Tag: Ministry of Justice

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 7 May 2025.

Victims will be better protected than ever thanks to new measures across the justice system following the introduction of the Victims and Courts Bill (7 May).

For the first time ever, judges will be able to hand down prison punishments for cowardly criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing hearing.

The powers of the Victims’ Commissioner will also be strengthened, empowering them to play a greater role in individual cases and requiring them to produce an independent report on compliance with the Victims’ Code.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood said:

This Bill will deliver long overdue reforms to ensure victims see justice done and are given the vital support they need as they rebuild their lives.

There is still more work to do as we fix a justice system that was left on the brink of collapse, but this Bill is a step towards rebuilding victims’ confidence through our Plan for Change.

Measures in the Bill to force offenders to attend their sentencing will go further than ever before. In recognition that those facing long sentences or Whole Life Orders may not be deterred solely by additional time behind bars, this government is going further and giving judges the power to impose a range of prison sanctions on top of additional years on their sentence to ensure heinous criminals who refuse to attend can be appropriately punished.

The Bill also extends the eligibility to all cases in the Crown Court, meaning that all offenders who attempt to evade justice could be subject to tough sanctions – such as confinement to their cell and loss of privileges, like extra time in the gym – as well as up to two more years behind bars.

Offenders who have been ordered to attend by a judge but whose disruptive and disrespectful behaviour results in their removal from the courtroom will also be punishable by the same means.

Minister Davies-Jones said:

I would like to thank the remarkable families of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Jan Mustafa, Sabina Nessa and Zara Aleena and countless others who   have campaigned tirelessly for offenders to have to face the reality of their crimes by attending their sentencing.

Justice isn’t optional – we’ll make sure criminals face their victims.

The Bill will also provide greater protection to victims by automatically restricting parental responsibility for vile offenders sentenced for a serious sexual abuse offence against their own child.

Predatory parents will be prevented from actively taking steps in the child’s life, including requesting updates about the child’s schooling or seeking to interfere with their activities, better enabling the family to move forwards with their lives.

London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman OBE, said:

For too long, offenders found guilty of some of the most heinous crimes have refused to attend sentencing hearings and face justice, their victims, and their victims’ families.

I have worked closely with Jebina Islam, Farah Naz, and Ayse Hussein in spearheading this campaign and I want to pay tribute to their tireless campaigning, and also thank the family of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who have fought so hard for this. Over the last few years, I have met with Ministers, the Judiciary, and justice partners to help shape these proposals to ensure they meet the needs of victims. I am pleased this Government has listened and acted on our concerns and have included other measures, such as prison sanctions, which I hope will put an end to this cruel injustice.

This Bill will also bring in other important reforms I have long called for, such as measures to remove parental responsibility from convicted child sex offenders, to ensure these victims are better protected, and new powers to strengthen the vital work of the Victims’ Commissioner. These are all welcome changes and I’ll continue to do everything I can to ensure victims’ and survivors’ voices and experiences are at the heart of criminal justice reform.

To ensure the government and other agencies are held to account in delivering for victims, the Bill also bolsters the role of the Victims’ Commissioner. Under the new legislation, the Commissioner will be able to play a greater role in individual cases which raise systemic issues ensuring lessons are learned to benefit other victims or witnesses.

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, said:

These important and welcome reforms give the Victims’ Commissioner the statutory powers needed to deliver on the role’s promise: championing victims’ rights, scrutinising compliance with the Victims’ Code, holding agencies to account, and spotlighting the true victim experience to drive meaningful change. This marks a step towards a more accountable system that puts victims first.

Crucially, it introduces much-needed oversight and accountability to how agencies respond to anti-social behaviour – an area where victims have too often felt unheard and unsupported.

Taken together, the Bill delivers on multiple manifesto commitments and the Government’s Plan for Change – giving victims greater confidence in the justice system.

Further information

The Commissioner will also be required to produce an independent report on compliance with the Victims’ Code, holding agencies to account on their statutory requirement to comply with the Code. Providing independent scrutiny from a victim-focused perspective and calling out agencies who are not fulfilling their duty will ensure victims are aware of their rights, improving their experience of the justice system.

Further measures within the Bill include:

• Updating the Victim Contact Scheme and establishing a new Victim Helpline so victims have a clear route to request information about an offender’s release
• Placing a duty on local authorities and social housing providers to co-operate with the Victims’ Commissioner in relation to victims ASB
• Increased flexibility for the Director of Public Prosecutions in appointing Crown Prosecutors
• Lord Chancellor can now prescribe, through Regulations, rates at which private prosecutors may recover their costs from Central Funds
• Increased time limit for the Attorney General to refer a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it is unduly lenient where a request is made to the Attorney General in the last 14 days of the current 28-day time-limit

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 6 May 2025.

Reports of bullying and harassment are “a wake-up call and an opportunity to change”, Lord Timpson said today (6 May), after a review recommended wholesale change to how HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) deals with complaints.

• New unit to deal with allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination outside of chain-of-command
• Builds on action to strengthen vetting to root out those who fall below the high standards expected
• Tackling unacceptable behaviour better will improve retention rates and staff morale, part of our Plan for Change to reduce reoffending, cut crime and keep our streets safe

The Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending Minister pledged a ‘seismic shift’ to improve professional standards across the service.

Immediate action will include establishing a new unit to investigate and better respond to allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

It will be independent – taking complaints away from the line management hierarchy to ensure they are dealt with impartially and fairly by a dedicated team of experts.

It comes as more than one in eight staff last year reported being bullied, harassed, or discriminated against – 50 per cent higher than the wider Civil Service.

Today’s announcement follows a comprehensive review by Jennifer Rademaker, a non-executive director for the Ministry of Justice. Commissioned by HMPPS leaders, it examined the HR processes and culture for dealing with professional standards complaints.

In a speech at HMP High Down in Surrey this morning, Lord James Timpson said:

Professional standards matter. They cannot simply be words on paper. They must be reflected in how we treat each other, every day.

And where those standards aren’t met – our staff – and the public – must know that we’ll take swift and decisive action.

HMPPS recognised that something needed to be done. That’s why it commissioned Jennifer to carry out her independent Review in the first place, and I’m pleased we have accepted her recommendations in full.

He contrasted the misogyny and sexual harassment experienced by a young prison officer at work with the bravery of staff responding to help prison officers attacked last month at HMP Frankland.

Lord Timpson said:

They ran towards danger, when others would run away. They are true heroes. And our thoughts are with the injured officers as they continue to recover.

That kind of bravery isn’t rare in the Service. Our probation officers, too, manage risk constantly, working with dangerous offenders to keep the public safe.

These are jobs where heroism happens daily, in environments more stressful, more pressurised, than people could possibly imagine.

The question is, then: how do we make this a Service worthy of the heroes at Frankland? Worthy of every hero in the Service?

Recommendations from the report include:

• The establishment of an independent central unit to handle the reporting of claims of bullying, harassment and discrimination.
• The creation of an Independent Commissioner for HMPPS Professional Standards.
• Improving data collection on complaints by creating one database and regular updates to all staff.

The Government has accepted all the recommendations from the review and will begin implementing them immediately as part of its Plan for Change. It will ensure unacceptable behaviour is tackled quickly and effectively. Improving staff morale, safety and retention rates will ensure prisons and probation can focus more on reducing reoffending and making streets safer.

This will build on significant action already being taken to drive up professionalism across the Service and root out those who fall below the high standards expected. This includes bolstering vetting processes to make it harder for unsuitable people to enter the workforce and improving staff training.

Work is also underway to improve the training provided to staff – to ensure they not only have the technical skills needed but possess strong ethical foundations, too. It will see the introduction of a more structured, longer-term approach to training with higher standards, so staff will be better equipped and more likely to thrive.

Meanwhile, HMPPS’s Counter Corruption Unit is working directly with police forces across the country to identify and remove staff who abuse their position or engage in criminal conduct.

Background

• The report provides 12 recommendations to improve the processes around reporting bullying, harassment and discrimination. HMPPS has accepted all the recommendations and work is underway to implement these.
• You can read both the review and HMPPS’ response on GOV.UK HMPPS Professional Standards Review – GOV.UK

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 6 May 2025.

The Secretary of State has announced the appointments of Dr Hannah Bows, Sean Harvey, Suzanne McCarthy and Asrar Ul-Haq as members of the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors for ten years from 1 July 2025.

Biographies

Dr Hannah Bows

Dr Bows is currently Professor in Criminal Law at Durham University. She is also the deputy director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, where she leads and teaches on the criminal law module and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Dr Bows has declared no political activity.

Suzanne McCarthy

Mrs McCarthy has significant public sector experience in the areas of governance, regulation, standards, fitness to practice and audit and risk management. She is currently the Chair of the Fire Standards Board, the Valuation Tribunal Service, the National Guardian Office’s Accountability and Liaison Board and the Standards Committee of the Fundraising Regulator.

Mrs McCarthy has declared no political activity.

Sean Harvey

Mr Harvey has a range of earlier career experiences, including ten years as a primary school teacher. He now sits as a lay panel member at the Health and Care Professions Council, as a member of the Conduct Committee at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a panel chair at Social Care Wales. He is a magistrate who also sits in the Crown Court on appeals.

Mr Harvey has declared no political activity.

Asrar Ul-Haq

Mr Ul-Haq is a retired Police Officer with over 30 years of experience in a variety of policing roles on a local and national level. He is a registered Subject Matter Expert with the National Crime Agency. He is also an independent lead consultant, supporting organisations to improve service delivery, develop leadership and professionalism. Mr Ul-Haq is a member of the Greater Manchester Advisory Committee to the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice and an Independent Member of the Parole Board.

Mr Ul-Haq had declared no political activity.

The Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors (ACCO) makes recommendations on conscientious objection claims from Armed Forces personnel where an application to retire or resign a commission or for discharge on the grounds of conscience have not been accepted by service authorities. ACCO is a non-statutory Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence.

It was established in 1970, but its history can be traced back to the tribunals set up by the National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The 1970 arrangements included an agreement that the Lord Chancellor appoints to the public appointee roles on the Committee to ensure that ACCO maintains its independence from the MOD.

It is for this reason that MOJ manages the campaign. As public appointments, the roles are subject to the provisions of the Governance Code on Public Appointments (the Code).

Owned by the Cabinet Office, the Code sets out the principles governing such recruitment and the role of Ministers. Roles covered by the Code are also subject to regulation by the independent Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA).

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 4 May 2025.

The Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP, has announced the reappointment of Colin Allars as the Chair to the Independent Restraint Review Panel (IRRP) for a second term of 3 years. His reappointment will run from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028.

Mr Allars’ original appointment tenure commenced from 1 January 2023 for a 3-year term to run until 31 December 2025.

The Independent Restraint Review Panel (IRRP) was set up in response to Charlie Taylor’s review of pain-inducing techniques in the youth estate in 2016. The IRRP reviews incidents at youth custody sites when serious injuries or warning signs have been identified, or where a pain inducing technique has been deployed. In addition to the mechanics of restraint, the IRRP can make observations about behaviour management and staff behaviour and leadership. Although the IRRP is not regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, this reappointment has been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Collin Allars Biography

Colin Allars has been Chair of the Independent Restraint Review Panel since 2021. Mr Allars is also the Non-Executive Chair of the Government Facilities Services (GFSL), appointed in 2018. An engineering graduate, Colin has worked in both private and public sectors in a wide range of delivery focused roles. He retired, from full time employment, in May 2021 having served as Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Justice Board; NDPB responsible for oversight of and advice on the youth justice system.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 28 April 2025.

The Lord Chancellor has approved the reappointment of Richard Wright KC as a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council with special expertise in criminal defence.

The reappointment is for 3 years from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2028.

The Sentencing Council for England and Wales was set up in April 2010 to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing, while maintaining the independence of the judiciary.

The primary role of the council is to issue guidelines on sentencing, which the courts must follow unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so. The council consists of judicial and non-judicial members with specialist knowledge of particular aspects of the criminal justice system.

The appointment of non-judicial members of the Sentencing Council is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment processes comply with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biography

Richard Wright was called to the Bar in 1998 and took silk in 2013. He has practised from 6 Park Square in Leeds since, 1998, where he has been Head of Chambers since 2013.

Specialising in murder and manslaughter cases, Richard has prosecuted and defended in some of the highest profile cases across the North of England.

Since 2020 he has been Leader of the North Eastern Circuit; leading the professions’ response to the Covid-19 emergency and, in 2022, he was invited to join the legal team of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Richard Wright was appointed Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) in 2006, Recorder of the Crown Court in 2012 and Deputy High Court Judge in January 2023. He has been a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council since 1 August 2022 with experience of criminal defence.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 28 April 2025.

Survivors of domestic abuse across North Wales will be better protected due to the further expansion of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders.

• Clamp down on domestic abuse extended to North Wales
• Hundreds more victims to benefit from stronger protections from cowardly abusers
• Government reiterates commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade as part of its Plan for Change

From today, victims in North Wales – as well as their friends, families or support workers – can apply for Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPO) in the family court at Caernarfon, Prestatyn or Wrexham. Police can also apply on their behalf in the magistrates’ court for protection against abusers. This comes as the Government reiterates its commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade as part of its Plan for Change.

Domestic Abuse Protection Orders build on existing police powers, providing stronger protection for victims including forcing perpetrators to stick to strict exclusion zones wearing GPS tags and attending substance misuse or mental health interventions.

Unlike current schemes, these orders cover all types of domestic abuse – including physical, controlling, or coercive behaviour, economic abuse and stalking – and can be issued by all courts. There will also be no maximum duration for these orders, compared to the 28-days current protection orders offer.

In the year to March 2024, North Wales Police granted 462 Domestic Violence Protection Notices and made over 350 applications under Clare’s Law to help protect victims of domestic abuse. These figures show why more flexible, streamlined tools like Domestic Abuse Protection Orders will further help victims.

Today marks the second expansion after the successful launch in Greater Manchester, three London boroughs (Croydon, Bromley and Sutton) and with the British Transport Police in November 2024 – with orders also rolled out across Cleveland in March. Between 27 November and 31 March, over 100 Domestic Abuse Protection Orders have been secured in Greater Manchester alone, with the police dealing with 45 breaches and jail time handed down to some of those who breached the order.

Since then, there have been multiple convictions for breach of an order with some perpetrators already behind bars. A maximum sentence for a breach of a Domestic Abuse Protection Orders is five years in prison.

Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, said:

The pilot of DAPOs is already helping a number of victims across England, ending the cycle of abuse trapping them in their own homes. I am now pleased to be expanding this to selected areas in my home country of Wales.

Launching initially in North Wales, the rollout will continue to protect even more victims, and this helps to contribute to our Plan for Change.

These orders work, and it’s imperative that victims – predominantly women – in pilot areas know where and how to access them. If you’re experiencing abuse, contact your local family court, police, or your support worker today to help access a DAPO for the safety you deserve.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said:

Time and time again, victims of domestic abuse tell me their safety has been compromised by a system that fails to protect them properly. That’s why these new domestic abuse protection orders are not paper promises – they are real, practical tools that track abusers through electronic tagging, creating exclusion zones, and mandating attendance at behaviour change programmes.

Rolling out these orders to North Wales marks an important step in gathering more valuable insight as we work towards wider expansion across the country. This is how we’ll deliver on our mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade – through concrete actions that truly protect victims and hold perpetrators to account.

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:

The UK Government is working to make our communities safer, and it is vital that we reduce violence against women and girls to achieve this goal.

These new orders provide stronger protection for victims of domestic abuse, simplify their access to help and ensure court powers are more stringent than ever before.

We are delivering change for people across the country and victims of appalling violence across North Wales will now have the protection they deserve.

Jenny Hopkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Cymru-Wales, said:

Domestic Abuse Protection Orders are another vital way for our prosecutors to protect victims of these terrible crimes.

We can ask the court for an order if someone is convicted, or if they are acquitted, and will be looking to prosecute anybody who breaches that order.

Background information

• Domestic Abuse Protection Orders were launched in November 2024 across Greater Manchester, three London boroughs (Croydon, Bromley and Sutton) and with the British Transport Police.
• In March 2025 they were extended to Cleveland.
• The DAPO is a joint policy shared between the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office and was legislated for in Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
• Tagging can be imposed for up to 12 months at a time.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 25 April 2025.

Businesses will save time and money on repetitive legal action thanks to new international rules coming into force across the UK on 1 July.

The UK Government has signed up to the Hague 2019 Convention, which means other countries will more easily recognise and enforce UK court judgments in cross-border disputes – sparing firms from costly and repetitive court battles.

Currently, if a UK business wins a case in a UK court against a company based in another country, business leaders face the threat of time-consuming enforcement processes or even identical legal action overseas for the same dispute – causing delays, increasing costs and creating confusion to the consumer.

The new rules will provide a simpler enforcement route to existing complex systems, giving one clear consistent set of shared rules – that the UK helped shape – making the process easier for everyone.

Streamlining the process will save businesses time and money, encourage foreign companies to use the UK’s world-class lawyers and courts to settle their disputes and grow the economy overall.

Justice Minister, Lord Ponsonby, said:

This Convention delivers real benefits for British businesses dealing with international disputes.

As part of our Plan for Change we’re boosting UK firms’ confidence to trade by minimising legal costs and ensuring justice across borders, all while cementing Britain’s role as a global legal powerhouse committed to the rule of law.

The Convention will enhance international legal collaboration. It will apply to judgments in civil and commercial matters, strengthening the UK’s position as a global hub for dispute resolution.

The 2019 Hague Convention is already being applied by 29 parties, from Ukraine to EU countries, with Uruguay joining last year. This means UK civil and commercial judgments will be recognised and enforced in these nations and that the UK will recognise judgments made in their courts.

With 91 members of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), a major multilateral forum for private international law rules which has produced numerous conventions including the 2019 Hague Convention, Hague 2019 has a potentially global reach.

The Convention will apply to judgments given in proceedings that commence on or after 1 July 2025 across the entire United Kingdom or in other participating countries.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 25 April 2025.

The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of Alexandra Marks CBE as the Chair of the Parole Board for a 5 year term from 18 July 2025.

The Parole Board is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). It works with its criminal justice partners to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community. It was established by the Criminal Justice Act 1967.

Appointments and re-appointments to the Parole Board (with the exception of Judicial members) are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Biography

Alexandra Marks CBE has been the Chair of RICS’ Regulatory Tribunal since 2023. A Recorder since 2002 and Deputy High Court Judge since 2010, she has also served as a First Tier Tribunal Judge of the General Regulatory Chamber since 2018.

Alexandra was previously a Commissioner at the Criminal Cases Review Commission (2013 to 2018) and a Judicial Appointments Commissioner (2012 to 2018). She was also previously Chair of Prisoners’ Education Trust (2012 to 2018).

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 24 April 2025.

Frontline officers and young people in custody will be better protected under plans to equip specially selected and trained staff with synthetic pepper spray, the Government has announced today.

• Specially selected, trained staff to be equipped with synthetic pepper spray
• Response to rising violence in young offender institutions
• Rate of assaults on staff 14 times higher than in adult prisons

Amid rising levels of violence, the decision will help keep both staff and young people safe and reduce the severity of incidents in young offender institutions.

Over the last few years, more and more frontline officers have been forced to put themselves in danger to protect young people in custody from attack and fend off homemade weapons.

PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray which temporarily incapacitates those it is sprayed upon, will now be available to specialist staff in young offender institutions to help de-escalate and diffuse violent situations.

Today’s announcement comes as new figures show the rate of assaults in public youth offender institutions is around 14 times higher than in adult prisons.

By giving staff the tools they need to keep young people in custody safe, they will be able to focus on rehabilitation and help them turn their lives around. Reducing reoffending is fundamental to the government’s pledge to keep our streets safe, part of its Plan for Change.

Minister for Youth Justice Sir Nic Dakin said:

This government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis. The unacceptable levels of violence faced by our brave frontline officers in young offender institutions is yet another symptom of that.

This is not a decision we have made lightly, but our overarching duty is to keep staff and young people in custody safe. This spray is a vital tool to prevent serious violence, helping staff to focus on rehabilitation as part of our Plan for Change.

The number of young people in custody has fallen significantly in recent years. Those now held in young offender institutions are mostly older teenage boys, aged 16 to 18 years of age, and over two-thirds of all young people are there for violent offences such as murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

Recent incidents have seen young people in custody sustain serious injuries while staff have experienced fractures, dislocations, puncture wounds and lacerations.

The PAVA rollout will allow staff to respond to these incidents more effectively and restore order more quickly.

It will only be deployed in limited circumstances by specially trained individuals where there is serious violence or an imminent risk of it taking place. It has previously been used in young offender institutions when National Tactical Response Groups have been called to deal with serious incidents, but this change will mean it can be used more quickly to diffuse situations. It is already used by police in the community and by prison officers in the adult estate to reduce the risk of serious harm to staff and prisoners alike.

To keep both staff and young people safe, use in the youth estate will have strict controls, with each use of PAVA being reviewed by an independent panel and reported to ministers for further scrutiny. Ministers will also review its operation and impact after 12 months including to address any disproportionate use.

Today’s announcement follows extensive research and evidence gathering with specialists including subject matter experts and NHS England.

The Government has also recently taken action to end the practice of placing girls in young offender institutions following recommendations from Susannah Hancock’s independent review into the placement and care of girls in youth custody.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 23 April 2025.

The first prisoners have been locked up at a new jail that will create nearly 1,500 prison places, helping to cut crime and make streets safer today as part of the Government’s Plan for Change (23 April).

• New prison built to cut crime and keep dangerous offenders locked up
• Part of Government’s Plan for Change to make streets safer
• 2,400 prison places already delivered since July

HMP Millsike in Yorkshire is now operational, making it the first of four new jails to be opened as part of the pledge to create 14,000 extra prison places by 2031, keeping dangerous offenders locked up.

This extra capacity will help keep the public safe by making sure the country never runs out of space again.

As a Category C “resettlement” prison, HMP Millsike has been designed with a clear aim – cutting crime and reducing reoffending. It includes 24 workshops and training facilities aimed at getting offenders into work on release and away from crime for good, so fewer people become victims in the future.

Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, James Timpson, said:

HMP Millsike is a vital part of our Plan for Change, building 14,000 new prison places by 2031.

This modern prison has been designed to cut crime. This prison will force offenders to turn their backs on crime, delivering safer streets and ensuring there are fewer victims in the future.”

The prison is the size of 39 football pitches and comes fitted with security technology to combat the drugs, drones and phones that have plagued prisons in recent years and risked the safety of frontline officers.

This includes reinforced barless windows to deter drone activity, hundreds of CCTV cameras, and X-ray body scanners to spot and stop contraband entering the prison.

The prison will be operated by Mitie Care and Custody. Education and workplace training provider PeoplePlus will give offenders the tools they need to find work on release and stay on the straight and narrow.

Russell Trent, Managing Director, Immigration and Justice, Mitie Care & Custody said:

As the first prisoners arrive at HMP Millsike, our focus is on building safer communities by creating an environment that promotes problem solving and self-determination to help the rehabilitation process enabling prisoners to break the cycle of reoffending.

As a resettlement prison, every element including the design, facilities and technology is purposefully structured so that prisoners leave HMP Millsike qualified, employable and ready to integrate and contribute to society.”

With the country still using many of its Victorian prisons, HMP Millsike has been built to also stand the test of time. Its use of modern materials and fittings will keep running and repairs costs to a minimum for taxpayers.

Its opening is a major milestone in the government’s 10-year prison capacity strategy published in December. This plan includes 6,400 places through new houseblocks and 6,500 places via new prisons. One thousand rapid deployment cells will be rolled out across the estate while more than 1,000 existing cells will be refurbished.

It follows a £2.3 billion investment to deliver these prison builds, with a further £500 million going towards vital building maintenance across prisons and the probation service by the end of March 2026. The strategy will work alongside the Independent Sentencing Review to ensure the most serious offenders can always be sent to prison to protect the public.

Background information

• The first prisoners arrived today, and the population will steadily increase each week to ensure a safe and stable ramp-up process.
• Ramp up will be strictly monitored and can be adjusted or paused should the safety or stability of the prison require it.