HM Melbourne Assessment Prison
Encyclopedia
HM Melbourne Assessment Prison is an Australia
n remand
and reception prison
located in Spencer Street
, Melbourne
, Victoria
. The prison is also known by the nickname 'The Map'. Previously known as the Melbourne Remand Centre, the Melbourne Assessment Prison was originally built to accommodate Melbourne's remand prisoners and sits on the site of the former Western Hotel on the corner of Spencer Street and La Trobe Street in Melbourne's central business district.
The primary purpose of the facility is to provide statewide assessment and orientation services for all male prisoners received into the prison system
In 1997 the prison became the main reception prison for all male prisoners in Victoria. Initial planning for the prison commenced in 1974. Construction commenced in December 1983 and was completed in 1989 at a cost of A$
80m. The prison was officially opened on 6 April 1989, and received its first prisoners on 29 May 1989.
At least two prisoners have escaped from The Map. In one incident explosives smuggled into the unit were used to blow open the armoured plastic windows of a cell, while the two inmates hid behind mattresses (see Peter Gibb
). Since then steel bars have been added to the windows to prevent a repetition.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n remand
Detention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
and reception prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
located in Spencer Street
Spencer Street, Melbourne
Spencer Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is named for John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer, Chancellor of the Exchequer under Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. The prison is also known by the nickname 'The Map'. Previously known as the Melbourne Remand Centre, the Melbourne Assessment Prison was originally built to accommodate Melbourne's remand prisoners and sits on the site of the former Western Hotel on the corner of Spencer Street and La Trobe Street in Melbourne's central business district.
The primary purpose of the facility is to provide statewide assessment and orientation services for all male prisoners received into the prison system
In 1997 the prison became the main reception prison for all male prisoners in Victoria. Initial planning for the prison commenced in 1974. Construction commenced in December 1983 and was completed in 1989 at a cost of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
80m. The prison was officially opened on 6 April 1989, and received its first prisoners on 29 May 1989.
At least two prisoners have escaped from The Map. In one incident explosives smuggled into the unit were used to blow open the armoured plastic windows of a cell, while the two inmates hid behind mattresses (see Peter Gibb
Peter Gibb
Peter Robert Gibb was an Australian criminal, known for his escape from the Melbourne Remand Centre in 1993.-Escape from Melbourne Remand Centre:...
). Since then steel bars have been added to the windows to prevent a repetition.
Notable prisoners
- Lester EllisLester EllisLester Ellis is a boxer, who lives in Melbourne, Australia. He was world boxing champion in 1985 winning the IBF super lightweight world title and also won the WBF Welterweight division 1993, IBO Light Welterweight division in 1994, IBO Lightweight division in 1995.Ellis earned early success as...
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19317077-29277,00.html - Peter James KnightPeter James KnightPeter James Knight is a pro-life activist who shot dead a security guard in an Australian abortion clinic.He led a hermit's life in the years leading up to the incident. He lived in a small camp in the suburbs, 'off the grid' without a telephone or electricity...
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VSCA/2004/48.html - Gregory BrazelGregory BrazelGregory John 'Bluey' Brazel is a convicted Australian arsonist, armed robber and multiple murderer, currently serving three consecutive life sentences for the murders of prostitutes Sharon Taylor and Roslyn Hayward in 1990, and the murder of Mordialloc hardware store owner Mildred Hanmer during an...
- Peter GibbPeter GibbPeter Robert Gibb was an Australian criminal, known for his escape from the Melbourne Remand Centre in 1993.-Escape from Melbourne Remand Centre:...