Skip to content

Prison's 'hidden workforce' helps Jersey charity

News imageBBC Gemma Lofthouse, a woman with brown hair and dark glasses. She is wearing a grey scarf with a light blue flowered pattern, and a dark green raincoat with a zip down the middle. Behind her is a variety of green plants, including some in black plastic pots. To the right of the image, there are a series of empty wooden boxes on a shelf, in front of a window which is covered by a white, metal security grille.BBC
Gemma Lofthouse said she hoped the scheme would be expanded

Prisoners are crafting furniture and growing plants to sell in a charity shop as part of a new scheme.

The States of Jersey Prison Service and Age Concern said they had launched the initiative to generate income for the charity and support the rehabilitation of inmates by providing "engagement with the community".

Vegetables and herbs grown as part of inmates' horticultural training, flowers and shrubs cultivated in prison gardens and wooden benches and planters crafted by prisoners in workshops are all on sale at the charity's shop in Trinity.

Officials at HMP La Moye, which can hold up to 200 prisoners, hope to widen the scheme to include more local firms and charities.

News imageA wall with horizontal wooden panels, on which there is an A4 sign which says 'States of Jersey Prison Service working with Age Concern Jersey'. Beneath the sign are three wooden planters, each holding a green plant with purple flowers.
Flowers, herbs and vegetables grown in prison gardens are among the produce being sold to raise funds to support elderly islanders

Gemma Lofthouse, head of reducing offending for the Jersey prison service, said: "It's built a really good rapport between the staff and the prisoners."

"The prisoners are really engaged in the work they were able to complete for Age Concern, and it's also developed relationships for prisoners upon release in volunteer opportunities with Age Concern."

News imagePeter Gould, a man with short grey hair and stubble. He is wearing a salmon coloured shirt underneath a light blue quarter zip jumper. He is also wearing an unzipped, black raincoat which features the Jersey prison service crest. Behind him, to the right of the image, are a series of wooden boxes on a shelf, and a mirror on the wall. To the left of the image is a palm tree, and a set of wooden shelves on which there are transparent plastic bags of kindling wood.
Peter Gould said prisoners worked "full-time" as part of the scheme

Peter Gould, manager of vocational training for the Jersey prison service, said more than 40 prisoners at a time were involved in either growing produce or creating wooden furniture.

He said those involved in the horticultural course were overseen by two vocational trainers and worked six hours per day, five days a week.

"Then they come out of a weekend to fulfil all the watering, to make sure everything keeps growing," he said.

Gould said the initiative enabled prisoners to seek employment upon release, and to become "better neighbours".

News imageA number of shelves, with two levels, arranged around the corner of a room. In the centre of the image is a display if kindling wood in transparent plastic bags. To the right of the bags is a small palm tree in a black plastic planter, and a series of wooden boxes with small green and purple plants. To the left of the image is an assortment of plants and herbs, displayed in wooden boxes. A window, with a white metal security grille, is visible in the top left of the image.
More than 40 prisoners at a time work to either grow plants or craft wooden furniture to raise funds for the charity.

Lofthouse said she hoped the initiative could be expanded to include other local businesses and charities, which she said could benefit from the prison's "hidden workforce".

She said: "We've got prisoners with the current skills, we've got staff who can train prisoners in upskilling, and then this gives them real-life experience to continue that journey."

A report was expected shortly to identify ways in which the training and educational opportunities on offer in the prison could be adapted to further meet the needs of the job market, said Lofthouse.

"We are quite limited with space but we are very innovative and flexible as to what we can achieve," she added.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].

More on this story
More from the BBC