Britain’s new £400m ‘super-prison’ has ‘hundreds of empty cells’ – as killers & paedophiles are freed from prisons early

A £400MILLION “super prison” has hundreds of empty cells and staff shortages 18 months after opening. The prison has space for some 1,500 inmates with the first lags arriving at HMP Millsike, near York, in March last year. HMP Millsike began taking inmates in March last year Credit: PA The cells in the prison are state of the art Credit: Alamy Despite its capacity though, only 1,100 prisoners are kept behind bars at Millsike, leaving roughly 350 cells completely empty. It has been deemed unsafe to take any more lags behind Millsike’s walls with the current number of staff, The Telegraph reports. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The cells in the new prison are among some of the nicest in the system – equipped with en-suite showers and toilets and bar-less windows. Millsike’s rehabilitative facilities saw it hailed as the answer to re-offending with inmates offered an array of options for work, training and education. Prisoners are offered the chance to garden in allotments Credit: Alamy Millsike is a category C prison for male offenders Credit: Alamy There are also allotments where prisoners can grow veggies and flowers, a gym, a multi-use games area and 16 training workshops. It was built for £400million and has a £33million-a-year budget for its private operator, Mitie. Experts say it should have only taken six months to a year to get the prison up and running at its maximum capacity of 1,468 inmates. But, prison watchdogs have expressed “serious concern” around HMP Millsike, which has been plagued with problems. Most read in The Sun Members of the Independent Monitoring Board said they only felt safe walking around the jail in pairs, as the number of assaults inside Millsike were so high. Just ten months after its opening they said gates and doors were left open by staff and drugs were easily available to prisoners. There are currently around 344 cells in HMP Millsike left empty – 18 months after it initially opened. It comes as fury over the release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers under Labour’s early release scheme grows. A petition to stop the release of thugs Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole has passed 1million signatures. The pair are set to be released just half way through their 13-year sentences for manslaughter. They could be let out in January next year under Labour’s early release scheme – designed to free up space in the prison system. Changes were made to the scheme after public backlash – including preventing rapists and paedophiles from being let out early — but not including those convicted of manslaughter like Bowers and Cole. After weeks of confusion, Andy Burnham has said he is “increasingly confident” a way could be found to prevent the thugs being turned loose. But the PM stopped short of confirming how, or whether the pair will remain locked up. Thames Valley Police Federation chairwoman Aileen O’Connor started the petition calling for Bowers and Cole to be kept inside. She said that Labour had “sent a deeply troubling message” about the value it placed on police officers. She accepted, however, that there was now a “glimmer of hope.” Andy Burnham was reportedly warned that he can’t prevent the release of specific offenders without exempting other offenders convicted of the same crime from early release. HMP Millsike’s empty cells could house the majority of the 470 people locked up for manslaughter in the UK. But, a senior prison source told the Telegraph that: “Millsike has been struggling to staff the prison. “They have reached the point where they have got all the staff they can recruit to safely operate at a reduced number of spaces but they are struggling to get above that.” “They are experiencing what most prisons are facing. We are recruiting people, training them, then they are leaving.” The MOJ said staffing is one of a range of operational factors considered, alongside safety and security, the stability of the prison, and the establishment of its regime and processes. Millsike’s capacity will be increased when “operationally appropriate to do so”, according to the MOJ. The ministry stressed that new prisons ramp up inmate numbers gradually – with a number of factors including staffing considered before the number of inmates is increased. Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This government inherited a prison capacity crisis after prison places increased by just 500 places in 14 years. “We are pulling every lever possible to fix that crisis and are building 14,000 new places with 3,200 already delivered. “We are working at pace to bring every available prison place online – and have always been clear new prisons require a ramp up period to ensure they remain safe, secure and protect the public. “We are also exploring how we can go further to increase capacity, including faster deportation of foreign criminals, better use of the women’s estate and reviewing the unjust IPP sentences.” A Mitie spokesperson said: “HMP Millsike continues to operate in line with the ramp up plans agreed with the Ministry of Justice, with staffing and recruitment aligned to the prison’s phased population build-up. “We remain focused on maintaining a safe, secure and supportive environment for prisoners and colleagues.” 1 comment1