Wellingborough's new £253m 'super prison' HMP Five Wells - it's 'beautiful' says inmate

Wellingborough's new £253m 'super prison' HMP Five Wells has been officially opened by deputy prime minister Dominic Raab on a visit to the county yesterday (Thursday, February 3).

The first 137 of 1,680 inmates have already arrived at the G4S-run 'smart' prison, built on the site of the former Wellingborough prison and one-time borstal.

The resettlement prison will provide the blueprint for future establishments with an emphasis on training using 24 workshops, rehabilitation, and building and maintaining family links.

At full capacity the prison will house 1,680 male Category C offenders mostly in single occupancy rooms, and employ up to 700 people - and the person in charge is director (governor) John McLaughlin.

He said: "It's about rehabilitation and resettlement. There's loads and loads of good work going on. We are trying to harness all these ideas. The end game is the world of work, giving them good habits. This is proper work where the men can be valued."

Hand-picked inmates - known as 'residents' - were moved from other jails to set the standards of behaviour for the rest of the prisoners.

He said: "We managed to select the first 200 men. Most of them are known to me personally, that allows us to set the ethos from day one."

Some of the men are serious offenders nearing the ends of their sentences and the prison facilities provide the inmates with ways to improve literacy, learn new skills so enable them to fit back into society.

Prisoners can earn super-enhanced status which allows them extra freedoms and attending regular meetings with the prison director to help him with projects.

One 49-year-old prisoner who has recently moved to HMP Five Wells hopes to see out the rest of his 25-year sentence at HMP Five Wells.

He said: "What this establishment aims to give is self esteem. It empowers. You get out of life what you put in and the director supports us to be the best person we can be.

"I would have paid for the petrol and pushed the van to get here - it's beautiful."

Mr McLaughlin, 63, said: “These guys are inspirational. They come at it (prison) from a different perspective. I have new ideas but I also have to understand the frustrations that residents face.

“We need to engage people - the man has a track record - but we want to give them the opportunity. They can’t be prisoners forever.”

The prison has seven house blocks with more than 60,000 sq m of accommodation areas and ancillary buildings.

Each block is home to 240 men, across four floors - 60 in each. Each house floor can deal with types of prisoners including older prisoners and sex offenders.

The director will be introducing drug-free wings and help will be provided for the 'small percentage' who come into the prison with addictions.

Working in direct partnership with local employers to offer 500 on-the-job training places through release on temporary license, leading to ready-made jobs for ex-offenders once back in the community. Over 25 ex-offenders and prisoners on temporary release were also employed in the construction of the jail, learning skills such as bricklaying, carpentry, plastering and roofing.

Mr McLaughlin said: "Of my 28 years, this is the cherry on the top. When I was given the opportunity to open this prison it was too good an opportunity to resist.

"All of our community partners - everyone from the mayor to the local MP to the local businesses, they have all been so enthusiastic. The response from the local area has been exceptional. "

Companies that have partnered with HMP Five Wells include Wincanton Logistics, Green Core, The Salvation Army, Timpsons and Greene King.

Residents will receive training in the 24 workshops and seven classrooms with lessons in electrical, plumbing, mechanics, engineering, catering, and carpentry.

As well as the more traditional trades there courses in art therapy and textiles, a chocolate factory and a radio station for the prison run by the inmates.

Northampton Saints Foundation staff will be delivering courses to the inmates with a qualification in gym instruction and first aid.

Mr McLaughlin said: ”I'm passionate about provide the platform to allow people to change. I'm incredibly excited about this. I'm absolutely delighted - I want to make a difference."

Designed throughout with cutting-edge technology, HMP Five Wells is also Britain’s first ‘smart’ prison – utilising the latest designs and innovations to protect the public and rehabilitate offenders.

Inmates will be housed in X-shaped blocks, with wider, shorter corridors and fewer prisoners on each wing so frontline staff can see all cells and offenders quickly at any one time. Cells will have ultra-secure, bar-less windows to put an end to drones bringing illegal drugs, phones and weapons into jails.

Prisoners will have in-cell tablets to access education and learning from inside their cell, kitted out with stringent and robust security to ensure they are not abused, and cutting-edge body scanners will prevent contraband from wreaking havoc on the wings.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab 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.”

Independent North Northants Council Cllr Martin Griffiths, the former leader of Wellingborough Borough Council lobbied for the prison to be built and was a guest at the opening.

He said: "Who would have thought when we embarked on this project back in 2017 that the council who helped its delivery would no longer exist, that it was constructed on time despite a global pandemic and was opened against the backdrop of a horrendous conflict in Europe.

"I would like to put on record my thanks to the supportive residents of Wellingborough the Ministry of Justice, Kier and G4S , but also to the members and officers of the former Borough Council of Wellingborough who helped deliver not only a huge economic boost to the local economy, but also the first of the planned, purpose built rehabilitation prisons in our country."

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE : First look inside Wellingborough's new multi-million pound super prison