New Hampshire State Prison for Women

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New Hampshire State Prison for Women
Interactive map of New Hampshire State Prison for Women
Location
StatusOperational
Security classmaximum, medium, and minimum security
Capacity105
Opened2018
Managed byNew Hampshire Department of Corrections

New Hampshire State Prison for Women is an American women's prison in Concord, New Hampshire. It is the only women's prison in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Department of Corrections facility is also located in Concord.

History

The original New Hampshire State Prison for Women was located in Goffstown and was created in 1989 in response to a sex discrimination lawsuit against the New Hampshire authorities.[1] The old prison received criticism for discriminations on the grounds of the inmates having fewer facilities and them receiving fewer support services than the equivalent New Hampshire State Prison for Men.[2] A class action lawsuit was brought against the New Hampshire Department of Corrections as a result of the poor facilities at the Goffstown prison.[3]

Accordingly, plans were made for the construction of a new prison for women in New Hampshire.[4] The new prison opened in 2018 in Concord after decades of legal battles concerning the services offered at the old Goffstown facility.[5] It houses maximum, medium, and minimum security prisoners and overflow prisoners from the county prisons, which often lack appropriate facilities for women. Due to New Hampshire state law, 0.5% of the construction costs had to be set aside for the prisoners to have space to create art on certain prison walls.[5]

Since 2008, the Saint Anselm College's Knights of Columbus and a group of women from the prison have started a recycling program within the prison. In 2009, Saint Anselm's Knights of Columbus Council #4875 won the National Community Activity Award from the Supreme Council in Connecticut.[6]

Notable inmates

The former prison in Goffstown, NH

See also

References

  1. Rizzo, Elaine (January 1, 1994). "The creation of the New Hampshire State Prison for Women: Some unintended consequences of legal reform". Doctoral Dissertations. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  2. Walshe, Sadhbh (January 4, 2013). "Discrimination against women in prison keeps them going back". The Guardian. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  3. Dinan, Elizabeth. "Hard times for women in N.H. State Prison". Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  4. Dinan, Elizabeth. "Summer groundbreaking set for new women's prison". Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  5. "New women's prison uses 0.5% of construction cost to add a splash of color". Concord Monitor. October 4, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  6. "Knights of Columbus | Catholic Fraternal Organization". Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  7. "Pamela Smart transferred from N.H. prison for 'security' reasons - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  8. "Woman who killed 2 boyfriends found guilty". NBC News. June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2024.

43°13′31″N 71°33′35″W / 43.22528°N 71.55972°W / 43.22528; -71.55972