HMP Millsike is the first of four new jails to be built as part
of the Plan for Change to create 14,000 extra prison places by
2031. This extra capacity will help put more violent offenders
behind bars, make streets safer and ensure the country never runs
out of cells again.
Last summer, the government inherited a prisons system days away
from collapse which would have left police unable to take
dangerous criminals off the streets.
Ms Mahmood said the opening marked another milestone in her work
to get a grip of the prisons crisis that has dominated her first
nine months in post.
As a Category C prison, HMP Millsike has been designed with a
clear aim - cutting crime. It includes 24 workshops and training
facilities aimed at getting offenders into work on release and
away from crime for good so fewer people become victims in the
future.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, , said:
This Government is fixing the broken prison system we inherited,
delivering the cells needed to take the most dangerous criminals
off our streets.
HMP Millsike sets the standard for the jails of the future, with
cutting crime built into its very fabric. It is a huge step in
our plan to add 14,000 extra prison places by 2031.
But building jails only takes us so far in ending this crisis,
which is why we're also reviewing sentencing so we can always
lock up dangerous offenders and make our streets safer.
The prison is the size of 39 football pitches and comes fitted
top-to-bottom with security technology to combat the drugs,
drones and phones that have plagued prisons in recent years and
risked the safety of frontline officers.
This includes reinforced barless windows to deter drone activity,
hundreds of CCTV cameras, and X-ray body scanners to spot and
stop contraband entering the prison.
The prison will be operated by Mitie Care and Custody and will
have education and workplace training provider PeoplePlus on site
to give offenders the tools they need to find work on release and
stay on the straight and narrow.
The construction of the prison alone generated nearly 800 jobs
and around 600 will be created now it is in full operation,
providing an economic boost to Yorkshire.
With the country still using many of its Victorian prisons, HMP
Millsike has been built to also stand the test of time. Its use
of modern materials and fittings will keep running and repairs
costs to a minimum for taxpayers.
Russell Trent, Managing Director, Mitie Care & Custody
said:
We are a proud partner to the MoJ, focused on building safer
communities.
As a resettlement prison, our focus is on rehabilitation and
restoration centred on future orientation to break the cycle of
reoffending. We want our prisoners to leave HMP Millsike
qualified, employable and equipped for life in the outside world.
Everything from the building design to the technology, education
and training opportunities has been engineered to create an
environment where people leave ready to integrate and contribute
to society.
Stuart Togwell, group managing director at Kier Construction
said:
Using our significant experience in the justice sector, Kier has
delivered a state-of-the-art, carbon-efficient facility designed
to support rehabilitation, which has also provided new jobs,
economic investment and skills development for the surrounding
communities.
HMP Millsike supports the government's commitment to increasing
prison capacity and reducing reoffending, and joins our growing
portfolio of prison redevelopment and build projects awarded in
recent years.
Its opening is a major milestone in the government's 10-year
prison capacity strategy published in December. This plan
includes 6,400 places through new houseblocks and 6,500 places
via new prisons. One thousand rapid deployment cells will be
rolled out across the estate while more than 1,000 existing cells
will be refurbished.
The government started the 700-place expansion at HMP Highpoint
in Suffolk earlier this month, and a new houseblock providing
nearly 460 places at HMP Rye Hill in Northamptonshire recently
received its first prisoners.
It follows a £2.3 billion investment to deliver these prison
builds, with a further £500 million going towards vital building
maintenance across prisons and the probation service. The
strategy will work alongside the Independent Sentencing Review to
ensure the most serious offenders can always be sent to prison to
protect the public.
Background information
- Situated on land next to the existing HMP Full Sutton, HMP
Millsike has been named after Millsike Beck, a local stream that
runs adjacent to the new jail, firmly embedding the prison into
its local community.
