I had my first ever visit to prison on Monday as part of my ongoing JP training. HMP Altcourse is a 1,300 bed private prison in Liverpool. It is relatively new complex and does not share the oppressive nature of some of our Victorian jails as typified on the BBC comedy series Porridge. It is, of course, a secure environment, with high walls, double locked doors, and lots of razor wire (for which the government pays a fine every year due to it being illegal). As well as wanting to know how those who come through our courts are punished, I was also keen to see how offenders are rehabilitated and set on a different life course.

There is a strong work ethic in Altcourse with all prisoners expected to work, train or be in education during the day. Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, said yesterday that he wanted work to be a central feature of prison life with no room for lounging around all day – well this is how Altcourse at least is run. During our daytime visit we saw very few prisoners who were on their wing relaxing – and the ones who were had mostly been working earlier shifts in the kitchens etc. The officer in charge of one aspect of this work programme insisted that it helped inmates gain new skills and helped their resettlement into society following release. No figures for re-offending were offered, however.

One of the most interesting programmes run in the prison is the ‘Sorry’ programme which is a restorative justice scheme whereby inmates have to face up to the crime they’ve committed and the implications to their victims, families and wider society. This scheme is highly effective in ensuring low rates of re-offending but is only offered to a small number of prisoners. It is run by the chaplaincy team.

So on the ‘Sorry’ programme church meets world on the sharp end and the main principle of the Christian faith – the possibility of redemption for each person – lies at the heart of the scheme.

I often return home from a day in court feeling quite distressed at some of the lives I’ve witnessed and the chaos, pain and anger those lives are lived in. Altcourse offers some optimism with its attempt to instil a work ethic, but it is the ‘Sorry’ programme that offers real hope.

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