Is Greater Manchester on the verge of building a ‘mega-prison’?
Following initial plans made by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in July of last year to potentially build a new prison in the region, there has been outcry among residents, protest groups and professionals alike as to whether this type of plan is sustainable.
The prison system as a whole has found itself under much scrutiny, with the prison population having doubled since 1993, and the highest rate of prisoner suicide since records began, it’s become particularly difficult for many to believe quite how the prospect of an entirely new or an expanded prison will work in Manchester.
These worries have been accentuated by the recent building of HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, which some have begun to call a ‘mega-prison’, and with the same colloquial term being used by various groups to describe the potential new prison being built in Manchester.
With that in mind, this Mancunian Matters podcast looks at whether there’s been any movement in the planning of the prison, since there has been relatively limited media coverage since July, and looks at ‘mega-prison’ culture in general and whether it is viable.
Image courtesy of Mickey, with thanks.
