Outcry over prison sex offenders plan

Numbers are set to treble at Whatton Prison

A plan to turn a Nottinghamshire prison into a national centre for sex offenders has caused an outcry among local residents.

The government wants to treble the size of Whatton Prison and turn it into a centre for the treatment and rehabilitation of sex offenders.

The jail is two miles from RAF Newton, the proposed site for a controversial asylum seekers camp.

More than 1,000 people living in nearby Bingham protested against the asylum seekers camp in May and more protests are expected over the latest prison plan.

Moving out

The prison currently specialises in dealing with sex offenders and has a low re-offending rate among its former inmates.

The leader of Rushcliffe Council, George Buckley, condemned the plan, saying the Home Office was "insensitive".

Our job is to protect the public and reduce re-offending and we do that very well.

Prison governor Barry Greenbury

One local resident, a mother who did not want to be named, said: "I've got two young children. I wouldn't be very happy at all.

"We're just going to sell up, I think."

Whatton Prison governor Barry Greenbury has urged people living near the jail not to panic.

He said he understood people's concerns, but emphasised the prison would be a centre of excellence.

"It is a vote of confidence in a prison and staff that they are doing something really effective.

Numbers rising

"Our job is to protect the public and reduce re-offending and we do that very well.

"The national re-conviction rate is about 54%.

"For prisoners who go through the courses we do here it is about 18%."

A protest poster in Bingham last month

Formal plans for an extra 500 prisoners are expected to be unveiled by the Home Office next month.

At the moment the prison has 275 places.

A huge rise in the number of prisoners has led to the plan to increase numbers to 775.

There are now about 71,000 people in prison in the country - almost double the number 10 years ago - and the Home Office has to find places for the growing prison popluation.

Low risk

Prison officials say the inmates in an expanded jail would be low-risk category C prisoners but local councillors believe they will be mostly sex offenders and want to know why Whatton has been chosen.

The Home Office plans a community consultation process over the prison plan.

There is already consultation taking place over for the asylum seekers' centre with meetings with representatives of the local community.

The Prisons Minister Hilary Benn was not available for comment on the plan on Thursday.

MP for Rushcliffe, Kenneth Clarke, has yet to comment on the plans.