AGY-470 | State Penitentiary, Long Bay

Full description

In May 1914 the State Penitentiary Long Bay was proclaimed as a prison under section 4 of the Prison Act, 1899 to commence on 1 June 1914 (1)

The correctional institution was situated on an area of 75 acres 2 roods at Long Bay. On 1 June 1914 32 prisoners, supervised by Robert Clarke, Deputy Governor of Parramatta Gaol, were transferred to the new prison to 'clean the whole place out' in preparation for the reception of the remaining prisoners from the Darlinghurst Gaol. (2)

The permanent Superintendent of the prison commenced duty on 1 July, 1914 when the mass transfer of prisoners from Darlinghurst commenced. The Superintendent reported that this operation 'was carried out without a hitch of any sort; discipline was not relaxed in the slightest degree; and not one prisoner gave any cause to be locked up for disorderly conduct.' (3) The Superintendent observed that "From many points of view the State Penitentiary is far superior to Darlinghurst Gaol as a prison. There are none of the disturbing influences of a prison located in the centre of a well-populated and busy locality. The cell ranges at the Penitentiary are far healthier and better situated. The exercise yards are spacious and well laid out, especially the ten yards set apart for trials, remands, appellants, and special cases. The arrangement permits of a much better and more extensive scheme of classification than has hitherto been possible with the class of prisoner received while Darlinghurst Gaol was in commission. Both places served as distributing centres for the large gaols, the class of prisoner not transferred being mainly the short-sentence cases from the metropolitan area." (4)

On 1 July 1967 the State Penitentiary ceased to operate as a single institution by a proclamation effective from 14 June 1967. Three new prisons were established in its place - the Metropolitan Remand Centre, the Metropolitan Reception Prison and the Central Industrial Prison. (5)

Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette, No. 90, 27 May 1914, p.3079.
2. Report of the Comptroller-General of Prisons, New South Wales for the year 1914, NSW Parliamentary Papers 1915-1916 vol 4. p. 703.
3. Ibid.
4. Report of the Comptroller-General of Prisons, New South Wales for 1914, NSW Parliamentary Papers 1915-1916 vol 4. pp. 703-704.
5. New South Wales Government Gazette, No.72, 30 June 1967, p.2303.