"Many Photos" - HMP Berwyn gives inmates the keys to their cells and prison guards must knock first

Inmates at Britain’s first ‘respectful’ jail have been given the keys to their cells – with prison officers having to knock before entering.

Wrexham’s HMP Berwyn, the largest prison in England and Wales, says the move is a ‘rehabilitative’ approach to offenders.

Prisoners have been given more privacy, with the ability to come and go from their cells as they please – as well as being able to lock themselves in at any time.

Prisoners have been given more privacy, with the ability to come and go from their cells as they please – as well as being able to lock themselves in at any time. A computer and a phone is pictured in one of the cells in HMP Berwyn

The ‘knock first’ policy is aimed at creating a respectful environment for prisoners, but officers can still enter cells without knocking for searches and emergencies, according to The Daily Telegraph. 

Cells at the new £250 million prison have been renamed rooms and prisoners are called ‘men’ in an attempt to create a more domestic environment for inmates.

The prisoners are provided with laptops, and blocks are now called ‘communities’.

The prison holds category C offenders – those who are ‘unlikely to try to escape’ but cannot be trusted in an open prison.

Berwyn’s new approach is laid out in a report by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Ministry of Justice – called Wellbeing in Prison Design – which looks at the design and operation of six new prisons to be built across the UK.

It leans on Scandinavian prison policy, which takes the view that taking away an offender’s liberty is enough of a punishment without harsh conditions. 

The report, seen by the Telegraph, says: ‘Being given the possibility to personalise their own environments has a wide range of benefits for the health and well-being of people in custody, helping to create a sense of place and identity.

Wrexham’s HMP Berwyn, the largest prison in England and Wales, says the move is a ‘rehabilitative’ approach to offenders. A cell in HMP Berwyn is pictured above

‘Allowing men in custody to control atmospheric conditions like opening windows or ventilators, controlling heating... can alleviate negative well-being impacts of poor atmospheric conditions and generate a sense of self-efficacy.’

‘Observational evidence from Berwyn supports the concept that giving people in custody control over their spaces also results in them taking care of and respecting their space.’

Harry Fletcher, director of the Victims’ Rights Campaign, said: ‘It’s right that prisoners should be treated with dignity but giving them their own keys and knocking gives inmates who are devious the opportunity to hide illicit contraband, phones or drugs.’

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News Photo HMP Berwyn gives inmates the keys to their cells and prison guards must knock first
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