On a visit to HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said inmates at the category C prison needed to be given “a sense of what life on the outside looks like” because “we are not going to lock everyone up for life”.
The 1,700-capacity prison does not have bars on its windows and will provide prisoners with access to a gym, snooker table, table tennis table and a smart tablet to gain new qualifications.
Prison staff have also said they will describe cells as “rooms” and prisoners as “residents” to assist in their rehabilitation.
Speaking to reporters at the jail on Thursday, ahead of the facility's official opening on Friday, Raab said: “I’m interested in punishment, because that’s what the public expect, but I’m not really interested in stigmatising in a way that’s counter-productive to my aim of driving down re-offending. What you’ve heard about, which I like, is the idea of giving offenders something to lose...