Inside ‘Britain’s cushiest jail’ as it’s ranked among the worst in the country: How G4S-run £253m super prison of HMP Five Wells calls inmates ‘residents’, has student-hall style rooms with en-suites – and there are no bars on windows _ Hieuuk
A prison dubbed Britain’s cushiest jail has been ranked among the worst in the country, as it was slammed by inspectors who said it was of ‘serious concern’.
HMP Five Wells – which is also known as ‘HMP Woke’ – cost £253 million and was claimed to be a super prison when the Northamptonshire facility was opened in 2022.
Prisoners enjoyed the luxury of student-hall style rooms with en-suites, were called ‘residents’ and didn’t even have bars on their windows at the 1,700-capacity category C prison.
They had aimed to revolutionise the penal system with a new approach where every lag was given a tablet computer, was given access to workshops including hairdressing and bike repair, and where the governer – or ‘director’ – aimed to know each of them on first name terms.
But reality came crashing down after an inspectorate report ranked them the lowest possible grade for security – and placed them alongside notorious Pentonville, Bristol and Wandsworth in the lowest bracket of jails across the country.
In the January inspection, the prison was blasted for having inexperienced staff who were not enforcing behaviour, high levels of self harm and inadequate healthcare.
HMP Five Wells – which is also known as ‘HMP Woke’ – cost £253 million and was claimed to be a super prison when the Northamptonshire facility was opened in 2022
The prison offers light and airy rooms (pictured) that wouldn’t look out of place in a university halls brochure
Costing £253million to build, HMP Five Wells (pictured in aerial photograph) is the UK’s first privately run mega prison in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Built from recycled materials and using solar panels to reduce its carbon footprint, the lock-up will have a clear focus on rehabilitating offenders (Pictured: Multi-use games area)
It does not have bars across its windows, and provides prisoners with access to a gym, snooker table, table tennis table and a tablet to gain new qualifications
Prisoners can use the huge gym space, which has weight machines to keep them fit and healthy
But reality came crashing down after an inspectorate report ranked them the lowest possible grade for security
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How prisoners are running Britain’s ‘cushiest’ jail: Cellmates throw brazen booze and drug-fuelled parties inside student hall-style rooms at £253m ‘smart’ prison where inmates are referred to as ‘residents’ and there are NO bars on windows
They found that drugs were freely available, and the jail had not managed to effectively get people to use the education and training classes the facility had trumpeted when it was launched.
And despite championing their leadership, it had seen three different governers in 15 months – with one being removed after just three months.
Inspectors also said they saw examples of food for prisoners on special diets which were inadequate or inappropriate, including food that prisoners were not able to eat because of their dietary requirements.
After convicts had left the jail, the inspectors further raised concerns about the number who were able to find employment.
But they did complement the G4S facility for the number who were able to find homes, enabled by officers.
A HMP Five Wells spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We have made significant progress since these performance scores were collated and we continue to address areas that need improvement, including delivering a stronger and broader purposeful activity, skills and education programme.’
HMP Five Wells was seen as a flagship example of the Government’s aim to create a ‘modern, efficient prison estate’ when it was built.
It was opened by Dominic Raab, then the justice secretary, and was chosen by Shabana Mahmood, who holds the role under the current Labour government, as the setting for the early release scheme to combat prison overcrowding.
Drugs were found to be freely available, and the jail had not managed to effectively get people to use the education and training classes the facility had trumpeted when it was launched. Pictured: A cell in a care and supervision unit
The jail is seen as a flagship example of the Government’s aim to create a ‘modern, efficient prison estate’ (Pictured: Bright and spacious room for inmate)
A first night interview room with a huge mural of a multicoloured elephant on the wall
Prisoners were called ‘residents’ and didn’t even have bars on their windows at the 1,700-capacity category C prison. Pictured: A landing cardio room
After convicts had left the jail, the inspectors further raised concerns about the number who were able to find employment. Pictured: Departure lounge seating area
Inspectors said they saw examples of food for prisoners on special diets which were inadequate or inappropriate, including food that prisoners were not able to eat because of their dietary requirements. Pictured: A Kosher evening meal pack
The inspectors found that just a quarter of prisoners thought the food was good. Pictured: A dirty trolley in the kitchen
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Its buildings are in the shape of crosses and hold up to 1,680 inmates, who sleep in brightly decorated and spacious rooms – complete with bar-less sliding windows offering unobstructed views over the beautiful River Nene and a fishing lake.
The landscaped grounds include a horticultural area and four multi-use games areas, two of which have raised bleachers for spectators.
It does not have bars across its windows, and provides prisoners with access to a gym, snooker table, table tennis table and a tablet to gain new qualifications.
The designers ditched the usual K-shaped formation of prison housing blocks and instead used seven staggered cross-shaped buildings.
The K-block style has been favoured since Victorian times, with the idea that a single prison officer could be placed in the centre of the radial arms of corridors and survey all the cells quickly.
The new cross-shaped buildings mean the corridors are broken up into smaller zones, rather than miles of long corridors, which enable prison staff to have more direct contact with prisoners.
The buildings have been arranged around beautifully landscaped courtyards and there is also a central hub for education, vocational training and social facilities.
The jail, which features electric car charging points, is Britain’s first eco-friendly prison and has been built using recycled materials while incorporating green energy. It uses more efficient heating and hot water, as well as renewable energy, including solar panels.
Prisoners enjoyed the luxury of student-hall style rooms with en-suites in the jail
Its buildings are in the shape of crosses and hold up to 1,680 inmates. Pictured: A reception waiting area
In the January inspection, the prison was blasted for having inexperienced staff who were not enforcing behaviour, high levels of self harm and inadequate healthcare. Pictured: A care and supervision unit exercise yard
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The prison build has been handled by Kier group and has been made on the site of the former HMP Wellingborough site.
The former prison was opened as a Borstal in 1963 before being converted into a Training Prison for men in 1990. It was closed down in 2012, and held a maximum of 650 adult male inmates.
In 2018, it was confirmed the prison site would house a new Category C prison, and HMP Five Wells began construction a year later.
The name HMP Five Wells reflects the five wells in the area, which feature in Wellingborough’s coat of arms.
It comes less than a year after terrified guards at HMP Five Wells revealed how inmates threw booze and drug-fuelled cell parties, clambered on to the roof and shared their brazen antics on social media with contraband mobile phones.
The people responsible for enforcing law on the prisoners spoke to Sky News and claimed they were assaulted by convicts on a daily basis.
In videos uploaded to social media, cellmates could be seen partying with alcohol and drugs. They appeared to be chanting and dancing as if they are at a rave, while others are seen clambering on to prison rooftops.
One guard, who changed his name to Harry, claimed staff were ‘constantly’ coming across homemade or smuggled weapons and claimed an officer was stabbed.
HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, which is run by security firm G4S, anonymously told Sky News that assaults on staff are ‘a daily event’. Left: An image appearing to show inmates downing shots at a party in a prison. Right: An image, which was posted on YouTube, also appeared to show a prisoner on a roof
In 2018, it was confirmed the prison site would house a new Category C prison, and HMP Five Wells began construction a year later
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He told Sky News: ‘The prisoners run the prison. If things don’t change someone is going to get killed.’
Another guard, who has been named Sally, said she fears that something ‘major’ is going to happen at the prison, such as a ‘stabbing or murder.’
She warned: ‘We get urine and faeces thrown in our face. We get spat at. We get things thrown at us. An officer got stabbed a few weeks ago. We get punched, kicked, tripped up, hit with pool cues. Something like that happens on a daily basis.’
Sally also noted the prison had issues with lack of staffing, which meant it was ‘common’ for one female officer to be alone with 60 men when there should be at least two people on the look out. Harry said that whilst he trained with 17 people for the job, only two have stayed.
The whistleblowers also claimed that corrupt members of staff could be bringing in contraband drugs for prisoners.
Security firm G4S, which is responsible for security at the prison, insisted the guard who was said to have been stabbed received only ‘superficial injuries’.
Harry also noted that inmates know when their bodycams are not working and that there is a lack of equipment. But G4S told Sky News that staff did have ‘adequate’ radios, bodycams and alarm buttons that can be pressed for help.
He said: ‘We’re lucky if we get a radio to go on to the landings. And we’ve got a very limited amount of bodycams that work. It’s like a lucky dip raffle.’
In one clip, a caption appears to boast of prisoners having Ciroc and Grey Goose vodkas, and Wray & Nephew Rum. They then appear to lick salt from their hands and bite a lemon wedge before downing their shots, before dancing to music and appearing to smoke cannabis.
At the time G4S told MailOnline action has been taken after furious sources blasted: ‘The lunatics are running the asylum’ – adding: ‘They were partying it up for hours and so brazen about it. Clearly they were not worried about guards coming in to spoil their fun.’
G4S said all cells of the prisoners involved in the videos have been searched and the ‘appropriate action taken’, with prisoners involved put on report and set to be drug tested.
A spokesperson told MailOnline at the time: ‘Our dedicated staff work tirelessly to detect, intercept and confiscate contraband. Anyone found with a mobile phone, drugs or alcohol in prison is breaking the law and may face extra time behind bars.’
