Leicester (HM Prison)
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HMP Leicester is a prison in Leicester, England.
The prison was designed by William Parsons and resembles a castle more than a prison. The oldest part dates from 1825, and it was opened in 1828. According to the prison service, it had a capacity of 385 as of February 27, 2004, and is a local prison. The Prison Reform League 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, the 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. 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".