Titan (prison)

Titan Prison or Titan gaol was a proposed new classification of prison in England and Wales, designed to increase the overall prison capacity and improve operational efficiency.

In plans announced in December 2007, the Titan concept included the proposed construction of three new prisons each housing 2,500 inmates, well above the 1,461 capacity of the largest prison at the time, HMP Wandsworth in London.

After much opposition and criticism, the plans were understood to have been dropped on 24 April 2009, with the postulated reason being difficulty in gaining planning permission for the new sites. It was expected that capacity would instead be increased through the creation of five new 1,500-capacity prisons, with two to be started immediately.[1]

In a related change, in 2008, the operational management of three existing closely located prisons were merged to form the newly named Hewell (HM Prison), in an effort to improve efficiency, while retaining the existing buildings.

  1. ^ "Titan prisons plans 'abandoned'". BBC News. 24 April 2009. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2009.