The Military Corrective Training Centre – a model custodial institution

The Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) is an impressive establishment and staff should be congratulated, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report of an unannounced inspection of the armed services’ central custodial facility in Colchester.

The MCTC can hold 323 male and female detainees from all three services but in practice the population is usually much lower than this. Most detainees are serving short sentences for offences against military discipline and only a few are serving sentences that would have resulted in a custodial sentence in a civilian prison. Those sentenced to imprisonment will be held in the MCTC briefly before being transferred to a civilian prison.

This was another very positive inspection. The MCTC had made very good progress delivering recommendations made at its last inspection in 2012 and all outcomes under the centre’s control were judged good, though there were a small number of significant issues of concern that needed to be addressed by higher authorities. Most detainees held in the MCTC do not present the same challenges as prisoners in civilian prisons. However, the MCTC holds some complex and challenging detainees and there is much they do from which the civilian system could learn.

However, the small number of detainees held at the time of the inspection (44) allowed for very individual work to take place, but numbers were expected to rise and it was important the centre’s systems kept pace with this.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

  • the centre was very safe, reception arrangements were good, there was very little violence or bullying and vulnerable detainees were well cared for;
  • safety was underpinned by excellent relationships between detainees and staff and plenty of good quality activity which kept detainees purposefully occupied;
  • there were three female detainees at the time of the inspection and their needs were well met;
  • the centre occasionally holds detainees under 18 and arrangements for them were also good; and
  • practical resettlement services were well organised and the centre had good links with a range of service charities to support resettlement.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

  • the centre was ill-equipped to deal with the small number of high-risk detainees it was sent, with staff having neither the systems nor training to assess adequately or manage the risks of the most serious offenders.

Nick Hardwick said:

“Apart from our concern about high-risk detainees, the MCTC remains a model custodial institution. The re-integration or resettlement of those it holds is central to its work and the safety, mutual respect and purposeful environment that characterises what it does provides solid foundations for that central purpose to be achieved. The commandant and his staff should be congratulated on their work.”

Notes to Editors:

1. Read the report.
2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. HM Inspectorate of Prisons inspects the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) by invitation but in every other respect inspections are the same as those for any other custodial institution.
4. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 13-24 October 2014.
5. The MCTC is the armed services’ only corrective training establishment. Although under Army command, it is a tri-service establishment with both staff and detainees from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. All detainees are held in accordance with the rules determining committal to custody within the Armed Forces Act 2006. The majority are serving periods of detention following court martial or a summary hearing by their commanding officers. Most detainees have offended against Armed Forces law (employment law rather than criminal law), and few are committed for offences that would have resulted in custody had they been civilians. The centre only receives those who have been sentenced to periods of up to two years’ detention.
6. Please contact Jane Parsons in HMI Prisons Press Office on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview with Nick Hardwick.