England, Wales prisons to get in-cell phones to curb violence, reoffending

To curb violence and reoffending inside prison in England and Wales announced to allow thousands of more prisoners to make phone calls from their cells.

Earlier this year the government announced to be installing in-cell phones across twenty prisons to reduce illegal flow of mobile phones and minimize tensions.

More 10 million pound has been allocated for prisons in the budget and it is learned by 2020 about fifty prisons would have in-cell phones.

According to Ministry of Justice violence is triggered following many prisoners queue up for public phones and this result with the demand for illicit mobile phones.

The ministry added that with the expansion of in-cell phones the reoffending rates will come down and this will cost the government about 15 billion pound a year.

The in-cell phone expansion plan in prisoners would improve rehabilitation as inmates can make calls in private and maintain good ties with families.

A report released by Lord Farmer in 2017 revealed “good family relationships were indispensable to the set of changes the government plans for prisons.”

Justice Secretary David Gauke said, “At this time of year more than any other we’re reminded of the importance of family, and there can be few groups that this applies to more than prisoners.”

Illegal use of mobile phones is a significant threat in most of the prisons and in twelve months duration to March this year more than 10,000 incidents were such in which mobile phones were found. The figure was 15 percent more compared to previous year.