HM Prison Belmarsh
Men's prison in Thamesmead, London, England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison in Thamesmead, southeast London, England. The prison is used for high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Within the grounds is the High Security Unit (HSU), which consists of 48 single cells. It is run by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been called "Britain's Guantanamo Bay" due to the long-term detention of terrorism suspects without charge.[1] Belmarsh is also notoriously known as "Hellmarsh" due to the fact that Belmarsh is considered the toughest prison in the UK and due to the high number of physical and authority abuses reported by both the prison's inmates (including former politician and convicted criminal Jeffrey Archer, who coined the name "Hellmarsh" and who was imprisoned for four years at Belmarsh for the crime of perjury) and by human rights activists.[2]
Location | Western Way, Thamesmead, London, SE28 0EB |
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Security class | Adult Male/Category A |
Capacity | 792 |
Population | 675 (as of August 2021) |
Opened | 1991; 33 years ago (1991) |
Managed by | HM Prison Services |
Governor | Jenny Louis |
Website | Belmarsh at justice.gov.uk |