Portable cabins to ease prison capacity issues

The facility was built in 2008 and has a capacity of 141 prisoners

Portable cabins will be used as a "temporary" solution to ease pressure on the Isle of Man Prison's capacity, the home affairs minister has said.

Jane Poole-Wilson said the 24 outdoor single occupancy units would house "trusted" inmates to free up an additional wing for new inmates being sent into the facility.

Currently being installed within the prison grounds, the accommodation currently includes electricity and plumbing plugged into the prison itself.

Ms Poole-Wilson said the move also presented an "excellent opportunity" to help prepare prisoners already engaged in resettlement programmes to leave the custody.

'Stretched budget'

In March, the minister revealed a 40% rise in prisoners had increased pressure on capacity at the facility.

Speaking to the Social Affairs Policy Review Committee, Ms Poole-Wilson said the cabins would also be a "very useful" space for therapeutic work when not occupied.

During the evidence session home affairs chief executive officer Dan Davies said that the department's budget was "stretched" and that about 90% of spending was on staff costs.

While the department had estimated in February last year there would be an overspend of between £600,000 and £900,000, in the 2023-24 budget the figure had risen to £2.2 million.

Mr Davies said that extra funding, which was approved by Tynwald in February, was mainly due to inflation of fuel costs coupled with the resources needed to deal with incidents including a double fatality at the Southern 100 races and a plane crash at Bradda Head.

Echoing concerns previously raised by the chief constable, he said many police officers were leaving the service due to pay and more money to deliver the policing plan effectively.