New 1,500-place prison opens as government grips crisis

“Public safety must never be put at risk again by the failure to have enough prison places”, Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood said as she opened a new nearly 1,500-place prison in Yorkshire

  • Major milestone in plan for 14,000 more prison places nationwide by 2031 
  • New prison designed to cut crime and get offenders into work 
  • Part of government’s Plan for Change to create safer streets 

HMP Millsike is the first of four new jails to be built as part of the Plan for Change to create 14,000 extra prison places by 2031. This extra capacity will help put more violent offenders behind bars, make streets safer and ensure the country never runs out of cells again. 

Last summer, the government inherited a prisons system days away from collapse which would have left police unable to take dangerous criminals off the streets. 

Ms Mahmood said the opening marked another milestone in her work to get a grip of the prisons crisis that has dominated her first nine months in post. 

As a Category C prison, HMP Millsike has been designed with a clear aim - cutting crime. 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. 

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

"This Government is fixing the broken prison system we inherited, delivering the cells needed to take the most dangerous criminals off our streets. 

"HMP Millsike sets the standard for the jails of the future, with cutting crime built into its very fabric. It is a huge step in our plan to add 14,000 extra prison places by 2031. 

"But building jails only takes us so far in ending this crisis, which is why we’re also reviewing sentencing so we can always lock up dangerous offenders and make our streets safer."

The prison is the size of 39 football pitches and comes fitted top-to-bottom 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 and will have education and workplace training provider PeoplePlus on site to give offenders the tools they need to find work on release and stay on the straight and narrow. 

The construction of the prison alone generated nearly 800 jobs and around 600 will be created now it is in full operation, providing an economic boost to Yorkshire. 

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. 

Russell Trent, Managing Director, Mitie Care & Custody said: 

"We are a proud partner to the MoJ, focused on building safer communities. 

"As a resettlement prison, our focus is on rehabilitation and restoration centred on future orientation to break the cycle of reoffending. We want our prisoners to leave HMP Millsike qualified, employable and equipped for life in the outside world. Everything from the building design to the technology, education and training opportunities has been engineered to create an environment where people leave ready to integrate and contribute to society."

Stuart Togwell, group managing director at Kier Construction said:  

"Using our significant experience in the justice sector, Kier has delivered a state-of-the-art, carbon-efficient facility designed to support rehabilitation, which has also provided new jobs, economic investment and skills development for the surrounding communities.  

"HMP Millsike supports the government’s commitment to increasing prison capacity and reducing reoffending, and joins our growing portfolio of prison redevelopment and build projects awarded in recent years."

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.   

The government started the 700-place expansion at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk earlier this month, and a new houseblock providing nearly 460 places at HMP Rye Hill in Northamptonshire recently received its first prisoners. 

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. 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.

From: Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service, The Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP and Lord Timpson OBE

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