| HMP The Verne | |
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Built on the highest point of Portland, the Verne is surrounded by cliffs and a moat, with two entrances - one via a footbridge and one via this tunnel |
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| Opened | 1949 |
| Management | HM Prison Service |
| Prison type | Adult Male/Category C |
| Prisoner figures | 595 (May 2009) |
| Location | Tophill, Dorset |
| Governor | James Lucas |
| Information | www.justice.gov.uk |
HM Prison The Verne is a Category C men's prison, located in the Verne Citadel (in Tophill) on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
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The Verne Prison opened in 1949 on the site of a former military barracks dating from the end of the nineteenth century. In 1847 a start was made on temporary prison buildings known as The Verne Citadel for prisoners building the Prison Breakwater. The first sixty-four prisoners were landed on 24 November 1848 at Castletown from HM Steamer Driver. The Verne Citadel was designated by Captain W Crossman of the Royal Engineers and enclosed an area of fifty-six acres. A full workforce of one hundred and eighty prisoners laid three million convict-made bricks in two years.
In 1955, an inmate called John Hannan escaped from The Verne using knotted sheets to scale the prison wall. Hannan continued to evade capture for many years, so that by 2001, he entered the record books as having been on the run longer than any other prisoner in the world.[1]
In August 2004, a convicted burglar escaped from The Verne Prison in a laundry van to visit his sick mother. The inmate used the metal edge of a lighter to cut his way through the canvas of a prison service lorry, and then caught a taxi to see his mother. The convict subsequently gave himself up to police 2 days later.[2]
In November 2005, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised The Verne for weaknesses in its anti-bullying and suicide prevention policies. The report stated that safety at the prison had "deteriorated significantly" since its last inspection, and that the needs of foreign national prisoners were not being met. However the report said that the prison had made progress in improving its training provision for inmates, and work to prepare prisoners for release had also improved.[3]
The Verne is a Category C prison for adult males. The population consists of life sentence prisoners and determinate sentenced prisoners, many serving four years or over. About sixty per cent of the prisoners are foreign nationals, with over fifty different nationalities represented.
Education and training at the prison are outsourced to four contractors. Education is offered on a Part-time only basis. An Information Advice and Guidance centre is open to prisoners, and Job Centre Plus operates from the prison twice a month. Other facilities include a community centre for prisoners, a shop and a gymnasium. There is no staffed Visitors Centre at Verne Prison, but there is a waiting room with toilets and vending machines. A canteen and children's play area are also available.
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