Inmates feast on fillet steaks and fresh fish, prison smuggling practices exposed
Despite recent claims that British prisons are like Guantanamo Bay, inmates in Cheshire have been enjoying haute cuisine, smuggling in fillet steaks and fresh fish after complaints over the quality and quantity of prison food.
Inmates at Thorn Cross open prison, near Warrington, have been ordering high-end produce from friends on the outside, a watchdog has reported. Those friends then climb the prison’s outer fence, where they leave bags filled with edible delights. Prisoners in on the ruse then attempt to collect the bags first thing in the morning, before staff notice them.
Chairman of the jail’s Independent Monitoring Board John Schofield said: “We have mobile phones, chargers, sim cards, fish, steak, liver and vegetables delivered. It is food in pre-packed containers from supermarkets. Last week, there was a holdall of meat, liver and vodka.”
Schofield even remarked on the quality of the produce, noting that among the cuts of beef were fillet steaks.
Prisoner’s tastes have become refined recently. Two years ago, the prison’s chief inspector reported that prisoners were smuggling in cans of tuna to supplement the inadequate meals.
Following the report, the food was improved with inmates getting five options for meals. Despite this and Schofield’s insistence that prisoners “aren’t going hungry,” the move has not stopped the smuggling.
The open prison hit the headlines recently after the Ministry of Justice backtracked on plans to house sex offenders on its premises, which is situated close to a primary school. The move was canned following an outcry from the local council and police.
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