Wakefield (HM Prison)

Infobox HM Prison
name = HMP Wakefield


size =
caption =
opened = 1594
type = Adult Male/Category A
figures = 751 (November 2007)
location = Wakefield, West Yorkshire
governor = Jacqui Tilley
prisonid = 477

HM Prison Wakefield is located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It was originally built as a house of correction in 1594, and is now the largest maximum security prison in the United Kingdom. The current building was built in Victorian times.

The prison and its population

The prison is home to approximately 600 of Britain's most dangerous men (mainly sex offenders and prisoners serving life sentences for violent crimes against women and children). Because of this, the prison is popularly referred to by the tabloid press as "Monster Mansion".

The current governor is Jacqui Tilley (according to the HM Prisons website).

Notable Inmates

Well-known prisoners currently being detained at the maximum security jail include:

*Russell Bishop
*Robert Black
*Charles Bronson [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/03/nbron03.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/04/03/ixhome.html Judge praises Bronson, but rules he must stay in jail ] "The Telegraph"]
*Sidney Cooke
*Lee Gaytor
*Mark Hobson
*Ian Huntley [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5314944.stm Soham killer treated for overdose] BBC News] (Until 23rd January 2008 when he was moved to HMP Frankland).
*Antoni Imiela
*Ronald Jebson
*Carl Manning [ [http://society.guardian.co.uk/climbie/story/0,,641377,00.html Inquiry to hear from Victoria's killer] "The Guardian"]
*Robert Maudsley
*Aaron Nicholls
*Michael Sams

Serial killer Harold Shipman committed suicide at Wakefield Prison in 2004. (Shipman had been on round-the-clock suicide watch at two previous prisons, but such 'special measures' had not been deemed necessary after his transferral to Wakefield [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4182730.stm Shipman suicide 'not preventable'] BBC News] .)

Child murderer Roy Whiting was also held at Wakefield until he was attacked by another inmate in 2002 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3840449.stm Man guilty of Sarah killer attack] BBC News] , after which he was transferred elsewhere.

Wakefield Prison runs sex offender treatment courses in an attempt to help prisoners control their sexual urges upon release, but participation in these offending behaviour programmes is poor as most of the inmates deny or minimise their crimes.

"Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush"

The Prison yard at Wakefield Prison has a Mulberry tree around which female inmates used to exercise. This has been linked to the nursery rhyme 'Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush' by the erstwhile prison governor, RS Duncan in his book 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' The House of Correction 1595 / HM Prison Wakefield 1995 (published by author 1994). This origin of the song is also propounded on the Prison's website [ [http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CultureAndLeisure/HistoricWakefield/Highlights/Buildings/WakefieldPrison/default.htm The story of Wakefield Prison & the origin of a nursery rhyme] ] , though it is not known whether this is a correct origin or not.

Related Events

A senior prison officer at Wakefield, John David Hall, was convicted of kidnapping and raping four women and sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2006. [ [http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=748532006 Prison officer sentenced to 12 life terms for rapes and sex attacks] "The Scotsman"]

References

External links

* [http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/prisoninformation/locateaprison/prison.asp?id=477,15,2,15,477,0 HM Prison Service details on Wakefield]