Green-up our prisons says report
Growing food, gardenmaking and an enhanced provision of horticultural training are just three recommendations contained in a new report embracing a range of green measures to help offenders in prison improve their mental health and reduce reoffending, while providing potential employment opportunities.
The Harmony Project is an action plan for greener prisons by the Sustainable Food Trust. The report identifies that horticultural programmes in particular have been proven to offer multiple benefits to prisoners.
The prison service has seen a drastic decline in the number of UK prison farms in recent years. The hope is that by linking with local horticultural establishments and businesses, offenders could improve their prospects of employment after serving their sentences.
Other measures include increasing pollinator-friendly native plantings, with opportunities to engage in bee keeping, the introduction of quieter, greener outdoor spaces, installing house plants and the use of video and photographic content depicting the natural world.