Here Is What Foreign Criminals Being Held in UK Prisons Are Being Allowed to Enjoy at Taxpayers’ Expense
Foreign prisoners being held in Britain are being given access to relaxation sessions, breathing exercises, cold-water therapy and cooking lessons as part of programmes designed to help them prepare for life after prison.
The activities have raised questions about how foreign criminals are being treated in UK prisons, particularly as the programmes are provided within a prison system funded by taxpayers.
The details emerged following a review of HMP Maidstone in Kent, one of three prisons in Britain specifically used to hold foreign national offenders. The prison houses people from overseas who have been convicted of crimes and are serving sentences in the UK.
According to the review, prisoners at the facility can take part in several activities aimed at improving their mental health, teaching them useful skills and helping them prepare for release.
Some of these activities include breathing exercises and relaxation sessions, which have been compared to the type of treatments people might expect to find at a wellness or yoga retreat.
Prisoners can also participate in cold-water therapy, an activity sometimes used to help people manage stress and improve their general wellbeing.
In addition to these sessions, inmates are offered practical lessons where they can learn how to prepare soup and make bread. These cooking activities are intended to help prisoners develop basic skills that could be useful when they leave prison.
The review explained that the prison provides a wide range of group programmes, including support for prisoners approaching release, workshops about criminal records and sessions focused on relaxation and controlled breathing.
It also confirmed that cold-water therapy and practical cooking lessons were among the additional activities available to inmates.
The findings have brought attention to the way foreign offenders are being managed while serving their sentences in Britain. Some people may question whether such activities are appropriate for convicted criminals, especially when the cost of running prisons is covered by public money.
However, prison rehabilitation programmes are generally designed to address prisoners’ behaviour, improve their ability to cope with difficult situations and reduce the chances of them committing further crimes.
The review also reported a positive development at HMP Maidstone, stating that violent incidents inside the prison had fallen significantly over the previous 12 months.
Although the report highlighted this improvement, it did not establish whether the relaxation sessions, cooking lessons or other activities were directly responsible for the reduction in violence.
Meanwhile, an unnamed prison insider expressed surprise at the activities being offered to foreign prisoners.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the insider suggested that some inmates themselves might be confused by the unusual programmes available inside the prison.
The person said the foreign criminals being held at the Kent facility must be wondering what was happening around them.
The revelations come as Britain’s prison system continues to face pressure over overcrowding, spending and the management of foreign national offenders.
Foreign prisoners remain a major subject of public debate, particularly when questions arise about how much money is spent keeping them in British prisons and what should happen to them after they complete their sentences.
While the prison authorities see rehabilitation and practical training as ways to help offenders prepare for the future, the latest findings are likely to raise further questions about the balance between punishment, rehabilitation and the use of taxpayers’ money.
For now, the review shows that foreign prisoners at HMP Maidstone have access to activities ranging from breathing exercises and cold-water therapy to bread-making and soup preparation, alongside more traditional programmes intended to support their rehabilitation.
