Chelmsford Prison will receive a massive injection of cash to improve its standards.

The Healthcare Centre, always under attack, will be targeted, as will the visits area.

The new healthcare centre should be completed in 2002 but the Prison Service Press Office said at present because it was in the early stages of planning they could not say how much it would cost.

The beleagured jail, now with a new governor and deputy governor, has been under almost permanent attack in recent years in reports from the Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Board of Visitors, BOV.

The latest report by the BOV, the prison's watchdog, once again highlights problems including the locking up of prisoners from 5pm to 8am and with many in cells for 20 hours.

Once again, the main anxiety in Health care was the building, which has been condemned by the BOV since 1992.

The report states: "Built at a Victorian debtor's prison, it is totally unsuitable for the treatment of mentally and physically sick and the mixing of adults and adolescents.

"It is red on the traffic light monitoring system for health care in prisons."

But BOV chairman Neil Orr said that money had suddenly been found for the jail. He said that the BOV was unhappy about the latest report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons and that it had been bad for staff morale.

Mr Orr said that the prison was now up to strength, but if people were sick or away on courses it must be a nightmare to run.

He said the prison minister had now said in public that a large amount of money was available to rebuild the Healthcentre, and this was under way.

By Fred Hammerton

Reporter's e-mail: fred.hammerton@essex-chronicle.co.uk

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