Royal praise for Isle of Man prison project

A rehabilitation project run by volunteers at the Manx prison has won praise from the Princess Royal.

The commendation came in a letter from Buckingham Palace following a royal visit to the island in January.

The Restorative Justice system is a joint project between the charity, PrisonWorks and Home Affairs.

The palace letter said the princess was glad to see prisoners "benefitting greatly" from the support offered by charity workers.

A Manx government spokesman said the aim of the restorative justice programme on the island was to help prisoners "reflect on the consequences of their actions and to repair and maintain good relations with their own families".

"It can also help victims to recover from the impact of crime and gives them a more powerful voice within the criminal justice system," he continued.

PrisonWorks recently won the Robin Corbett Award for Prisoner Rehabilitation 2014 for its work with offenders.