HM Prison Bullwood Hall is a former Category C women'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 ...

and

Young Offenders Institution In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile det ...

, located in

Hockley Hockley is a large village and civil parish in Essex in the East of England located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea, or, more specifically, between Rayleigh and Rochford. It came to prominence during the coming of the railway in the 189 ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

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 ...

History

Bullwood Hall was built in the 1960s originally as a female

borstal A borstal is a type of youth detention centre. Such a detention centre is more commonly known as a borstal school in India, where they remain in use today. Until the late 20th century, borstals were present in the United Kingdom, several mem ...

. Over time the prison also began to hold female adult prisoners. In 2002 Bullwood Hall was featured in a series of six 30 minute documentaries titled "The Real Bad Girls". Although the series portrayed the prison in a positive light, a 2005 report condemned Bullwood Hall for still using the practice of

slopping out Slopping out is the manual emptying of human waste when prison cells are unlocked in the morning. Inmates without a flush toilet in the cell have to use other means (formerly a chamber pot, then a bucket, now often a chemical toilet) while locked ...

. A year later the prison was singled out for its high levels of attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

s and

self-harm Self-harm refers to intentional behaviors that cause harm to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues, usually without suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-abuse, self-injury, and s ...

amongst inmates. Bullwood Hall continued to serve as a women's prison until 2006, when it was announced that it was to be converted into a Category C male prison, due to a shortage of male prison places. On 10 January 2013 it was announced by the government that Bullwood Hall would be one of seven British prisons to be closed. The prison closed on Thursday 28 March 2013. In November 2015 outline planning proposals were submitted to redevelop the site for residential use, including 60 homes.

Notable former inmates

Tracie Andrews Jenna Stephens, also known as Jenna Stephens Goldsworthy or Tia Carter but better known by her original name of Tracie Marguerite Andrews (originally registered as Tracey Marguerite Andrews) (born 9 April 1969), is an English murderer who k ...

Sharon Carr Sharon Louise Carr (born 1979), also known as "The Devil's Daughter", is a Belizean-British woman who, in June 1992, aged 12, murdered 18-year-old Katie Rackliff at random as the latter walked home from a nightclub in Camberley, Surrey, England ...

– Britain's youngest female murderer *

Sally Clark Sally Clark (née Lockyer, 15 August 1964 – 15 March 2007) was an English solicitor who, in November 1999, became the victim of a miscarriage of justice when she was found guilty of the murder of her two infant sons. Clark's first son died in ...

* Mary Druhan * Lisa and Michelle Taylor * Sara Thornton

References

External links

Ministry of Justice on HMP Bullwood HallHMP Bullwood Hall - HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullwood Hall (Hm Prison) Prisons in Essex Women's prisons in England 1960s establishments in England 2013 disestablishments in England Defunct prisons in England