thumb|upright|A prison guard on lookout in the watchtower at Parramatta Gaol
The Parramatta Correctional Centre is a heritage-listed former medium security prison for males on the corner of O'Connell and Dunlop Streets, North Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was in operation between 1798 and 2011. The centre was initially called Parramatta Gaol until its name was changed to Parramatta Correctional Centre in 1992. When in operation, the centre was managed by Corrective Services NSW, an agency of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales. Immediately prior to its closure, the centre detained short term sentenced and remand inmates, operated as a transient centre, and was the periodic detention centre for metropolitan Sydney.
Designed by George Barney and Mortimer Lewis, the complex is listed on the Register of the National Estate and the New South Wales State Heritage Register as a site of State significance.
History
Correctional facilities were first established in Parramatta in 1798, being "a strong logged gaol of 100 feet in length, with separate cells for the prisoners ... and paled around with very high fence", housing eight prisoners.
The current Parramatta Correctional Centre was the third gaol to be built in Parramatta and was completed in 1842. The original design was submitted by Mortimer Lewis for Governor Bourke in 1835, however the buildings were commenced to a design by Captain George Barney, the Commanding Royal Engineer. When the first building was completed in 1842 by (James) Houison and Payten, Thomas Duke Allen was installed as the gaoler, with his wife Martha acting as matron for the female prisoners.
In 2004, there were calls for the centre to be closed after two inmates escaped by scaling the prison wall using ladders without being seen by guards.
In July 2011, Corrective Services NSW announced that the Parramatta Correctional Centre would close, which took effect on 9 October 2011. State Property Management Authority administered the site until 2015,
Timeline
- 1865 – Perimeter wall extended. Cookhouse and additional cells added to existing wings. Underground water tanks installed.
- 1883–1889 – The perimeter is further extended and three new wings are built in the resulting area.
- 1899 – 32 unit radial exercise area built. Cells are converted from associated to single.
- 1906–1908 – Chapel built and sewerage upgraded.
- 1927 – Internal refit. Single cells are converted back to associated cells.
- 1970s – Parramatta Linen Service, an auditorium and gatehouse extensions are built.
- 1985 – 32 unit radial exercise area demolished.
- 1993 – A new entrance and areas for administration and reception are built.
- 1997 – being disestablished.
- 2011 – The jail was closed at the end of 2011. Packed to the Rafters, Rake, Redfern Now, and Housos television series.
On 24 February 2012 the NSW Aboriginal Land Council lodged a land claim on the former jail site (as decommissioned Crown Land);
The Gaol also runs "Ghost Hunts" and tours fortnightly.
Description
Parramatta Gaol is a tooled sandstone structure of several wings, enclosed by high sandstone walls topped with observation towers. Designed in Old Grecian style, it consists of six cell blocks, three storeys in height. To the rear are three radiating semi-circular or rectangular two storey prison blocks. A number of cells have been enlarged to house two prisoners. Uniformity of materials used during times of addition contribute to the cohesion of this group of sandstone buildings. Talls are generally hand dressed, with slate clad timber roof structure.
The Parramatta Correctional Centre has been the filming location of various Australian productions, including Wake in Fright, Home and Away, Rake, Redfern Now, Packed to the Rafters and Underbelly.
Notable prisoners
<!--please provide reliable references to avoid potentially libelous misinformation. Please place in alphabetical order, by family name. -->
The following individuals have served all or part of their sentence at the Parramatta Correctional Centre:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Inmate name !! Date sentenced !! Length of sentence !! Incarceration status !! Nature of conviction / Notoriety !! Notes
|-
| Darcy Dugan || || Life imprisonment || Released on parole in 1984. Died 1991. || Bank robbery and a notorious prison escape artist. ||
|-
| William Henry Eyes ||align=center|July 1884 || 3 years || Pardoned in 1885. Deceased 1907. || English-born Australian convicted for the sexual assault of a young girl; later a successful politician in New Zealand. ||
|-
| George Freeman ||align=center|1954 || || Deceased 1990 || Convicted of theft. An organised crime figure and illegal casino operator. ||
|-
| Jim McNeil || || 17 years || Released on parole in . Died 1982. || Playwright, armed robbery ||
|-
| Neddy Smith || || Life imprisonment || Died in custody at Long Bay Gaol in 2021 || Armed robbery, murderer and heroin dealer, accused of being a hitman, served life. ||
|-
| Tim Anderson || align=center|1979 ||16 years || Exonerated and released in 1985. || Anderson's 1979 conviction of conspiracy to commit murder was overturned in 1985. His original conviction is cited as a miscarriage of justice. ||
|}
One of the killers of Dr Victor Chang, Choon Tee Philip Lim, a Malaysian citizen, was in Parramatta jail. He was released into the custody of waiting immigration officials and was deported to Malaysia soon after this.
See also
- Punishment in Australia
- Parramatta Female Factory