Built as a model of reform but growing to become one of Scotland's largest and most infamous institutions, Barlinnie Prison is approaching the end of its sentence.
With work now underway on a new prison on the site of Provan Gas Works, the question is what will happen to the current jail which, for 142 years, has dominated the skyline in Glasgow's east end.
Our series tells the history of Barlinnie, from its early days as a model prison, through tales of riots, slopping out and the 'Special Unit', which broke new ground in its rehabilitation of violent offenders.
Follow along here during the series for every article in the series.
Day One
The story of Barlinnie: From beacon of prison reform to notorious superjail
A reputation as tough as San Francisco's infamous former Alcatraz prison, Barlinnie has never been far from controversy and notoriety. But its history shows a different side. This is its story.
Days of rage: Inside the Barlinnie prison siege of January 1987
In one dramatic five day period Barlinnie became the best known prison in the world – for all the wrong reasons. Graphic scenes of roof top protest and terrified prison officers being held hostage were also shown across the world to a stunned audience. On January 5, 1987 a group of violent inmates at Barlinnie had taken over.
Glasgow's forgotten prisons and why Barlinnie was built
At one time Glasgow had eight separate prisons with different areas of the city having its own jail. However legislation passed by Westminster in the 19th century led to a more centralised system. By the time of Barlinnie's completion seven were closed, leaving only Duke Street. This is the story of Glasgow's old prison system and why Barlinnie was built.
'You're always looking for a way out': Tracking Barlinnie's prison escapes
In Barlinnie's chequered 142 year history only a relatively small number of prisoners have managed to escape. However like anyone connected with Barlinnie their stories were as dramatic as any told about the prison.
Day Two
Slopping out: The story of Barlinnie prison's 'disgusting' 120 year practice
One of the most notorious routines in Barlinnie for more than 120 years was the practice of slopping out.
The ten hangings of Barlinnie and the stories that lay behind them
A total of 10 hangings took place at HMP Barlinnie between 1947 and 1960. At that time capital punishment cases had been moved to the Bar-L from Duke Street prison.
Barlinnie's one million men: The prisoners' history
During its’ chequered 142 year history Barlinnie has been home to more than a million offenders ranging from shoplifters to serial killers.
Inside the infamous 'special unit' at Barlinnie and why it was so controversial
In 1973 Barlinnie found a more humane way of dealing with Scotland's hard men by opening its controversial Special Unit.
Day Three
What the new Barlinnie will look like - and why it's taking so long to complete
The planned new £400 million replacement for Barlinnie is a long
way from completion.
However, like its Victorian predecessor, it is already mired in controversy with concerns being expressed over the final cost and completion date.
The bodies of Barlinnie: What will become of prison's buried former inmates?
One of the biggest challenges facing the old Barlinnie will be removing the remains of prisoners buried there following their executions more than 60 years ago
Former Barlinnie prisoner says second stint in the prison changed his life for better
He is a former Barlinnie inmate who says the prison is to thank for turning his life around.
At one stage Jordan Robertson was going nowhere fast, caught up in a spiral of petty crime and drugs, having been in and out of jail since he was 17.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here