Just desserts? Now inmates host ‘bake off’ behind bars

PRISONS have repeatedly been accused of making life too cushy. So critics are likely to see the latest developments at one jail as, well … the icing on the cake.

HMP Spring Hill is holding ‘bake off’ challenges to ‘improve relationships’ between the inmates, it has emerged.

Inspired by the Great British Bake Off TV series, the competitions see men from the prison’s 13 huts battle to be crowned star bakers. Regular ‘film nights’ and ‘cleanest hut competitions’ also take place at the category D prison in Buckinghamshire, which holds inmates coming to the end of long sentences, including murderers. A report by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons last week also highlighted an ‘appreciated and well used’ new games area at the jail.

James Price, from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Making prisons resemble reality TV programmes is likely not the way to deal with [reoffending rates].’

A prison service spokesman said: ‘Spring Hill continues to successfully support prisoners prior to release – thus reducing their risk of re-offending.’