[3] The first stage included the south-east wing, the gate lodges and the enclosing wall of the original compound, all of stone.

The second stage, built 1861–73 under James Barnet, included the north-west wing, the watch towers, the warders' quarters and the governor's residence that flanked the entrance from John Street, the two-storey building that contained a chapel and a school room on the first floor and workshops on the ground floor.

The last man executed at Maitland was Charles Hines in May 1897 for allegedly raping his stepdaughter; however, he claimed he was innocent until he took his last breath.

Work included perimeter walls, watch towers, women's cell range, workshops and female warders quarters.

The man who informed the warden of the tunnel had his throat cut so viciously his head swung back on his shoulders.

In this cell block was also a clinic designed to treat inmates who had swallowed razor blades or drugs.

[citation needed] In April 1996, state Minister for Corrective Services Bob Debus announced the closure of Maitland Gaol as part of an overhaul of the NSW prison system, as its accommodation and working conditions were no longer considered appropriate in the context of the Government's plans for correctional facilities.

[2] In 1997, George Savvas and Ivan Milat had planned an escape from the gaol but were stopped by correctional officers.

[2] Made mainly of sandstone and metal roofing, the building structures are set out on the same north-west bearing as the predominant street pattern of East Maitland.

[2] The houses of the Governor of the Jail and of the Lieutenant-Governor project forwards from the gaol wall to form a court, with the main entrance at the far end.

Together with the courthouse, it provides an elevated focal point at the north-west end of William Street, the grand axis of the 1829 town plan.

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Maitland Correctional Centre, entry number 01296 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.