We received an official visit from Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to work together on a UK wide educational programme that will tour prisons across the nation.

The programme, designed to educate inmates on anti-violence and anti-aggression, will be heralded by a monument made entirely of confiscated prison weapons.

These improvised weapons, collected by all prisons nationwide, will be given to the Ironworks to create a monument specifically to tour the nation’s prisons and carry with it the educational programme. The weapons will be improvised weapons created by inmates, such as shanks, glass, metal shards or even bars of soap.

Two prisons have already expressed interest in the programme. Preston in the north are heavily immersed in discussions, as well as West Midlands prison services who have expressed interest in making substantial educational efforts within their prisons.

Nearly 4000 of the UK’s inmates were aged 18 to 20 in December 2021, and this figure is only rising. In the year 2020 to 2021, according to Youth Justice Board, 3500 proven knife and offensive weapon crimes were committed by children. Education in our prisons is vital to address knife and violent crime.

We welcome your input to submit ideas on the programme and the monument.