A new prison designed to help cut crime, rehabilitate offenders and boost the local economy has officially opened in Leicester.
Category C prison HMP Fosse Way will house 1,715 prisoners, including innovations to bolster security and state-of-the-art workshops to help prisoners find work.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has billed it as the greenest prison ever constructed in the UK, thanks to greener fuels, renewable energy, and electric construction machinery.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the prison signals a new approach by “creating safe, modern places that utilise the latest technology to place rehabilitation and cutting crime at their core”.
In total, 71 ex-offenders and prisoners released on temporary licences were part of the 500 people involved in the prison construction.
It will feature 24 workshops and help offenders learn how to drive construction vehicles in a simulator, manufacture glasses, and construct concrete components and lighting equipment for future prison builds.
The Greenest Prison in Britain
On the site of the old HMP Glen Parva, the new jail started accepting a small number of prisoners on 29 May.
Among the security-improving “smart” designs at Fosse Way are X-shaped blocks with more comprehensive, shorter corridors and fewer prisoners on each wing – which allows staff to see all cells and offenders quickly.
Cells have ultra-secure, bar-less windows to help end smuggling of illegal drugs, phones and weapons into jails.
Britain’s newest jail was today compared to a luxury hotel as details emerged of its simple setup, including windows with no bars, a driving simulator – and even opportunities to launch a pop career.
HMP Fosse Way, a category C prison in Leicester, was mocked by critics for its similarity to student halls, with inmates also given their personal computers that double up as a TV.
Among the state-of-the-art facilities is a music classroom where record company representatives can help offenders train in music production for industry qualifications, a brand new library and an astroturf sports pitch.
Ensuring Safety and Security within the Prison
Footage inside the Scandinavian-style jail, which will house 1,715 inmates, reveals a ping pong table for prisoners to enjoy and some of the workshops available, including a construction vehicle simulator – an exercise not too far removed from playing video games.
The conditions sparked outrage on social media, with one writing: ‘Lovely hotel, be nice for a weekend away.’
The greenest jail in the country opened its doors yesterday – to cut crimes against the planet and society.
HMP Fosse Way is a state-of-the-art “resettlement” jail for prisoners nearing the end of their sentences.
Perks to help them reintegrate into society include five-a-side pitches, music studios and outdoor gyms.
They also have computers with restricted access to websites via the prison’s intranet system, on which inmates can play games and study for GCSEs, A-levels and degrees in the privacy of their cells.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
The £ 286 million jail near Leicester is one of the world’s first ultra-low-carbon prisons, boasting nearly 1,000 solar panels, heat pumps, energy-efficient lighting systems and electric vehicle charging points.
HMP Fosse Way is the latest “mega-jail” to be built to solve the jails crisis, as the prison population of England and Wales hit 85,407 earlier this month – just 900 short of total capacity.
The new jail, the second of six being built across the UK, will house 1,715 inmates using the latest designs and innovations to boost security and the rehabilitation of offenders.
The Mirror was given a sneak peek inside HMP Fosse Way yesterday as Justice Secretary Alex Chalk opened the jail.
The prison was designed and manufactured off-site using eco fuels, renewable energy, and electric construction machinery, dramatically reducing its carbon footprint.
Special eco-friendly concrete delivered a 40% reduction in carbon emissions.
The project also used power generators converted from diesel to be fuelled by vegetable oil, cutting carbon dioxide by 90%.
Britain’s newest prison was opened officially today by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, with an innovative design to protect the public by cutting crime and rehabilitating offenders while boosting the local economy.
Rehabilitation and Skill Development
Prisoners at HMP Fosse Way in Leicester will spend their time in jail learning new skills and getting trained in vital industries to find work immediately when back in the community and plug labour gaps.
This ethos has already been implemented with 71 prisoners and ex-offenders employed in constructing the new jail. With 24 workshops and many classrooms, offenders will learn skills to drive construction vehicles in a simulator, manufacture glasses, and create concrete components and lighting equipment for future prison builds.
HMP Fosse Way is the second of six state-of-the-art prisons that utilise the latest designs and innovations to boost security, rehabilitate offenders and protect the public and protect the public by helping prisoners find work, which is proven to cut their chance of reoffending.
It is also the greenest prison ever constructed in the UK, thanks to greener fuels, renewable energy and electric construction machinery.
And today’s opening means the government has built more than 5,000 of the 20,000 places promised as part of its £4 billion construction programme – the most significant expansion of the prison estate since the Victorian era.
The new Category C prison will house 1,715 prisoners and create 600 jobs on top of the 500 delivered during construction work – including 71 ex-offenders and prisoners released on temporary licences. These prisoners were subject to thorough risk assessments before their quick release.
During the project, the build has also seen £180 million spent with construction suppliers in the local area.
