted in the Director of the Prison Service being summoned to see the appalling conditions in which prisoners with mental health issues were being kept. The governor was removed the same day, only to be reappointed to run HM Prison Downview a few weeks later. It was also noted that cell call buzzers had been sabotaged by prison officers so as not to be disturbed during their shifts, only a small light remaining operational to indicate activation of a cell emergency call. In August 2000, prison officers from all over the UK staged an illegal strike after the government released proposals confirming intentions to privatise Brixton Prison. The privatisation plans were subsequently dropped, and Brixton Prison has remained in the public sector. In January 2001, an inspection report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons severely criticised conditions at Brixton Prison. The report claimed that staff had falsified records and tried to sabotage the inspection. Standards of healthcare and race relations within the prison were also criticised. In June 2004, a further inspection report praised Brixton Prison for improving standards. The report highlighted the prisons good staff-prisoner relations and improved support for new prisoners. However, inspectors highlighted overcrowding as a major issue that was hampering further improvements at the jail. Another inspection report in July 2006 stated that poor facilities were holding back improvements being made to Brixton Prison. The prison's kitchens, healthcare and sports facilities were highlighted as being particularly inadequate. In October 2008, the Chief Inspector of Prisons warned that many inmates held at Brixton Prison were taking drugs, and this was leading to violent attacks amongst gangs at the prison. The inspector also claimed that the prison was infested with vermin. A further inspection was carried out in 2014. The report stated that conditions had improved although there were still concerns regarding levels of violence, incidents of self-harm, overcrowding and offender management.


The prison today

HMP Brixton no longer acts as a local prison, having been changed to a Category C training establishment in 2012. Accommodation at Brixton comprises four main residential units, plus a health care unit. A new kitchen has been built and plans are in discussion to replace the reception, healthcare, and sports complex. Inmates can pursue a range of education courses at the learning and skills centre. These courses include information technology, English, maths, social and life skills and a varied art programme. Most courses lead to nationally recognised qualifications. The gym also offers physical education and accredited programmes. The Windmill Centre is a traditional workshop located where the old kitchens were. The Family and Visitor's Centre at Brixton is run by the Prison Advice & Care Trust (pact), an independent charity. HMP Brixton is no longer the remand prison for Southwark Crown Court. This is now the job of
HMP Wandsworth HM Prison Wandsworth is a Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West London, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service and is one of the largest prisons in the UK. History The prison w ...
. Nor does it temporarily lodge prisoners appearing at the Court of Appeal Criminal Division (COACD) held at the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ). That is now done at HMP Pentonville. HMP Brixton was the setting of
Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...
's 2012 British television series '' Gordon Behind Bars'', where he teaches a brigade of 12 inmates to cook, cater and, after the first four weeks, give back to society by selling on the produce. It was shown on Channel 4 in June and July 2012.


Notable former inmates

* Bertrand Russell,
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
, mathematician and advocate of social reform * Terence MacSwiney, former Lord Mayor of Cork. MacSwiney subsequently went on hunger strike and died at the prison. * Roger Casement, civil rights investigator, diplomat, Irish nationalist * Oswald Mosley, founder of the
British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, fo ...
, was interned in Brixton in 1940 under Defence Regulation 18B * George Lansbury, a Socialist politician and eventual leader of the Labour Party * Barry Domvile,
Neil Francis Hawkins Neil Lanfear Maclean Francis Hawkins (September 1907 – 26 December 1950) was a British writer and politician who was a leading proponent of British fascism in the United Kingdom both before and after the Second World War. He played a leading ro ...
, Archibald Maule Ramsay and
Alexander Raven Thomson Alexander Raven Thomson (3 December 1899 – 30 October 1955), usually referred to as Raven, was a Scottish politician and philosopher. He joined the British Union of Fascists in 1933 and remained a follower of Oswald Mosley for the rest of his ...
(political prisoners detained for opposing the Second World War) *
Brian Behan Brian Behan ( ; ga, Brian Ó Beacháin; 10 November 1926 – 2 November 2002) was an Irish writer, public speaker, lecturer, and trade unionist. Early years Behan was born in Dublin, the son of Stephen Behan and Kathleen Behan (née Kearney) ...
, a trade unionist * Simon Dee, a television interviewer and radio disc jockey *
Gerard Tuite Gerard Tuite (born 1955) was a senior member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. Upon his escape from Brixton prison during the 1981 Irish hunger strike#1980, hunger strike in the winter of 1980, he was declared "Britain's most wanted man". ...
, formerly a senior member of the Provisional IRA escaped from Brixton in 1980 *
Jimmy Moody James Alfred Moody (27 February 1941 – 1 June 1993) was an English gangster and hitman whose career spanned more than four decades and included run-ins with Jack Spot, Billy Hill, "Mad" Frankie Fraser, the Krays, the Richardsons and the Provi ...
, a gangster and hitman escaped with Tuite in 1980. * Nessan Quinlivan and Pearse McAuley, suspected members of the Provisional IRA escaped from Brixton in 1991 * Cahir Healy M.P. Irish nationalist, *
Dolours Price Dolours Price (16 December 1950 – 23 January 2013) was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer. Early life Dolours and her sister, Marian, also an IRA member, were the daughters of Albert Price, a prominent Irish republican and ...
and
Marian Price Marian Price (born 1954), also known by her married name as Marian McGlinchey, is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer. Price was born into a strongly Republican family in Andersonstown, west Belfast. Both of her parents ...
, sisters, Irish nationalists. * Mick Jagger, singer from the
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
. *
Bertrand Gachot Bertrand Jean Gachot (born 23 December 1962) is a French former racing driver. Gachot enjoyed some success in the junior formulae, winning titles in Formula Ford before progressing through Formula 3 and Formula 3000, reaching Formula One in 198 ...
, former Formula One driver. * Hugh G. Hambleton, Professor at University Laval, Quebec city (Canada) * Giggs, rapper from Peckham. * Udham Singh, assassinated Sir Michael Francis O'Dwyer (13 March 1940), to avenge the Amritsar Massacre. *The
Kray Twins Ronald Kray (24 October 193317 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were identical twin brothers, gangsters and convicted criminals. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, Engl ...
, remanded in Brixton from late 1968 to early 1969, when they were convicted. * Denis MacShane *
Glenn Danzig Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, film director, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns t ...
and Jerry Only of Punk Rock band The Misfits spent two nights in the prison following a street fight. They wrote and recorded the song 'London Dungeon' about the experience.


References


Further reading

*Babington, Anthony. ''The English Bastille: A History of Newgate Gaol and Prison Conditions in Britain, 1188-1902''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1971. *Herber, Mark. ''Criminal London: A Pictorial history from Medieval Times to 1939''. Chichester, UK: Phillimore, 2002. *Roth, Mitchel P. ''Prisons and Prison Systems: A Global Encyclopedia''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006.


External links


Ministry of Justice pages on HMP BrixtonHMP Brixton - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
{{Authority control 1820 establishments in England Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Lambeth
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
Brixton
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...