HM Prison Stafford

HMP Stafford

Location	Stafford, Staffordshire
Security class	Adult Male/Category C
Population	741 (as of May 2009)
Opened	1793
Managed by	HM Prison Services
Governor	P J Butler
Website	Stafford at justice.gov.uk

HM Prison Stafford is a Category C men's prison, located in Stafford, Staffordshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

History

Stafford Prison was built on its current site in 1793, and has been in almost continuous use, save a period between 1916 and 1939. It held Irish Internees taken by the British after the 1916 Easter Rising from May. They were released Christmas 1916.

Among its earlier prisoners was George Smith who served several sentences for theft there but began his later work as a hangman while a prisoner, assisting William Calcraft. He officiated at several executions in the prison later in his life, notably that of poisoner William Palmer in 1866.

In November 1998, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons heavily criticised security at Stafford Prison, after it emerged that inmates were being supplied with drugs flown in on paper planes. Inmates were fashioning strips of paper into planes, then attaching lines to them and flying them over the 19-foot (5.8-metre) perimeter wall. The lines were then used to pull packages containing drugs and other banned substances back over the wall. The prison was also criticised for being overcrowded, under-resourced, and failing to prepare prisoners for release.

In March 2003, the Prison Reform Trust singled out Stafford Prison for its high turnover of governors. The trust noted that Stafford had employed four governors in five years, and that such unstable, inconsistent leadership would not be tolerated in schools or hospitals. The trust also highlighted officers' sickness levels as an issue.

In October 2003, a further report from the Chief Inspector praised improvements at Stafford Prison. Stafford was labelled as becoming an effective training prison, specialising in helping vulnerable prisoners and sex offenders. Considerable progress had also been made in reducing the supply of drugs into the prison, and in addressing drug treatment needs. However the report did also highlight concerns over poor exercise facilities for prisoners at Stafford, and whether foreign prisoners were getting enough specialised help. A few days later, a new hi-tech gateway system came into operation at Stafford, improving security at the prison.

The prison today

Stafford is a Category C prison for adult males. In addition, the prison also holds a number of vulnerable prisoners (mainly sex offenders). Stafford is divided into two separate regimes, half for standard prisoners and half for vulnerable prisoners.The vulnerable prisoners are housed on E, and F wings. The standard prisoners are housed on A, B, C, and D wings, with G wing having a mixed population. Accommodation at the prison consists mainly of double-occupancy cells, excepting G wing which is single occupancy.

Notable inmates

• Rolf Harris, the former entertainer, is currently serving a sentence of 5 years 9 months at HMP Stafford.

External links

• Ministry of Justice pages on Stafford