3.16 Innovation in PFI prison design has reflected the combination of reduced staff numbers and the increased movement of prisoners in a modern prison, for example to and from work and education classes. These innovations include CCTV, modern radio communication systems, clear lines of sight and design features such as a control room at the centre of a spine system of wings. It would be difficult to incorporate such innovations into older public sector prisons. For example, CCTV operates cost efficiently in wide spaces and long corridors, whereas Victorian prisons such as Reading, have short corridors with poor lines of sight, which are now used for moving prisoners.30
3.17 One example of innovation is the key system at Parc. This operates on a physical pin system (as compared to the traditional Chubb system used in most public sector prisons). The pin system is a cheaper means by which to correct a major key compromise (£30,000 compared with £64,000)31. However, the pin system has a shorter working life compared to the Chubb system and may be more susceptible to tampering.
3.18 Several of those we interviewed from the private sector said that there was a risk that further innovation by the private sector will be curtailed by the Prison Service having become more prescriptive in their operational demands. For example, the Director at Rye Hill expressed concerns that the private sector was increasingly being told by the Prison Service how to achieve outcomes. As a consequence of this prescriptive approach, the opportunity for creativity was being stifled.
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30 Although it is generally recognised that some of the principles of modern prison design originate from the Victorian prisons, these prisons were built at a time when the movement of prisoners was not deemed necessary.
31 These figures compare a major key compromise at Parc, where 95 per cent of the locks have to be changed, with the average cost of 10 major key compromises in public prisons during 2002. However, 67 per cent of prison locks are recyclable; a factor which is not incorporated into the Prison Service disclosure cost figures.