I was very grateful to have the opportunity to visit HM Prison Birmingham with my Chaplain Claire Reid and meet with the Governor and the Prison Chaplain and a number of the other Faith leaders who work on the site.
It was a very illuminating and thought provoking visit, during which we were encouraged to see the work undertaken to support prisoners in learning new skills which will hopefully enable them to obtain employment and and independent income on their release. We were also reminded of the wide range of pastoral support that is given to prisoners by the chaplaincy services within a prison.
The prison is over 150 years old and thus the investment in new and updated facilities is an important part of ensuring that the Prison Service is able to fulfil its responsibilities in the most effective way possible.