A new prison which can house about 1,500 inmates has opened in East Yorkshire as the government tries to tackle overcrowding.Category C HMP Millsike, which is the size of 39 football pitches, is the latest step towards ministers’ target to create 14,000 extra prison places by 2031.The jail has been designed to cut reoffending, with 24 workshops and training facilities aimed at getting prisoners into work after they are released.Millsike will receive its first prisoners at the end of April.Opening the prison, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood was shown around the facility and re-enacted the use of police cells to hold prisoners.She said prisons were operating at more than 99% occupancy, despite thousands of prisoners being freed early in a bid to ease overcrowding since September last year.Ms Mahmood said the system was on the “brink of collapse” nine months ago and faced running out of space entirely within weeks.She said: “Had we not acted, the result would have been catastrophic.Our courts would have ground to a halt and the police would have been forced to stop arrests.”We would have faced a total breakdown of law and order.”Ms Mahmood said HMP Millsike “sets the standard for the future because it is a prison designed to cut crime”.As well as the cell blocks, she was shown workshops which will enable 500 offenders at a time to train in skills such as cleaning, bricklaying, barbering and carpentry.She said: “We must be honest about the challenges we face.“While this new prison is necessary we simply cannot build our way out of the prisons capacity crisis.“So, new prisons like Millsike must go alongside longer term sentencing reform.”She said: “We must, and we will, punish offenders.“But that punishment must encourage them to turn their backs on a life of crime.That is how we will cut crime, have fewer victims and ultimately make our streets safer.”HMP Millsike, which has been built next to the existing Category A Full Sutton Prison has been fitted with state-of-the art security technology to combat drugs, drones and phones.It has barless windows, hundreds of CCTV cameras and X-ray body scanners to stop illicit supplies getting into prison.The prison will be run by contractor Mitie Care and Custody, while education and training will be run by PeoplePlus.The MoJ said building the prison created 800 jobs and a further 600 jobs will be created from its operation.Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know….
King makes unexpected hospital visit after routine cancer treatment | ITV News
The King was taken to hospital for a short period of observation this evening following one of his routine cancer treatment sessions, ITV News’ Royal Editor Chris Ship reports The King has cancelled an official visit to Birmingham tomorrow after being forced to make a hospital visit following routine treatment […]
