Prisons: The good, the bad and the ugly

 Dads learn parenting skills

Dads jailed at Altcourse explored their emotions and learned how to be good parents – both inside prison and after release – on a four-week course called ‘Fathers Inside’ run by the charity SIG Safe Ground.

At their final session they invited guests, including the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Barbara Murray, who participated in the warm-up exercises used to get these strangers to work together. They talked through life experiences that had led them to prison and discussed how to build family relationships.

The class performed a play they scripted, showing an ex-serviceman suffering from PTSD following a horrific experience in Afghanistan, and the failures of everyone to help. He ended up addicted, struggling, then in jail. It was based on the experience of a friend of one of the performers. 

The men performed poems expressing suppressed feelings, which have now been published. Around the walls were sheets describing their discussions. The scheme was coordinated by Ailsa and Lynne, along with Dan, Emma, and Linda, plus visiting poet Toria Garbutt and Linda, a family counsellor and facilitator. The men were Carl, Peter, Darren, Daz, Michael A, Kyle, Lee, Michael D, Craig, Imran, Ste, and Nathan – and whilst Daz was unable to attend on the day, he was a key part of the team.

Clink, Clink! Brixton restaurant toasts survival

A groundbreaking restaurant which welcomes members of the public inside a jail for gourmet meals prepared by prisoners has escaped the threat of closure. After a bidding process ordered by the Ministry of Justice, The Clink Charity won a new five-year contract to operate its eatery in the old Governor’s house at HMP Brixton. 

The announcement last month came as a relief for the charity, after it had been forced to close three of its four prison restaurants – at High Down, Styal, and Cardiff – in recent years. The Clink trains prisoners to work in catering and hospitality after release.

I swear it wasn’t me, it was the otters

A high-value theft from inside a prison is under investigation – but it seems prisoners are not to blame. Eleven koi carp, a famously expensive ornamental fish, went missing over two occasions from a pond at Hydebank Wood in Northern Ireland, which holds women and young men.

Jon Burrows, an Ulster Unionist Party politician, asked whether inmates might have been involved, saying: “For 11 carp to simply vanish over two occasions is simply strange. Also, were prisoners responsible for feeding these fish? … I would be concerned that these fish may have been stolen, given their potential value.”

But Naomi Long, Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister, dismissed the idea, saying: “After discussion with relevant agencies, it is believed that a predator such as a mink, heron or otters may have taken them, as they have been seen in the area.”

She admitted the pond lacked CCTV or netting. The most expensive-ever koi carp was sold at auction in Japan for £1.4 million in 2018.

texts threatening her children so she could claim in her defence that she was forced to commit the crime. The 40-year-old, who worked in the prison’s education department, was jailed for five years and two months at Sheffield Crown Court for possessing cocaine and ketamine with intent to supply.

• At HMP Hewell, a female officer used her access to prison computers to check on the wellbeing of her boyfriend who was serving a sentence in HMP Birmingham. She then convinced two women to visit him, smuggle cannabis in with them, and get him to swallow it. When they tried it for the third month running, he could not swallow the drugs and they were caught. All three women are awaiting sentencing.

• A 45-year-old former officer was cleared of misconduct in a public office, having taken a former inmate to a pub where other officers were gathering after they had begun a two-month relationship. She met the man whilst he was detained at HMP Humber, where she worked. She told the others in the group having lunch that he was a contractor. Letters between the two were submitted in evidence, as well as a request for a transfer that the man had submitted to the prison. She told the jury in her trial that their relationship did not begin until she had resigned from the Prison Service, and the jury unanimously found her not guilty.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “The overwhelming majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest, but as these cases show, we will always take robust action when officers fall below our high standards.”

Serco remains in charge

Serco Group PLC has been awarded a new £500 million, 12-year contract by the Ministry of Justice to manage HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire. The company has operated the category B men’s prison since 2001, but the renewed contract was issued following ‘a competitive procurement process’. The contract included new delivery centers for education and additional job opportunities.

Stabbed by the son he never knew

A man serving a prison sentence in HMP Perth was attacked by a man he had never met before, only to find out later it was his own son committing the assault.

The 25-year-old attacker was serving a sentence in Perth when he found out that his father, who he had never met, was on the same wing. He had been told by his mother that the man had inflicted violence on her, and so resolved to take revenge. In July this year, he attacked him and slashed him with a knife.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that whilst the older man knew he had a son from the woman, he had never met him and had no idea that he might be in prison. When the father walked into the son’s cell to ask to borrow a cup to have a drink, the son attacked him without hesitation. 

The attacker pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Gordon Martin KC, defence solicitor advocate, told Judge Lord Renucci that his client’s motivation was the account his mother gave him of the alleged abuse carried out when his client was a baby. The attacker is due to be sentenced on 9 January, after the judge asked for further reports. 

Big Hoose gets listing as closure looms

Barlinnie prison in Glasgow, known locally as the Big Hoose, has been granted Category A listed status, meaning its structure is likely to be preserved after it ceases to be used as a jail.

The prison, which opened in 1882, has recently been condemned by inspectors for its “wretchedly poor state”. Its 1,300 residents are set to be moved to a new purpose-built jail, HMP Glasgow, which is under construction and due to open in 2028 at a cost of around £1 billion.

Historic Environment Scotland, the agency which awarded the listing following a public consultation, said its decision “will ensure that what makes this building special can be considered in any decisions about its future”.

The Category A listing means that Barlinnie has been recognised as one of Scotland’s most significant structures. The listing covers the oldest surviving parts of the establishment including five accommodation halls, the chapel, the former infirmary and store building, the gatehouse, work sheds, and surviving parts of the early boundary wall.

Woman choked on underwear

A coroner last month criticised the detention of people in prison when they should be in secure mental health units, after a woman died from choking on a piece of underwear at HMP Bronzefield.

Diana Grant, 42, was on medication for paranoid schizophrenia when, in November 2021, she stabbed her mother three times at home. She was arrested for attempted murder and remanded in custody. Despite an urgent referral being made by the courts, alerting the prison to be aware of her risk of self-harm or suicide, she was allocated to a standard wing and cell at Bronzefield where she was found dead the following day. 

Her mother, Annette Trotman, said: “It was a shocking catalogue of failings by state services that failed her completely when she needed their help at a point of crisis.”

Staff rang off because NHS took too long

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has been ordered to apologise after its staff hung up on an NHS helpline because it took too long to be answered – leaving a prisoner without medical attention. 

The inmate stopped taking a prescribed medication after experiencing side effects, and asked to see a nurse. They were not seen for two weeks. Prison staff then told the inmate that since the nurse was no longer available, a call had been placed instead to NHS 24 – a Scottish service, accessed by dialing 111 – but it had been ended “due to the expected wait time”.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman told the SPS to apologise.

More prison staff appear in court as 1,000 staff have been disciplined during the year

 Three more prison staff have been arrested or convicted in relation to criminal offences – while new figures from the Ministry of Justice showed that over 1,000 prison or probation staff in England and Wales have faced disciplinary action in the latest 12-month period.

In separate cases: 

A 31-year-old woman was handed a suspended sentence after admitting to having a flirtatious relationship with an inmate while working as a prison officer at HMP Lowdham Grange in May 2023. She pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office. Her six-month prison term was suspended for 18 months.

A former male prison officer at HMP Manchester was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years plus a six-year extended licence period, for what a judge described as “sadistic” suggestions when he believed he was communicating with children on line. As the victims could not be traced he was convicted of attempted abuse rather than actual abuse. 

Just after Christmas, Guernsey Police confirmed that a 34-year-old male member of staff at the island’s prison, Les Nicolles, has been arrested on “suspicion of supplying a controlled substance”. Prison authorities said he had been suspended pending further investigation, and he is free on unconditional bail whilst the authorities pursue the matter.

Meanwhile, new MoJ figures showed that between April 2024 and March 2025, a total of 1,286 prison and probation staff in England and Wales were subject to conduct and disciplinary action, with 939 ending up being disciplined – with such action ranging from verbal warnings up to dismissal. Their offences range from minor infractions up to serious rule breaches such as those for which have people end up in court.

During the 12-month period, 405 staff were dismissed – of whom 276 were male and 129 were female. The total marks an increase from the figure of 287 in the previous 12 months. A spokesperson for the Prison Service said: “Where staff fall below our exacting standards, we do not hesitate to take robust action.”

Three prison workers deny allowing inmate's death

 Three prison workers have denied responsibility for the death of an inmate while he was being restrained and moved to another cell, a court heard.

Christopher Pearson, 42, died after suffering a cardiac arrest while under their care at HMP Leeds on 10 September 2021.

Custody night manager Leanne Hollis, 38, from Barnsley, pleaded not guilty to misconduct in a public office and care workers Aimee Adam, 33, and Merjury Chitadzinga, 49, both pleaded not guilty to wilful neglect at Leeds Crown Court earlier.

All three were granted unconditional bail and are due to stand trial at the same court on 3 July 2028.

The court heard that while Pearson was being relocated to another cell, excessive force was used and the methods were "inappropriate and dangerous".

Both Adam, of Creswell, Worksop, and Chitadzinga, of Swinton, Rotherham, also failed to assess Pearson properly and check on his "health and wellbeing", the court was told.

According to the campaign group Inquest, Pearson had mental health problems and the prison had placed him on a safety plan for vulnerable prisoners at risk of suicide or self-harm.

Recorder of Leeds Judge Guy Kearl KC told the defendants they must stay in touch with their barristers as their trial date may be called sooner

Prison worker jailed over relationship with inmate

 A woman who worked delivering rehabilitation courses to male prisoners has been jailed after starting an inappropriate relationship with an inmate and smuggling illicit items into the jail.

Jane Littler took spice, painkiller tablets and other prohibited items into HMP Garth in Lancashire, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit said.

The 41-year-old, from Chorley, admitted misconduct but denied possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.

She was sentenced to five and a half years at Preston Crown Court.

Littler began working at the jail in August 2014, delivering programmes aimed at reducing violence.

An investigation began in August 2021 after a mobile phone was discovered in a prisoner's cell.

Analysis revealed more than 2,000 contacts between the device and Littler.

Later searches uncovered further evidence of inappropriate contact and prohibited items linked to the staff member.

On 5 October 2021, Littler was arrested at her home address.

Officers seized mobile phones, handwritten notes, and packages containing substances including spice and 768 painkiller tablets.

Letters recovered from her address also indicated the inappropriate relationship with the prisoner.

Det Insp Brian Morley said the case "demonstrates the serious consequences of corruption within prisons".

"Staff are entrusted with supporting rehabilitation and protecting the public, but when that trust is abused, it undermines the integrity of the entire system," he said.

"These actions fuel organised crime, put other prisoners and staff at risk, and erode public confidence in the justice system."

Female prison support worker jailedFemale prison support worker jailed

 A prison support worker who had an affair with an inmate has been jailed by Bristol Crown Court for six months. The 38-year-old woman began a relationship with the man while she was working at Leyhill open prison in November 2023. 

Their affair continued until June 2024 when an investigation into the pair was launched by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU). She has now been jailed after admitting misconduct in a public office. 

The SWROCU said the woman was working as an operational support grade (OSG) member of staff, supporting the work of prison officers. The inmate involved was serving a sentence for conspiracy to supply class A drugs and blackmail. The couple exchanged phone calls and text messages, with the prisoner using a phone he was not allowed to have, and would spend time at hotels and restaurants when he was on day release.

She also arranged for money to be deposited in the inmate’s prison bank account using his bank card details. PC Mark Paterson, corruption investigator at SWROCU, said: “Her role as an OSG meant she had a duty to conduct herself in a responsible, respectable and trustworthy manner. Instead, her conduct amounted to a serious breach of trust.”

He added: “SWROCU will continue to work determinedly with the HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit and the prisons in bringing to justice employees who engage in any form of criminal conduct. It simply will not be tolerated – they will be identified, investigated and prosecuted.”

Prison worker jailed over relationship with inmate

 A prison worker who had an inappropriate relationship with an inmate at a Lincolnshire prison has been jailed for 12 months.

Nikki Croft, 51, admitted the misconduct while serving at HMP Morton Hall, a Category C men's prison, near Lincoln.

Croft, who referred to the prisoner by the initials LZ, also admitted providing 11 illicit SIM cards, Lincoln Crown Court was told.

The defendant, whose address can not be disclosed because of a court order, admitted two charges of misconduct in public office.

Declan Austin, prosecuting, said Croft began working at the prison in 2022 and was employed as a civilian inclusion support coordinator, helping inmates with learning difficulties.

"She became infatuated with him (LZ) and accepts she started speaking to him in December 2022, into January 2023," the prosecutor said.

The court heard Croft had been placed under investigation and suspended after rumours began to circulate within the prison, but she denied any wrongdoing at "a challenge meeting" in February 2023.

Croft subsequently had the suspension removed and resumed working at the prison in April 2023 after the investigation proved inconclusive.

However, the court heard suspicions were again raised after she continued to stay in contact with LZ.

"She sent photographs of herself to him, who by this time was at HMP Lincoln, and were subsequently found in his cell," Austin said.

"They were photos of her in sexually motivated positions, in underwear," the prosecutor added.

The court heard one of the sim cards had also been used 9,477 times by inmates.

'Infatuated'

In mitigation, Neil Sands asked why a woman of "adult years" had succumbed to an inmate.

"It is clear in this case there was an infatuation," he said, adding her previous relationships had left her "extremely vulnerable".

Passing sentence on Friday, Recorder Luke Blackburn said Croft's conduct had left her vulnerable to blackmail and corruption for which she had received training.

The judge told Croft: "You formed a relationship with a prisoner, you became infatuated with him.

"So much so you sent him pictures and had a pillow at your home with a picture of him.

"The risks of that are obvious to anyone."

Female prison officer pleads not guilty to misconduct

A 29-year-old woman who worked as a prison officer at HMP Peterborough pleaded not guilty to a range of offences at Cambridge Crown Court earlier this month. 

The woman stands accused of entering into improper relationships whilst in the prison, as well as drug-smuggling and money-laundering. Five men have been accused alongside her.

The offences are alleged to have occurred in 2020 and 2021, with the intimate relationships beginning in June 2020 and the smuggling starting in July that year. All of these are suspected of being continued until April 2021. The alleged money-laundering is said to have involved the use of various bank accounts to move money that was being used to finance the drugs operation.

Three defendants were released on bail. The others charged are due to appear in court later in January. A trial for all the defendants has been scheduled for Huntingdon Crown Court in April 2027. 

government spending £4m a year on empty prison

 HMP Dartmoor in Devon was shut down in July 2024 after high levels of radioactive radon gas were detected.

The government is spending £4m a year on the upkeep of a prison that has not held any inmates for 18 months, a report from MPs has revealed.

HMP Dartmoor was shut down in July 2024 after levels of radioactive radon gas higher than the recommended limit were detected, resulting in the relocation of more than 600 prisoners.

Since then, the category C facility in Princetown, Devon, has remained empty and on Wednesday a report from the House of Commons public accounts committee revealed the 11-year lease, which ends in 2033, is costing HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) £4m a year.

The report called the spend a "needless waste of taxpayers' money" and urged HMPPS, which is also committed to £68m in improvement costs to the jail, to "set out what it has learned from the failures of its decision making" and "ensure that any future contracts deliver value for money".

The prison service argued that the new lease had to be signed due to a prison capacity crisis, however, MPs did not accept that as an excuse for what they called "poor commercial decisions".

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This government inherited a crisis in our prisons system, where prisons were on the brink of collapse, threatening a total collapse in law and order.

"This government is addressing the prisons crisis through building 14,000 new prison places, and the Sentencing Bill which will deliver punishment that works."

The Health and Safety Executive is currently investigating the radon levels at HMP Dartmoor, with a decision on whether to reopen the prison to be made once results have been delivered.

Two rapists among Met officers not properly vetted

 Two serial rapists were among 131 officers and staff in the Metropolitan Police who committed crimes or misconduct after they were not properly vetted, a review has found.

David Carrick, one of the UK's worst sex offenders, and Cliff Mitchell were among the police officers who were not properly checked. Mitchell was allowed to join the force in 2020 after a vetting panel, partly aimed at improving diversity, overturned a decision to reject him despite a previous rape allegation.

The cases were revealed in a vetting review of the 10 years up to the end of March 2023.

Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams acknowledged that the "public will be really concerned" by the lapse in vetting procedures.

She added that the report was part of "ongoing work to demand the highest standards across the Met".

Other serious crimes committed by officers and staff included drug use, violent attacks and affray.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Abandoning vetting checks on officers was a dereliction of the Met's duty to keep London safe.

"I have asked the Chief Inspector of Constabulary to carry out an inspection as I seek to restore trust in the force's ability to protect and serve the public."

Carrick, who was given 37 life sentences for his crimes, was not properly vetted during a vetting renewal in 2017 – he first joined the Met in 2001 – with checks failing to reveal an allegation of domestic abuse against him.

Mitchell, who carried out a "campaign of rape" on two victims, was recruited despite an earlier allegation of raping a child.

His recruitment was initially refused after failing the vetting process due to the allegation but his application was looked at by a vetting panel, which has since been abolished.

Part of its aim was to tackle disproportionality in the workforce. The panel, first established in 2018, overturned decisions to refuse vetting of 114 officers and staff, of whom 25 went on to commit misconduct or have been accused of a crime.

The review said senior officers faced political pressure and had to meet recruitment targets or lose funding to other forces.

The review published on Thursday found that thousands of police officers and staff were not properly checked amid pressure during a national recruitment drive from July 2019 to March 2023.

Senior officers at the Met chose not to meet national guidelines amid a scramble to find more than 4,500 recruits.

The deviations from standard practice meant thousands of references were not checked, and shortcuts in vetting led to there being some officers and staff who should not have been in the force. This contributed to "police-perpetrated harm" and damaged public trust, the review said.

Under the Police Uplift Programme, forces in England and Wales were expected to recruit 20,000 officers within three and a half years to replace those cut during austerity, and funding was ringfenced and lost if targets were not met.

"Senior leaders embarked on an assertive approach towards hiring and vetting practices in order to meet what would become unachievable recruitment targets and grow the Metropolitan Police Service's (MPS) workforce at pace," the report stated.

"The focus appeared to be on speed and output; this unintentionally compromised integrity."

The report said 5,073 officers and staff were not properly vetted, of whom 4,528 had no Special Branch vetting checks, 431 had no Ministry of Defence checks and 114 had a vetting refusal overturned by a Met internal panel.

Another 3,338 who were due for vetting renewal underwent only limited checks.

The Met estimated that about 1,200 people who joined the force may have had their vetting refused under normal practices, out of around 27,300 applications.

Separately, 17,355 officers and staff did not have their references properly checked, if at all, between 2018 and April 2022.

The Met has not checked each of these files, but estimates that about 250 of these employees would not have got a job if their references had been checked.

'Farcical situation'

The review found that senior officers had faced political pressure and had to meet recruitment targets or lose funding to other forces.

The report concluded: "There were deviations from policy and practice, overconfidence in the ability to recruit at scale and lack of resources in vetting increased risk."

Since Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley took on the UK's top policing job in September 2022, about 1,500 officers have been sacked in what has been dubbed as a clean-up of the force.

Williams said: "In publishing this report today, we are being open and transparent about past vetting and recruitment practices that led, in some cases, to unsuitable people joining the Met.

"We have been honest with Londoners on many occasions about previous shortcomings in our professional standards approach.

"We found that some historical practices did not meet the strengthened hiring and vetting standards we have today. We identified these issues ourselves and have fixed them quickly while making sure any risk to the public has been properly and effectively managed."

She added: "The Met recruits hundreds of officers and staff every year, the overwhelming majority of exemplary character who are dedicated to protecting the public."

Paula Dodds, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: "Today's report illustrates a farcical situation in which hitting a numerical target of recruits has taken precedence over normal checks and balances.

"The good, brave and hard-working colleagues we represent are the first to say that the small minority of officers who are not fit to serve should not be in the police service."

Can the Met rebuild trust?

Analysis by Sima Kotecha, senior UK correspondent

In recent years, critics have questioned how so many "bad apples" have been able to find employment in Britain's largest force.

The review's findings won't be surprising to them. Some have raised serious doubts about those very vetting processes, accusing them in the past of being "slack".

The concern now is how many who shouldn't be in the force because they would have failed the checks that weren't made, are still there?

The Met says the numbers of those are small but some will argue it only takes one person to break the law and do something horrendous such as commit rape or murder.

These revelations could fuel further mistrust in the force - and some Londoners are likely to ask how they can have confidence in their officers when these errors were made.

The Met police will hope their response to the review that they've strengthened their processes since the mistakes were made will ease some of those worries.

 Unfortunately, due to technical issues, we’re currently experiencing some delays in getting new content onto the blog. That said, we have plenty planned and are excited to share it as soon as everything is back on track. Thank you for your patience — we’ll do our best to keep things moving and bring you updates soon.

Jails boost war effort

As I have said multiple times, the prison service operates less like a system of rehabilitation and more like a human warehouse—a modern department of slavery hidden behind legal language. Instead of focusing on education, support, and genuine reintegration into society, prisons rely heavily on the cheap labour of the people they detain.

Prisoners are routinely paid as little as £10–£20 per week to carry out work that, outside prison walls, would earn a proper wage. This work is not limited to basic maintenance or voluntary skill-building tasks. It often includes outside contract labour: manufacturing metal cages and equipment for the prison service itself, producing items for the armed forces, and working for private companies such as JJ Sports, among others. These are not symbolic jobs—they generate real economic value, yet the people doing the work have no meaningful say and receive wages that would be illegal in any other setting.

Supporters of this system argue that prison labour teaches discipline and provides structure. However, this argument collapses when the pay is exploitative and the skills gained are narrow, repetitive, and often irrelevant to real employment opportunities after release. When labour is compulsory or refusal leads to punishment or loss of privileges, it stops being “rehabilitation” and starts resembling forced work dressed up as reform.

The deeper issue is profit. The prison system saves money and creates value by underpaying prisoners, while private companies benefit from labour that is cheaper than minimum wage and free from standard worker protections. Prisoners cannot unionise, cannot negotiate, and cannot realistically refuse. This creates a system where incarceration itself becomes economically useful, raising serious questions about whether justice or efficiency is the real priority.

I have said my piece on this system as it stands. Now I am going to introduce a new article published in Inside Time, the national newspaper for prisoners. The article adds further weight to these concerns, offering insight from within the prison system itself and exposing how prison labour is justified, who truly benefits from it, and why calling it “rehabilitation” may be one of the most misleading narratives in the modern justice system.

"Prisoner works on military equipment for the MoD at HMP Lindholme'

• Prisoners will make more kit for the Armed Forces
• Defence spending raised in face of Russian threat
• MoJ pledges more workshop jobs and longer hours

Prisoners will be put to work making equipment for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as the UK increases its military budget in the face of the threat from Russia.

Plans published by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in December revealed that workshops in jails will turn out equipment for the Armed Forces, including camouflage nets, metal posts, and picket drivers.

Prisoner works on military equipment for the MoD at HMP Lindholme’

It comes after the UK Government pledged to spend a bigger share of the nation’s wealth on the military. In November’s Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out plans to increase defence spending from 2.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product in 2024 to 2.6 per cent by April 2027. Last summer’s Strategic Defence Review said Britain “faces a new era of threat” and must “pivot to a new way of war”. US President Donald Trump has told Europe, including the UK, to give Ukraine more help in its war against Russia.

In an ‘Action Plan’ published in November, the Ministry of Justice said that “HMPPS are … expanding the range of items and volume of products manufactured for the Ministry of Defence”. The plan gave examples of items that will be produced, and said more workshop space would be made available.

It builds on a deal struck between the MoD and HMPPS in 2014, known as Project Claustrum (Latin for ‘prison’), which has seen prisoners at more than 25 jails put in more than 1 million man-hours of labour, making and repairing equipment including sandbags, target boards, wooden pallets, hydraulic jacks, edge protectors, and burner boxes. It is said to have saved taxpayers L2 million.

The Action Plan was a response to criticism from inspectors that too many prisoners spend their days locked in their cells due to a lack of places in work or education. The plan says more jobs will be offered in Prison Industries workshops, making more items and forging links with more private companies.

In a further change, trials at five Category C prisons will see men working a 31-hour week – in contrast to the usual pattern in jails where even ‘full time’ work occupies 22 hours a week or less. The ‘Working Week Project’ began at HMP Ranby in August 2025 and will be running at four more sites by April, aiming “to mirror work in the community as far as possible”."

A lot of people will say that prisoners deserve to work for free. That punishment alone justifies exploitation. But if rehabilitation is truly the goal—as the prison service constantly claims—then this logic makes no sense. Two wrongs do not make a right. You cannot claim to be preparing people for life after prison while treating their labour as if it has no value.

If I owned a business on the outside and paid members of the public £10–£20 a week to do full-time work, I would be arrested. My business would be shut down, and I would rightly be accused of running a slave labour operation. Yet when the same thing happens inside prison walls, it is accepted, legalised, and quietly normalised. The armed forces and the Ministry of Defence benefit from this labour. Private companies benefit from it too. The only difference is that the workforce is imprisoned and powerless.

This is not rehabilitation. It is exploitation with a uniform on it.

If prisoners were paid minimum wage, or even something close to it, the argument would at least be different. But they are not. Most prisoners receive between £15 and £20 a week, and in some prisons it is pushed as low as £10. That amount does not reflect skill, effort, or risk. It barely covers basic necessities inside, let alone allows someone to save for release, support family, or feel any sense of dignity in their work.

Take my own job as an example. I am a bio-cleaner. This is hazardous work—cleaning environments that carry real health risks. On the outside, this kind of work would be paid properly and carried out with strict safety standards. Inside prison, we are paid £5 per job simply because we are prisoners. Even worse, we often struggle to get the correct equipment, including basic PPE. So not only are we paid next to nothing, but the prison system is actively putting our lives at risk to save money.

This raises a serious question about value. If the work is important enough to be done, if it is dangerous enough to require protective equipment, and if it produces real benefit for institutions and companies, then why is the labour behind it treated as disposable?

So I will end this with a simple question, one that cuts through every excuse and justification:

Would you work for £20 a week?

Because if the answer is no, then the system cannot honestly be called fair, rehabilitative, or just. It can only be called what it is: exploitation.