New UK prison opens today and is being compared to 'luxury hotel'

A new prison in Leicester has been branded as looking 'like a hotel' by a number of critics online.

HMP Fosse Way - which is set to house 1,715 inmates - has opened its doors today as it replaces the former HMP Glen Parva.

But after images were released of the facility, not everyone was overly impressed.

Some even compared the interior of the prison to student halls, which surely says a lot about the state of university accommodation in the UK.

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There are a number of features which have drawn the ire of people in favour of a more Victorian approach to justice. These include the fact the windows don't have any bars on them, as well as amenities such as a ping pong table to keep inmates occupied.

However, being the screeching of hardliners about 'soft touch' prisons, there is a rationale behind the design. HMP Fosse Way, run by private company Serco, is a category C prison, meaning that it's the lowest level of security which is still a closed prison.

The prison even has its own library. Credit PA

Category C prisons typically focus on prisoner rehabilitation, providing the facilities for prisoners to train in jobs and to get their lives back on track. There is a pronounced difference to the highest category A, which is reserved for inmates convicted of offences including murder, rape, and terrorism offences.

Meanwhile, a category C prison is for prisoners serving a minimum sentence of 12 months, and who are unlikely to try and escape, with a huge focus on rehabilitation.

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As such, among the features at HMP Fosse Way is a simulator for a construction vehicle which provides training for inmates once they are released on licence. There is also a library, an astroturf pitch, and music facilities.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk went to the prison's official opening on 29 June and said: "The cutting-edge design will give offenders every opportunity to turn around their lives, while also providing a significant boost in this Government's drive to grow the economy."

However, critics slammed the prison comparing it to a hotel and student accommodation.

One fumed: "Looks luxury in there, stayed in worse hotels."

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Another remarked: "Better than student accommodation in many universities."

One person compared it to a 'hotel games room', asking "how do we sign up?". I would have thought one 'signs up' by committing a crime?

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has dubbed the new facility as the greenest prison ever constructed in the UK, thanks to greener fuels, renewable energy and electric construction machinery, with the facility set to create another 600 jobs.

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It began accepting a small number of prisoners on 29 May.

Meanwhile, HMP Millsike is the next new prison to be constructed, located next to HMP Full Sutton in East Yorkshire.