Prison wants to take in 80 more inmates
PLANS PART OF MOVE TO UP CATEGORY D JAILS’ CAPACITY
SUDBURY open prison is set to take in 80 more inmates as part of a nationwide programme to increase the capacity of category D jails.
Plans submitted by the Ministry of Justice also include a new multi-faith centre, adding a portable building for parcel storage and the creation of additional parking.
Two new blocks with 120 cells have been proposed.
The plan also includes the demolition of a building, meaning the loss of 40 cells, leaving the prison with a total of 80 new cells. If the plan is given the go-ahead the prison will be able to house 661 prisoners.
The Ministry of Justice wants to increase the prison’s capacity to meet the forecast of the number of inmates it will have.
It also hopes to enable more prisoners to be in the right type of prisons, with Sudbury being an open jail, where many inmates move to before release.
It is part of a wider programme to add 10,000 additional prison places, which includes increasing capacity at category D prisons such as Sudbury across the country.
HMP Sudbury holds sentenced adult prisoners and young offenders who have been dealt with by the justice system.
The site was originally constructed as a hospital for the United
States Air Force during the Second World War Two has been used as a prison since 1948.
The plans have been submitted to Derbyshire Dales District Council, which has consulted with various bodies, including Derbyshire police and East Staffordshire Borough Council, which have raised no objections.
The Ministry of Justice will make the final decision in the next few months.