HMP Parkhurst

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Parkhurst Prison was built as a military hospital in 1805, then transformed to a prison for boys awaiting deportation, mainly to Australia, as part of the Parkhurst act of 1835.

By 1847 a new wing (C Wing) had been built by prisoners who actually dug the clay and baked the bricks. This wing is still in use today.

From 1863 to 1869 Parkhurst was a female prison. Parkhurst has served as a male prison since this time and became one of the first Dispersal Prisons in 1968.

It remained a high security prison until the mid nineties when in was converted to its current role. Parkhurst now caters for long-term and life sentence category B prisoners and the remands from the Isle of Wight courts. It also houses a Protected Witness Unit and is the base for the catering and healthcare facilities that serve the three Isle of Wight prisons (Albany and Camphill as well as Parkhurst).

Governor: Carole Draper

Accommodation: Predominantly single cells

Operational Capacity: 507 as of 31st January 2006

Reception Criteria: Sentenced prisoners serving over 4 years (including vulnerable prisoners). Parkhurst also accepts stage 1 and 2 life sentence prisoners and Isle of Wight remands.

Regime:

The Gymnasium is a nationally recognised centre of excellence.
Education is supported up to and including Open University level.
Workshops: There are 9 Workshops dealing with upholstery, arts & crafts, laundry, wheelchair repairs, breakfast packing, Aramark, BICS Cleaning and gardens.
Offending Behaviour Programmes: The establishment runs ETS, CALM and CSCP