Deerbolt prison opened in 1973, on the site of a former
army camp. In 1999 four inmates
escaped from Deerbolt while with an outside working party. A year later a report from
His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons stated that Deerbolt was dangerously overcrowded, with too many inmates and too few resources. There was a major disturbance at the prison in February 2005 involving six inmates who caused tens of thousands of pounds' worth of damage to the prison
chapel. There was another large disturbance at the prison the following June. Deerbolt Prison was praised by inspectors in 2005 for improving activity and resettlement services but was criticised for inmates spending too much time in their cells. In 2007 prison officers passed a
vote of no confidence in the then governor Deborah Baldwin after D wing and F wing at Deerbolt Prison were taken over by inmates in a five-hour
riot. Four prison officers were injured at the premises during the disturbance. His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons assessment of the prison in June 2011 was that it was fundamentally safe, but work was required to reduce levels of violence and improve discipline. It was noted that the prison had a "challenging population", but staff had worked hard to make improvements since 2007. The prison was inspected again in 2015. It was described as "a decent and generally safe prison" although some aspects of teaching provision were said to require urgent attention. On 8 January 2020 four prison officers were hurt when it was reported that the prison authorities had lost control of a wing. An external team of prison officers specifically trained to quell riots, designated as a “tornado team”, were called to regain control. The troubles were contained in the early hours of 9 January and the offending prisoners were moved elsewhere. ==Present day==