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12/08/2005
Prison ship set to close
Britain’s only prison ship is set to officially close on Friday.
The Weare, which has been berthed at Portland, Dorset since 1997, held up to 400 inmates. It had been brought to Britain in order to help ease prison overcrowding.
The vessel is now being closed because it is in need of extensive refurbishment, which reportedly would cost millions of pounds.
The prisoners on board the Weare have now been transferred to other prisons and staff have been redeployed.
The Weare had been heavily criticised for its cramped conditions and lack of training and exercise facilities. Last year, Anne Owens, the chief inspector of prisons described it as “merely an expensive container”.
However, the Weare had become something of a tourist attraction during its time in Portland Port.
Two hundred and fifty jobs were also created in the area when the prison ship arrived and, according to estimates, the prison ship boosted the local economy by £9 million a year.
(KMcA)
The Weare, which has been berthed at Portland, Dorset since 1997, held up to 400 inmates. It had been brought to Britain in order to help ease prison overcrowding.
The vessel is now being closed because it is in need of extensive refurbishment, which reportedly would cost millions of pounds.
The prisoners on board the Weare have now been transferred to other prisons and staff have been redeployed.
The Weare had been heavily criticised for its cramped conditions and lack of training and exercise facilities. Last year, Anne Owens, the chief inspector of prisons described it as “merely an expensive container”.
However, the Weare had become something of a tourist attraction during its time in Portland Port.
Two hundred and fifty jobs were also created in the area when the prison ship arrived and, according to estimates, the prison ship boosted the local economy by £9 million a year.
(KMcA)
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