HM Prison Belmarsh

HMP Belmarsh

Aerial view of HM Prison Belmarsh (centre). To the left is HMP Isis, to the right is HMP Thameside
Interactive map of HMP Belmarsh
Location	Western Way, Thamesmead, London, SE28 0EB
Security class	Adult Male/Category A
Capacity	792
Population	675 (August 2021)
Opened	1991; 35 years ago (1991)
Managed by	HM Prison Services
Governor	Jenny Louis
Website	Belmarsh at justice.gov.uk

His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison located in Thamesmead, south-east London, England. Belmarsh Prison is run by His Majesty's Prison Service and is situated next to HMP Isis and HMP Thameside. The prison is used for high-profile prisoners, particularly those concerning national security. Within the grounds of the prison is the High Security Unit (HSU), consisting of 48 single cells.

Belmarsh is nicknamed "Hellmarsh," owing to the high number of physical and authority abuses reported by both the prison's inmates (including former politician Jeffrey Archer, who coined the name and was imprisoned there for two years for perjury), and human rights activists.

History

Belmarsh Prison was built on part of the East site of the former Royal Arsenal in Woolwich and became operational on 2 April 1991. It adjoins Woolwich Crown Court.

In 1991, the armed robber Ronnie Field, an associate of London gangland boss Joey Pyle, was the first person to be held in Belmarsh's High Security Unit, shortly followed by members of the Arifs, a south-east London-based Turkish Cypriot gang, and those convicted of the £10 million Heathrow airport diamond heist.

Between 2001 and 2002, Belmarsh Prison was used to detain a number of people indefinitely without charge or trial under the provisions of Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, leading it to be called the "British version of Guantanamo Bay". The Law Lords later ruled in A v Secretary of State for the Home Dept that such imprisonment was discriminatory and against the Human Rights Act 1998.

It is often used for detention for terrorist-related offences. In September 2006, 51 such prisoners were held.

In 2009, an archaeological dig on the site led to the discovery of a nearly 6,000-year-old wooden trackway, which, behind Sweet Track near Glastonbury is the second oldest discovered in the British Isles.

In November 2009, an inspection report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised the "extremely high" amount of force used to control inmates. The report also stated that an unusually high number of prisoners had reported being intimidated or victimised by staff.

In 2010, HMP Isis Young Offenders Institution opened within its perimeter wall.

Jenny Louis, when appointed governor in February 2021, was Britain’s first female black prison governor.

The prison today

Belmarsh is a Category A Prison holding inmates from all over England and Wales. It also houses other categories of prisoners from primarily the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) and Magistrates' Courts in South East London, as well as Crown and Magistrates' Courts in South West Essex. Accommodation at the prison is a mixture of approximately 60% multi-occupancy cells and 40% single cells, distributed mainly across four residential units.

Inmates at Belmarsh have access to education, workshops and two gyms. The gym staff have a partnership with Charlton Athletic F.C. to deliver FA accredited coaching courses for prisoners.

A listener scheme for prisoners at risk from suicide or self-harm is in operation, as well as a support group providing advice on immigration law for foreign national prisoners.

Notable inmates

References

External links

• Ministry of Justice pages on HMP Belmarsh Archived 15 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
• HMP Belmarsh – HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports

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