Introduction to Prison Towns

Prison Towns envision a bold reimagining of the criminal justice system, combining punitive confinement with true rehabilitation. A single Prison Town could serve the entire UK, accommodating sentences across categories (A, B, C, D) in secure sectors/neighbourhoods. Residents live in homes or flats, hold jobs or start businesses, pay taxes, and engage in democratic governance - all within a highly secure, walled environment. The Prison Town model fosters personal responsibility, community cohesion, productivity and growth, targeting reoffending below 10%.

Challenges in the Current UK Prison System

The UK's traditional model, with 121 facilities in England and Wales, prioritises punishment over rehabilitation, causing failures. Overcrowding impacts 97,699 prisoners (2024), with 90% facing mental health issues and 371 self-harm incidents per 1,000. Reoffending is 36.8% within one year; costs exceed £6.85 billion annually (£47,434 per prisoner). This perpetuates crime cycles, high recidivism, and poor reintegration.

Lessons from Innovative Models

Prison Towns draw from UK and global successes. The Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester, run by the Ministry of Defence, focuses on rehabilitation via corrective training, education, and care, achieving 9-10% reoffending - far below civilian averages. This prepares service personnel for military or civilian life, showing discipline with support reduces reoffending.

UK open prisons allow low-risk inmates external work, contributing 40% of earnings above £20/week to victim support, with 20-25% reoffending and 80% post-release jobs. Facilities like Berwyn and Five Wells emphasise vocational training, yielding 26.12% employment six weeks post-release and 20-30% recidivism cuts. Globally, Norway's Halden and Bastøy mimic society with private cells and shared spaces (16-20% reoffending). The Prison Town framework builds on these successful frameworks, reaching for a criminal justice system that makes sense for everyone. 

The Prison Town Model: Key Ingredients

At the heart are three interconnected elements: Community Centres for rehabilitation and community integration, productive and vibrant economic life and an accountable model for democracy.

• Community Centres: Central to rehabilitation, these hubs drive individualised rehabilitation journeys with 1-2-1 coaching, peer mentoring and group therapy, fostering personal responsibility, discipline and internal insights that can be shared to underpin criminological advances benefitting society. Rehabilitation programmes are tied with mental health (and addiction) support, constantly challenging residents to improve and overcome personal challenges and barriers. Community Centres also provide skill and knowledge learning via workshops, lectures and courses; whilst community spaces like gyms, games rooms, co-working areas, theatres, dance/music studios nurture a real sense of community.

• Productive Economic Life: Prison Towns feature a self-sustaining economy, producing nearly everything internally via sectors like agriculture and food production, manufacturing like clothing, furniture, energy, construction, waste recycling and services of all types. Those serving sentences work in industry/agricultural zones, earning digital currency wages and can build businesses, pay taxes and upgrade housing. While many may initially be unable to work due to mental health, Community Centres' support enables participation over time, converting the Prison Town from tax funded to tax providing. Cat D sectors handle safety-prohibited activities for A/B/C (e.g., certain manufacturing/tools), plus visitor-facing businesses like hotels. Successful businesses, tied to owners' rehab progress, could potentially - and within appropriate frameworks - engage external clients.

• Democratic Governance and Personal Responsibility: Using Sense Future's Sovereignty model for democracy, sectors/neighbourhoods elect recallable representatives and cabinets to manage delegated civic aspects of Prison Town sectors/communities, with HMP oversight. This shapes local management, promoting civic responsibility, rehabilitation and reintegration. Preventing gang-fiefdoms, HMPPS oversight is hands-on, rigorously monitoring for rehabilitative outcomes (Community Centres integrate governance roles into 1-2-1 journeys for positive growth) whilst electorate recall powers further prevent abusive power/influence networks. 

High-Security Design

Safety is paramount within a Prison Town environment fostering rehabilitation. Freedom of movement is scaled appropriately to categories A to D. The walled town has sealable sectors/neighbourhoods for rapid lockdowns. Police force on the beat, highly engaged with and knowledgeable of each sector/community. Potential technologies include sensor bracelets (heartbeat/temperature/sound) with appropriate privacy measures, architectural sensors (above/below-ground activity), drones/surveillance/policing and digital currency monitoring - all supported by an AI layer of identification and analysis assisting HMP oversight. Highly secured localised intranets for education and internal commerce. With a single Prison Town, HMP staff from across sectors/neighbourhoods can be mobilised for targeted escalation events, boosting rapid and effective responsiveness.

The Rehabilitation Journey

On arrival, residents get basic housing and Community Centre support to craft an evolving rehabilitation plan integrating therapy, education, and skills. They start programmes, socialise and if/when ready find jobs or start businesses. Rehabilitative progress signalled by personal steps completed, insights shared, community contributions, economic activity and democratic participation. At completion, digital earnings convert to GBP for smooth reintegration. 

Implementation and Legislative Path

Start small: select location, build initial HMP centre and one sector with temporary housing, then expand. People serving sentences form construction companies and build sectors. Amend Prison Act 1952 for town facilities, Offender Management Act 2007 for employment rules, Representation of the People Act 1983 for voting - complying with data laws.

A consortium of government, investors, reform organisations, charities, and tech providers, guided by a Governing Board and Working Groups, drives development and implementation of Prison Towns.

Benefits of Prison Towns

• Reduced Reoffending: Targeted rehabilitation programme and communal participation and responsibility cut rates below 10%, safer societies.

• Tax cost: Reduced tax expenditure, likely tax revenue - long term. 

• Social Transformation: Unlocking potential in societal deviance, turning "dark to light".

Get Involved

Prison Towns offer a humane, effective justice pathway. Join the consortium or contribute to working groups to make them possible.