HM Prison Stafford

HM Prison Stafford is a Category C men's prison, located in Stafford, Staffordshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. In 2014 it became a sex offender-only jail.HistoryHer Majesty's Prison at Stafford was originally constructed and opened in 1793. It was substantially enlarged by a building development programme of works in the 19th Century.Early historyAmong its early prisoners was George Smith, who served several sentences for theft in the facility and began his later work as a hangman while still a prisoner, assisting William Calcraft. He officiated at several executions in the prison later in his life, including that of the convicted poisoner William Palmer in 1866.Prisoner of War facility 1916H.M.P. Stafford was used to incarcerate prisoners of war from the defeated Fenian revolution in April 1916.A number of the Republican prisoners later left accounts of their time in Stafford, James Kavanagh, "I forgot to mention that in Stafford prison, besides the two buildings I've mentioned there was another building, I forget its name, in which British conscientious objectors were placed. The term conscientious objector may not now be understood. It was applied to those who for religious or other reasons had an objection to fighting or the taking of human life. Compulsory military service or conscription had been introduced into Great Britain, and when these people were called up they refused to come. They were then arrested, charged and sentenced. They were subjected to all sorts of cruelties and indignities."