Shelton Abbey Prison
1860s drawing
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 Location in Ireland
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| Location | Arklow, County Wicklow |
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| Coordinates | 52°48′58″N 6°11′27″W / 52.815976°N 6.190734°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | open prison |
| Capacity | 115 |
| Population | 94 (as of 2009) |
| Opened | early 1970s |
| Managed by | Irish Prison Service |
| Governor | Conal Healy |
Shelton Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Shelton) on the north bank of the Avoca near Arklow County Wicklow, is a penal institution operated by the Irish Prison Service (IPS).
Until 1951 when financial difficulties forced William Howard, 8th Earl of Wicklow to sell the estate to the Irish State, Shelton Abbey was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Wicklow. The current building is set in extensive grounds and replaced a previous less extensive country house which had, in 1690, accommodated the fleeing James II of England after the Battle of the Boyne. The present mansion was originally built in 1770, but extensively remodelled in a Gothic style by the Irish architect, Sir Richard Morrison, in 1819. Despite its institutional role, the building retains much of the original internal and external fabric and architectural characteristics.
In the early 1840s the house and its demesne were described in Bartlett's The Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland as follows:
Previously used by the state as a residential forestry training facility, Shelton Abbey has, since the early 1970s, been used as an open prison for males aged 19 years and over who are regarded as requiring lower levels of security.
Accommodation for most prisoners is in dormitories (catering for up to 100). There are a few prisoners serving life sentences and some of these have single room accommodation. During the period 2001 and 2009 the daily average number of prisoners held at Shelton Abbey has varied between 27 and 94. An additional accommodation wing, Avoca House, was opened in May 2009. This separate wing increased the capacity of the prison to 110.
No sex offenders or Immigration Warrant prisoners were held in custody at the prison during 2009.
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Wikipedia