Dumfries Prison is located off Terregles Street, a half-mile (0.8 km) west of the town centre and serves the courts of Dumfries and Galloway. Built in 1883 to replace old prisons in Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Stranraer, this castellated building was the work of Major-General T.B. Collinson, the architect and engineer to the Scottish Prisons Department. The original purpose of the prison was to house male and female remand and convicted prisoners from SW Scotland. Since 1951, however, the establishment has undergone a number of changes of role, including use as a Borstal. It now houses around 200 male prisoners, in five halls labelled "A" through to "E", although has a designed capacity of only 179.
A new wing was added in the 1960s and the prison was extended again in 1988. Between 1987 and 2003, the principal role of the prison was as a Young Offenders Institution providing secure accommodation for long-term offenders under the age of 21. A small women's unit was closed in 2006.
