Maitland Gaol
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| Location | John Street, East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia () |
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| Coordinates | 32°44′42″S 151°35′22.6″E / 32.74500°S 151.589611°ECoordinates: 32°44′42″S 151°35′22.6″E / 32.74500°S 151.589611°E |
| Status | Closed (Museum) |
| Security class | Maximum security |
| Capacity | 174 but has reached 400+ |
| Opened | 1848 |
| Closed | 31 January 1998 |
Maitland Gaol, also known as Maitland Correctional Centre, is a former Australian prison located in East Maitland, New South Wales. Its construction was started in 1844 and prisoners first entered the gaol in 1848. By the time of its closure, on 31 January 1998, it had become the longest continually run gaol in Australia. It has since been turned into a museum and is a popular tourist attraction.
The gaol is in East Maitland, and this location was first used as a gaol in 1843; in the same year two prisoners were hanged there for the murder of a child. Permanent buildings were not begun until 1846 (though a foundation stone was laid in 1844), and the official opening was in December 1848.
Flogging was in place whilst the gaol was being built. Executions were open to the public until 1861, and crowds were common.Hangings took place at the main gates and the back corner of the gaol. Sixteen men were executed at Maitland Gaol between 1849 and 1897 – all for rape or murder. There is still debate as to where some of these executions took place throughout the gaol. The last man executed at Maitland was Charles Hines in May 1897 for raping his stepdaughter; however, he claimed he was innocent until he took his last breath. In New South Wales, the last corporal punishment occurred at the Maitland Gaol – a whipping, in 1905.
In 1975 inmates rioted, setting fire to the maintenance block. They used a swag of homemade weapons to attack the prison wardens, protesting about the prison system and the gaol's conditions. The infamous Darcy Dugan was blamed for inciting the riot, while 78 of the rioting inmates were transferred to other prisons. Damage resulting from the riot was estimated at A$100,000.
In 1977, Raymond Denning and 6 others escaped through an exhaust vent in the shower block. They were all back inside in 2 hours after a massive police sweep on the area.
A 5.5-metre (18 ft) long tunnel was discovered in Cell 7 in C Wing in 1980. The man who informed the warden of the tunnel had his throat cut so viciously his head swung back on his shoulders. His body was hidden with a sheet of plastic painted the same colour as the floor. The tunnel was filled in with two truckloads of concrete. There were many other escape attempts but most failed; of 32 attempted escapees, 31 were recaptured.
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