Life behind Barbies...
THIS prison cell looks dazzling in bright pink after being spruced up as part of a radical initiative.
Female inmates at HMP Peterborough, Cambs, were allowed to choose colour schemes for their cells to make them more “homely”.
And one prisoner transformed her bleak grey room by redecorating it in “Barbie pink”, complete with pink curtains, bedsheets, pillow and laundry bag.
Managers at the jail were praised for the initiative in a report by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor.
It said: “Women were able to personalise their cells, which they appreciated, and many we saw were painted in bright colours, which women said made them feel more homely.”
Weight
The inmates have also been issued with pedometers to help them stay fit after the pandemic forced the closure of the prison gym.
The report said: “PE staff had made efforts to offset the lack of structured exercise by offering women advice on in-cell fitness and nutrition on request, as well as some yoga in the mother and baby unit.
“Weight management was important to a number of women we spoke to, and the prison encouraged them by issuing pedometers. PE staff visited units each week to allow women to weigh themselves.”
Inspectors visited the 396-capacity privately run jail, which shares a site with a men’s prison, last month.
Three-quarters of the women said they suffered mental health issues, but only 15 per cent found it easy to see a mental health worker, it was said.