Britain’s largest jail where lags get a laptop, phone and shower in their cells could become the ‘most disgusting prison in Europe’
Britain's cushiest prison HMP Berwyn is going to be 'shameful' and even the Victorians would not have built it, a leading justice reform campaigner has warned
BRITAIN's largest jail where lags get a laptop, phone and shower in their cells is set to become the most disgusting prison in Europe within the next ten years, a leading campaigner for criminal justice reform has claimed.
In a stinging condemnation of HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, north Wales, Frances Crook of the Howard League for Penal Reform told MPs the prison is going to be 'smelly and sordid.'
Addressing the Welsh Affairs Committee, Ms Crook said: "Our prisons are shameful and Berwyn is going to be shameful very soon. It was built in a way that even Victorians would not build.
“These are small cells that people have to share. There are two sort of plinths that they sleep on.
"People are showering in front of each other. They are defecating in front of each other, with windows where there’s no ventilation, with underfloor heating they can’t control, so they are going to be hot, they are going to be smelly and sordid."
She continued: "It is going to be the most disgusting prison in Europe within 10 years."
In response to Ms Crook's comments, a spokesman from the MOJ : "HMP Berwyn is performing well since it opened and represents a key part of our £1.3 billion investment to reform and modernise the prison estate.
“There has been a phased introduction of prisoners since it opened and there is no evidence to suggest larger prisons perform worse than smaller establishments.
“Across the estate, we are investing £100m to bring in an additional 2,500 frontline prison officers to improve safety and make our prisons places of hard work and decency.”
HMP Berwyn was opened in February 2017, and holds more than 2,100 inmates who are referred to as 'men' and not prisoners.
Guards have to knock before entering a prisoner's cell, which is equipped with a phone and laptop that is not connected to the internet but is used to arrange visits, order meals for the week and do their weekly shopping, as well as complete any work related to their studies.
The complex also has a well equipped gym, and a play area for children visiting the prison.
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