Mount Eden Prisons
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Mount Eden Prisons refer to the three New Zealand prisons, located in Lauder Road in the Central Auckland suburb of the same name. The three prisons are:
- Mount Eden Prison, a medium-security men's prison with a capacity of 421 inmates;
- Mount Eden Women's Prison, with a maximum capacity of 54 inmates, and is only used for remand inmates, and those on short sentences; and
- Auckland Central Remand Prison (ACRP), which holds up to 381 male remand prisoners.
[edit] History
The original prison was a military stockade built in 1856. It became the city's main prison, when the old city gaol [ corner of Queen and Victoria Sts ] was demolished that year.
The stone wall and the foundations were completed in 1872, the building proper was commenced in 1882 and finished in 1917. It was intended to house 220 prisoners. Designed by P.F.M Burrows it resembles Dartmoor Prison in England. It consists of a radial design with a number of wings radiating out from the centre like the spokes of a wheel. This allows for control from the centre "from which the outlook may be complete and constant". This is obviously an application of the "Panopticon" theories of Jeremy Bentham [1748-1832]
The exterior of the prison has been given a "Category B Classification" by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Opened in July 2000, the ACRP is New Zealand's first privately run prison. It was originally managed by Australasian Correctional Management Limited (later called Global Expertise in Outsourcing NZ Ltd), before reverting to the Public Prisons Service in July 2005.
[edit] External links
- Mt Eden Prison
- Mt Eden Women's Prison
- Auckland Central Remand Prison
- New Zealand History Places Trust
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