Thousands of extra jail places will be erected across England as part of a £500 million building contract announced by Prisons Minister Victoria Atkins today (20 June 2022).
Kier and Wates have been awarded contracts to lead a consortium of hundreds of small enterprises in the construction of new houseblocks at six prisons, with a total capacity of 2,600 inmates.
They will also construct state-of-the-art workshops at the six prisons – HMPs Bullingdon, Channings Wood, Elmley, Highpoint, Hindley, and Wayland – to help the government reduce reoffending and crime by putting more ex-offenders to work.
Between April 2021 and March 2022, the proportion of ex-prisoners employed 6 months after release increased by two-thirds (66%) as a result of this initiative.
The new houseblocks will be designed with security and rehabilitation in mind, featuring x-shaped buildings with broader landings to increase vision of several wings, assisting officers in maintaining order.
The new designs will also make it easier to access support services such as supplementary healthcare and kitchens, boosting rehabilitation and assisting inmates in regaining control of their life.
The building of the houseblocks and renovation work is expected to create over 2,000 employment during the construction phase, as well as over 750 jobs within the new jail facilities.
This includes jobs under Kier’s ‘Making Ground’ project, which provides construction jobs to prisoners on a temporary license. Over 100 current and former inmates have participated in the program to date.
These new structures join two planned houseblocks at HMPs Stocken and Guys Marsh announced earlier this year, as well as a brand-new workshop under development at HMP High Down in Surrey.
Victoria Atkins, the Minister for Prisons, said:
The government is making good on its promise to build a modern jail estate that prioritizes security and rehabilitation.
This will improve public safety by providing criminals with every option to turn away from a life of crime and into a career.
These houseblocks are also good news for local businesses that will play a key role in their construction, as well as the communities that will benefit from the new jobs created by the prisons.
Kier Construction’s Group Managing Director, Liam Cummins, said:
Being named to the Accelerated Houseblock Development Programme (AHDP) is a terrific opportunity for Kier to continue our long-standing partnership with the Ministry of Justice as a strategic supplier to the government.
We’re thrilled to be combining our national custodial knowledge with our strong regional delivery capability to help the Ministry of Justice capture value at both the strategic program and local delivery levels.
As a project integrator, we are excited to maintain the high standards we have established in the use of modern construction processes, such as innovation, technology, and pushing the boundaries of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA).
We will also continue to help prisoner rehabilitation through our Making Ground initiative, which makes considerable use of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL).
Wates Construction Group’s Executive Managing Director, Paul Chandler, said:
We’ve been collaborating with the Ministry of Justice for for two decades to help them expand and modernize its estate, and we’re excited to contribute that knowledge to the Accelerated Houseblock Development program.
We will work closely with our Alliance partners to construct greener, more operationally efficient buildings that meet the MoJ’s net zero aspirations by 2040, drawing on the knowledge of our in-house engineering and offsite manufacturing specialists.
Not only that, but we’ll be focusing on establishing surroundings that promote staff and prisoner well-being, as well as improved long-term rehabilitation outcomes for the people who use these facilities.
These projects are part of the government’s £4 billion commitment to build 20,000 new modern prisons, the country’s largest prison-building initiative in over a century.
The new jails will ensure that the necessary conditions are in place for inmates to be truly rehabilitated, providing them with the knowledge, skills, and assistance they need to live crime-free lives after they are released.
This will aid in the reduction of crime, the reduction of reoffending, and the protection of the public.
The construction of four new prisons, as well as the refurbishment of existing sites to bring out-of-date prison spaces back online, are all part of the strategy to boost capacity across the prison estate.