· Deputy Prime Minister officially opens Britain’s newest jail ·
First prison to be built with education, training and jobs at its
heart
Britain’s first ‘smart’ prison has opened today (4 March 2022) –
where an unprecedented array of workshops will drive more
offenders than ever into jobs and away from crime in a boost to
public protection.
The new Category C prison in Northamptonshire is the first jail
to have been designed with education, training and jobs for
prisoners on release as its main purposes – factors proven to cut
crime and reduce reoffending.
There will be a new presumption that prisoners at HMP Five Wells
should spend their time behind bars learning new skills and
getting trained in vital industries so they can find work
immediately when back in the community and plug local labour
shortages.
With 24 workshops and a large number of classrooms, prisoners
will take part in formal learning, courses, qualifications and
on-the-job training in areas including coding, car maintenance,
fork-lift-truck maintenance, plumbing and engineering.
The prison will also be smart in how it supports prisoners with
drug addictions into clean living, with two special drug recovery
wings with a focus on abstinence-based methods. Here, up to 200
offenders with substance misuse issues will take part in a
16-week programme to help them get off drugs and into permanent
recovery.
Designed throughout with cutting-edge technology, HMP Five Wells
is also Britain’s first ‘smart’ prison – utilising the latest
designs and innovations to protect the public and rehabilitate
offenders:
- Smart design to phase out crime behind bars – offenders will
be housed in X-shaped blocks, with wider, shorter corridors and
fewer prisoners on each wing so frontline staff can see all cells
and offenders quickly at any one time. Cells will have
ultra-secure, bar-less windows to put an end to drones bringing
illegal drugs, phones and weapons into jails
- Smart technology to rehabilitate offenders – prisoners will
have in-cell tablets to access education and learning from inside
their cell, kitted out with stringent and robust security to
ensure they are not abused, and cutting-edge body scanners will
prevent contraband from wreaking havoc on the wings
- Smart in its approach to getting offenders into jobs –
working in direct partnership with local employers to offer 500
on-the-job training places through release on temporary license,
leading to ready-made jobs for ex-offenders once back in the
community. Over 25 ex-offenders and prisoners on temporary
release were also employed in the construction of the jail,
learning skills such as bricklaying, carpentry, plastering and
roofing.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary,
said:
HMP Five Wells is a flagship example of this Government’s plan to
create secure and modern prisons that cut crime and protect the
public.
From drug-recovery centres that employ abstinence-based treatment
to world-class prisoner training courses, this smart prison is
designed to tackle the key obstacles to cutting reoffending and
making our streets safer.
At HMP Five Wells, the Deputy Prime Minister met with frontline
prison staff to see first-hand the cutting-edge new technologies
and workshops that will keep the public safe while supporting
prisoners to turn their backs on crime for good.
The prison will hold around 1700 offenders when at full capacity
in December and will boost local employment with over 600 new
jobs for the community. Around 200 prisoners are already there.
The opening of HMP Five Wells is a major milestone in the
government’s commitment to create 20,000 modern, innovative
places by the mid-2020s.
The new jail, on the site of the old HMP Wellingborough, is the
first of 6 new prisons to be completed, with construction at Glen
Parva, Leicestershire, well underway. The 1,700 place prison,
recently named HMP Fosse Way by the local community, will be
operated by Serco following a recent tendering competition.
The next new prison will be built next to HMP Full Sutton, East
Yorkshire, and locations are being identified for a further three
across the country. Of the four final builds, one will be run by
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and three by private
operators.
Together, this £4 billion investment will create thousands of
jobs for local communities and see millions invested in local
roads and infrastructure, while rehabilitating thousands of
offenders and keeping the public safe.
Notes to editors
- Construction of HMP Five Wells began in May 2019 and G4S
began preparations to open the prison in November last year. The
first prisoner arrived on 4 February 2022.
- The prison’s name was chosen by the local community after the
five historic wells surrounding Wellingborough.
- The name of the new prison in Glen Parva, HMP Fosse Way, was
selected by the local community and reflects the history of the
local area – the Fosse Way is a Roman road that runs through
Leicestershire.
