A Humber offsite construction firm has designed what it believes could solve the UK’s prisons overcrowding crisis.
Integra Buildings has designed and manufactured a custodial cell that has been tested at facilities at BRE Science Park in Watford to make sure it complies with Government standards. The Paull-based creator of modular buildings says the unit – which can function as a standalone space or stacked to make a building – is ready to be deployed at pace and could be the “silver bullet” to the prisons overcrowding crisis which has come to the fore in recent weeks.
It is hoped the product could be used to quickly ramp up capacity and avoid some of the costs associated with renovating old, sometimes Victorian, prison buildings and building entirely new facilities. Integra is also marketing it as a solution for other detention settings in the criminal justice system.
The unit has been developed for Category C prisoners who make up a large proportion of the UK prison population and while considered unlikely to make escape attempts are not trusted in open prisons. The firm said it uses a concrete base and composite materials, to make a robust, non-combustible cell which is compliant with what is referred to as “breach and ligature criteria”.
It can be built to a variety of sizes, with the smallest cell measuring 2.6m x 3m, and includes a shower, toilet and washbasin.
Chris Turner, managing director of East Yorkshire-based Integra, said: “Prisons overcrowding is without doubt an issue of significant public concern and a major priority for the new Government. We believe modular construction can and should play an important part in addressing this issue.
“Our unit is ready to be manufactured and rolled out right now. Modular construction has numerous advantages over traditional building methods and we have a bespoke, fully-tested unit which can help tackle the prisons overcrowding crisis, as well as being deployed in other custodial settings.”
Integra has been supplying modular buildings for more than 25 years and specialises in steel-framed products that provide permanent and temporary spaces for sport, leisure, education, healthcare and commercial clients. The company says 90% of its supply chain is within a 30-mile radius of its Humber base, with the remaining suppliers sought nearby to each project.
Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber
