Leicester (HM Prison)

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Coordinates: 52°37′38.72″N, 1°7′54.92″W

HMP Leicester is a prison in Leicester, England.

The prison was designed by William Parsons to resemble a castle. The oldest part dates from 1825, and it was opened in 1828. The gatehouse including the adjoining building to north and south and the perimeter wall are grade II listed.

According to the prison service, Leicester had a capacity of 385 as of February 27, 2004, and is a local prison. The Prison Reform Trust described it in 2004 as one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country,^[1] and suggested that its true design capacity was around 200.^[2]

In 2001 it hit headlines as a 'failing prison' and David Ramsbotham, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, declared that it should be shut down^[3][4]

It is situated in the very south of the city centre, on Welford Road, in the Southfields area; grid reference SK587036. It is immediately north of Nelson Mandela Park (formerly Welford Road Recreation Ground), a sign in which quotes Nelson Mandela: "There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere".

[edit] References

1. ^ BBC NEWS | England | Leicestershire | Nottingham jail worst for suicide
2. ^ BBC NEWS | England | Prison overcrowding poses problems
3. ^ BBC News | ENGLAND | Prison needs 'urgent investment'
4. ^ BBC NEWS | England | Leicestershire | Mixed report for 'dirty' prison

[edit] External links

• HMP Leicester