HMP Haphonia

HM Prison Haphonia is an Ibaglian correctional facility, located in the city of Haphonia.

History

The first dedicated jail in Haphonia was the Haphonia Gaol, completed in 1885. It was deemed too small in 1910, when the Queensgate Gaol was constructed across the street. It was expanded several times until 1950, when it received its current name. In 2004, a report found overcrowding and substandard conditions in the prison, parts of which had not been substantially altered since the building's construction. As a result, a major expansion was undertaken, with the oldest parts of the prison being opened as a museum.

Capital punishment

Until the abolition of capital punishment in Ibagli, the prison was the site of hangings. Though executions were, by law, supposed to be conducted in private, the gallows were located on the site of the old Haphonia Gaol, across Astor Street from the main building of the prison in an outdoor courtyard surrounded by a fifteen foot high wall. The street was closed while executions were being conducted, but crowds still gathered nearby (and sometimes on rooftops) in order to catch a glimpse of the condemned being walked across the street. The enclosure was constructed so as to limit the possibility that executions could be seen from nearby rooftops, but in 1950 a third storey was added to a nearby building. From the roof, the top of the gallows could be seen, along with the heads of people on the scaffold. The owners of the structure are rumored to have charged for admission on the date of the first execution after the completion of the building. A retractable canopy was later added to the gallows enclosure. In 1962, the Privy Council ruled that the outdoor enclosure violated Ibaglian law. An execution facility was built inside the prison, which greatly expedited the execution process. Before, the condemned had to be led from the cell, outside, and up a flight of stairs to the gallows. After the construction of the new gallows, the prisoner could be taken in seconds from a door in a special cell directly into the execution chamber.

The last hanging in Ibagli was that of Joseph Malatae in June 1972. He was an aboriginal protester who was convicted for starting a riot that caused several deaths. On the day of the execution, a crowd gathered outside the prison. Several molotov cocktails were thrown at the prison, but the crowd was pushed back by the Royal Ibaglian Constabulary. Soldiers were on standby to push the protesters back if necessary.