HM Prison Parkhurst is a Category B men's prison situated in Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Parkhurst prison is one of the two formerly separate prisons that today make up HMP Isle of Wight, the other being Albany. History Parkhurst as an institution began in 1778 as a military hospital and children's asylum. By 1838, it was a prison for children. 123 Parkhurst apprentices were sent to the Colony of New Zealand in 1842 and 1843, and a total of almost 1500 boys between the ages of 12 and 18 years were sent to various colonies in Australia and New Zealand. Swan River Colony (Western Australia) received 234 between 1842 and 1849, then chose to accept adult convicts as well. Victoria and Tasmania also received "Parkhurst Boys", who were always referred to officially as "apprentices", not as "convicts". Parkhurst Prison Governor Captain George Hall (in office: 1843-1861) employed boys to make bricks to build the C and M block wings onto the building. Parkhurst was considered one of the toughest jails in the British Isles. Almost from its beginnings as a prison for young offenders, Parkhurst was subject to fierce criticism by the public, politicians and in the press for its harsh régime (including the use of leg irons initially). It became a particular focus of critique for reformers - most notably Mary Carpenter (1807-1877) - campaigning against the use of imprisonment for children. In 1966 Parkhurst became one of the few top-security prisons (called "Dispersals" because they dispersed the more troublesome prisoners rather than concentrating them all in one place) in the United Kingdom, but it lost "Dispersal" status in 1995. In 2009, Parkhurst joined HM Prison Albany to form super-prison HM Prison Isle of Wight, with each site retaining its old name. 1995 escape On 3 January 1995, three prisoners (two murderers and a blackmailer) made their way out of the prison and enjoyed four days of freedom before being recaptured. One of them, Keith Rose, was an amateur pilot. During those four days, the escapees lived rough in a shed in a garden in Ryde, having failed to steal a plane from the local flying club. A programme entitled Britain's Island Fortress was made about this prison escape for National Geographic Channel's Breakout documentary series. Notable inmates High-profile criminals including Lord William Beauchamp Nevill, the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, Moors