HM Prison Dorchester was a

local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

men's

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

, located in Dorchester in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The prison was 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 ...

, and closed in January 2014.

History

Erected during the 19th century, the prison buildings are a typical

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

design. The prison was built on the site of a Roman town house, the remains of which included a mosaic which is now in

Dorset Museum The Dorset Museum (also known as the Dorset Museum & Art Gallery) is located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. It was known as the Dorset County Museum until 2021. Founded in 1846, the museum covers the county of Dorset's history and environment. ...

. In 2006, it was revealed that 25% of random drug tests on inmates had proven positive. Though

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

was the most commonly detected drug, a number of inmates had tested positive for opiates such as

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

. In 2007 the

Prison Reform Trust The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) was founded in 1981 in London, England, by a small group of prison reform campaigners who were unhappy with the direction in which the Howard League for Penal Reform was heading, concentrating more on community puni ...

said that prison staff were "battling against overwhelming odds in old and overcrowded premises", after an inspection report from

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales. The current chief inspe ...

said there were too many inmates there, and too little investment in prison buildings and facilities. The report also criticised the lack of work opportunities for inmates. Conditions improved to an extent, and the prison was awarded ‘Most Improved Prison for 2008'. Before closure, Dorchester Prison held adult males and young adult males from Dorchester,

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

and

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

Crown Courts, as well as Magistrates' courts in Dorset and some in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. The prison population was made up of roughly half convicted prisoners, and half remanded inmates. Dorchester Prison's education department offered courses such as

Catering Catering is the business of providing food services at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio. History of catering The earliest account of major service ...

and industrial

cleaning Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. Cleaning is often performed for beauty, aesthetic, hygiene, hygienic, Function (engineering), function ...

. The

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

department also offered recognised qualifications for some heath and training programmes, as well as recreational activities. Other facilities for inmates at the prison included a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

and

chaplaincy A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligen ...

support. On 4 September 2013, the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

announced that it intended to close Dorchester Prison, and the prison was formally closed in January 2014 under

The Closure of Prisons Order 2014 The Closure of Prisons Order 2014 is a statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The order closed several prisons in England. Background In 2013 and 2014, the UK coalition government undertook a programme of policies which ...

. The site of the prison was put up for sale by the Ministry of Justice, and in August 2014 Dorchester

Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

and the Dorchester

Civic Society In the United Kingdom, a civic society is a voluntary body or society which aims to represent the needs of a local community. Some also take the role of an amenity society. A civic society may campaign for high standards of planning of new buil ...

published a blueprint that is aimed at guiding the redevelopment of the prison site into a residential led

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

. On 24 December 2014 it was announced that Dorchester Prison along with Gloucester Prison, Kingston Prison and

Shepton Mallet Prison HMP Shepton Mallet, sometimes known as Cornhill, is a former prison in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. When it closed in 2013, it had been the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, following the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011 ...

had been sold to City and Country. A community consultation was held on the redevelopment of the site, and in September 2015 it was revealed that City and Country had refined their plans which included retaining the main Victorian buildings of the site for conversion into apartments. In December 2015 City and Country submitted a planning application to

West Dorset District Council West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

to redevelop the prison site into 190 homes. The plans also include redeveloping the gatehouse into a museum. In March 2016 it was announced that human remains buried in the prison grounds were to be exhumed before any redevelopment took place. The project included archaeologists who studied the diet, health and lifestyle of those buried, as well as help with identification.

References

External links

History of Dorchester Prison from theprison.org.uk

Ministry of Justice pages on Dorchester

HMP Dorchester - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
{{Prisons in South West England Dorchester 2014 disestablishments in England Dorchester Buildings and structures in Dorchester, Dorset

History

See also

References

External links