Prisons

H. M. P. Verne is a category C training prison for adult males
The original buildings date from 1873 when it was built as a citadel fortress overlooking Portland Harbour. It was taken over as a prison in 1949 using the casemates in the citadel defences for dormitory accommodation and workshops. Purpose built houseblocks were constructed in the early 1970's. The prison takes a wide range of prisoners including 50 life sentence prisoners.
The prison holds 587 inmates and accepts any prisoner considered suitable for its open regime, especially those serving longer sentences. The prison also acts as a national resource for holding foreign prisoners. Currently holding around 300 foreign national prisoners from more than 50 countries.

For more detail on the Verne Citadel see our section �The Past�

HMP Weare was built as floating accommodation in Sweden . It was later used in the Falklands war and then sold to the US Government who used it as a prison. It was purchased by the Prison Service in 1997 as a temporary measure to ease population pressures for three years and was re-named and towed to Portland harbour. It opened on 11 June 1997, and has recently had an extension of its use for a further three years. There are 200 cells of double occupancy giving a capacity of 400 inmates, all of whom are aged 25 years or over who have no more than 9 months of their sentence left to serve.

It has recently been announced that HMP Weare is to be closed. Reasons given are that it no longer meets Home Office standards. It is estimated several million pounds will be lost from the local economy

The Young Offenders Institute (YOI) Portland

Opened in 1848 and until 1921 held convict adults.
In 1921 converted to a Borstal and in 1988 became a Young Offender Institution with 487 inmates.
The Institute offers full, part and evening class education, employment in the works and horticulture departments, manufacturing workshops, laundry, kitchen and the prison workshop. There is also an enhanced thinking skills programme as well as a listener scheme for those inmates who may be at risk from suicide or self harm, and a welfare to work scheme.