UK’s first all electric prison opens in Yorkshire

The UK’s first all-electric prison has officially opened in York.

HMP Millsike, a Category C resettlement prison with a capacity for 1,500 prisoners, is part of the MoJ’s new prisons programme (NPP), one of several which aim to deliver 20,000 new prison places across the country.

 HMP Millsike will provide prisoners with the skills and training needed to secure employment upon release, supporting the government’s wider efforts to cut reoffending and improve public safety.

Multi-disciplinary consultancy Pick Everard acted as the lead designer on the project, working closely with the MoJ and Kier to deliver an efficient, safe, and secure facility.

 Jenny Curlin, director at Pick Everard, said: “HMP Millsike sets a new standard for sustainable prison design, incorporating biophilic principles and energy-efficient solutions to create a facility that prioritises rehabilitation. Our work on the New Prisons Programme included developing the reference design—a blueprint that has been successfully used across multiple new prisons. This latest project builds on that foundation, with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation.”

The prison will operate on 70 percent less energy than traditional prison facilities, thanks to air-source heat pumps, solar panels, and energy-efficient lighting systems, generating over 8,500kWh of renewable energy on-site.

 Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, said: “This government is fixing the broken prison system we inherited, delivering the cells needed to take the most dangerous criminals off our streets.

“HMP Millsike sets the standard for the jails of the future, with cutting crime built into its very fabric. It is a huge step in our plan to add 14,000 extra prison places by 2031.

“But building jails only takes us so far in ending this crisis, which is why we’re also reviewing sentencing so we can always lock up dangerous offenders and make our streets safer.”