Prison designed from top to bottom with smart technology to cut crime and protect the public.
Britain's first prison, HMP Five Wells, has opened which will use digital technology to reduce reoffending and rehabilitate offenders.
There will be an unprecedented number of workshops to support offenders into jobs and provide them with the tools they need to turn away from crime. HMP Five Wells, a Category C prison, is the first to be designed with training and education for prisons on release as its main purpose. Prisoners will spend the majority of their time learning new skills and getting trained in vital industries in order to prepare them for life outside the prison gates.
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.
Not only will employment, training and education opportunities be at the heart of what this prison is trying to deliver, but also how it supports prisoners with drug additions.
With new cutting edge technology we will see HMP Five Wells utilise the latest innovations and designs to rehabilitate offenders and protect the public.
Alongside smart' changes to the design and build of the prison, we are also seeing the roll out of smart technology. Prisoners will have in-cell tablets to access education and learning directly from inside their cells. The tablets will have strict and robust security measures to ensure they cannot be abused. In addition, to protect other inmates and staff, the use of body scanners will be introduced to prevent contraband from entering the prison wings.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab yesterday 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 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.