Behind the Gate: HMP Camp Hill

Back in the 1970s and 80s, as a young prisoner, there were certain prisons that you did not want to be sent to in order to serve your sentence, and HMP Camp Hill was top of the list. Not only was it a very violent prison, housing convicted prisoners under the age of 21, but there was also the remoteness of the prison, stuck on an island across the Solent.

Camp Hill Barracks, as it was originally known, was a former Category C male prison located on the outskirts of Newport on the Isle of Wight. The former prison lies adjacent to Albany and Parkhurst, both part of HMP Isle of Wight. Camp Hill was built in 1912 using prisoner labour from Parkhurst. Camp Hill was formally opened by Winston Churchill.

Originally a military hospital and children’s asylum, Parkhurst became a prison for young male prisoners in 1863 and was notorious for having a harsh regime where inmates were shackled in leg irons. But by 1908 people were starting to rethink the purpose of the penal system, with reformers like Mary Carpenter lobbying for humane treatment within jails. The Prevention of Crime Act of 1908 introduced a separate system of prison establishments for young offenders, where those under 21 were given hard physical work alongside educational instruction.

Home Secretary Winston Churchill had previously visited Parkhurst two years before and commented that, “the mood and temper of the public in regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilisation of any country.”

A different approach was to be tried at Camp Hill. Prisoners could work in the gardens, do small jobs to earn wages and visit the two chapels that were built on the site. There were also single storey rooms detached from the main prison surrounded by a 10 feet tall wall. This was to enable prisoners to lead a life similar to that on the outside.

But there were accusations from the public and local politicians that the prison was too soft, not helped by a devastating riot in December 1912 that saw windows smashed and furniture destroyed. However, the government continued with this new type of incarceration until it changed into a Borstal in 1935.

Whilst Parkhurst has become infamous for holding prisoners such as Peter Sutcliffe, Ian Brady and the Kray twins, Camp Hill was used as a ‘Corrective Training’ facility for adult males. In the modern era it became a Category C prison, meaning it held those who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape.

However, Camp Hill has not escaped controversy. In a report in April 2007, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised the prison for its lack of a coherent and positive direction. Concerns were also raised that many inmates were not engaged with vocational work.

The prison came under harsh criticism weeks later when it was revealed an arsonist had been mistakenly released from the prison over two years early. Christopher Pocock was later recaptured and returned to finish his sentence.

In October 2008 it was announced that Camp Hill, Albany and Parkhurst would be combined to become part of one large prison run by a single governor. HMP Isle of Wight continued to operate, but in January 2013 the government stated the Camp Hill element would close as part of a wider reorganisation.

Camp Hill formally shut in March 2013 with the 595 serving prisoners spread across 15 other sites. Despite a petition to keep the prison open, a closing ceremony in April 2013 saw officers and staff marching out of the prison for the final time.

There have been rumours the land could be converted into a large housing development, with the Isle of Wight Council hoping to acquire the land for a new garden village. It was put on the market for just £1 in 2018, but the Ministry of Justice currently still own the site and there is no sign that it will be offered by them for housing.