By Corrections1 Staff
BOSTON, England — A prison in England has been criticized for referring to its inmates as “residents.”
According to BBC News, the name change was introduced at the North Sea Camp as part of its “rehabilitative culture,” a report from the Independent Monitoring Board said. The open prison houses more than 400 inmates, many of whom are serving long prison sentences.
“Open prisons are rehabilitation jails. The governor and senior staff have gone one step further and decided to treat the prisoners as if they are people on the outside,” said Mabel Brooks, chairwoman of the prison’s Independent Monitoring Board.
Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers’ Association criticized the name change and described it as “ill-thought out.”
“I do believe that the victims of crime and society have to have a reality check on how prisoners are addressed whilst in prison,” he said. “They would be shocked to see that some governor believes they should call them residents.”
But the IMB report said the name change “seems to be working well with a polite and calm atmosphere being created.”
“It is noticeable that residents and staff always greet one another and converse with one another politely,” the report said.