Site FAQs

Why did Maitland Gaol Close?

Primary reasons for the closure of Maitland gaol include:

1. Financial difficulties
2. Labour costs
3. Age of Maitland Gaol
4. Findings from the Nagle Royal Commission  

What strategies were used to discipline prisoners?

Segregation, isolation and restriction to a ‘bread and water’ diet have often been used in the prison system to discipline inmates. In the late 19^th and early 20^th Centuries, harsh forms of punishment including flogging with the ‘cat-o-nine tails’ and locking inmates between the secure grill and the outer solid doors of the cells were utilised. In later years troublesome inmates (Intractables) could be ‘shanghaied’ and sent on a ‘tour of the State’ or to Grafton which was renowned for its brutal regimen.

In the modern era, removal of privileges such as visits, buy-ups, power, TV’s etc were deemed effective ways of controlling the prison population.

How many executions were there in Maitland Gaol?

16 men (13 for murder and 3 for rape) were executed at Maitland Gaol between 1843 and 1897. The executions (all by hanging) were open to the public until 1861 and were carried out at a number of sites around the gaol including, it is believed, the main gates and the back corner of the Gaol.

Was it policy of the administrators to segregate prisoners? 

In the earliest periods of the Gaol’s operation, cells contained up to 5 prisoners, although they were segregated by GENDER.  Inmates were segregated for disciplinary reasons and for their own protection. Deviant sex offenders (rock spiders, granny bashers etc.) and other ‘at risk’ inmates including informers (dogs) were segregated for their own safety. Inmates of differing ethnicity were at times segregated to alleviate racial tensions.

What was a typical sentence of prisoners in Maitland Gaol?

Sentences (lags) ranged from ‘life’ through to short sentences of 6 to 9 months.

What was the average age of the prison population? Has this changed much over time? 

The average age of the ‘typical inmate’ has changed over time. In the Gaol’s formative years, the average age was between 25 to 35 years, however as the 20^th Century progressed the average age of prisoners in the Gaol could be charted somewhere between 19 and 30. This decrease in age of inmate can be attributed to the greater number of prisoners incarcerated for drug and/or gang related crime.

What was the level of education of the average prisoner?

In the earliest periods of the Gaol’s occupation the level of education of the average inmate was low when they arrived at gaol but in later years inmates were able to obtain up to a university standard of education.