It's becoming clearer that the Ministry of Justice is going to be one of the government departments that will suffer most proportionally from the spending review. As I write there is talk of 14,000 job reductions right across prisons, probation and courts and most significantly the likelihood of prison closures. It's ony a few years since all the talk was of big new Titan prisons holding 2,000 inmates each and every Justice Minister I've ever known has only ever talked about the need for more prison places to ease overcrowding. There's always been a building programme - never a closure programme as far as I recall.
So if some prisons really are going to close, it got me thinking about which ones. Now maybe the general public are not as aware as regular prison visitors as to just how much historic real estate HM Prison Service is sitting on and how small some of our old gaols are. There's a bit of a dispute as to the oldest still in use. Some claim Lancaster Castle certified for 244 and currently designated a Cat 'C' for drug users and although occupying part of the historic grade 1 listed Castle, only opened in 1955. HMP Shepton Mallet listed grade II* has a much better claim I think, having started out as a House of Correction in 1625 and is now a Cat 'C' reserved for lifers and holding 186.
Not surprisingly, at various times Inspectors have commented on the poor fabric of these establishments and it would be reasonable to think that given their historic significance and small size, they would be prime candidates for closure, not least on economy of scale grounds. After all there are plenty of historical precedents such as Abingdon Gaol which closed in the 1970's to become a leisure centre and Oxford Gaol which was converted into a very smart shopping venue and Malmaison hotel when it closed in 1996. However, having visited many, many prisons over the years, including both Lancaster and Shepton Mallet, I can confirm what inspectors frequently report, namely that there are benefits in having small prisons with stable populations which can greatly assist with rehabilitation.
For anyone interested in the heritage aspects of the English prison estate there are two excellent books published by English Heritage entitled 'English Prisons - An Architectural History' and 'Behind Bars - The Hidden Architecture of England's Prisons'. I've always found the amazingly different architectural styles, often coupled with stunning rural locations, help make even the most difficult prison visits more than worth the effort.
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