- Expelled inmates are sent back to the prison from where they arrived at HMP Grendon.
A category B prison has implemented a plan that allows inmates to oust problematic cellmates through weakest link-style voting.
HMP Grendon in Buckinghamshire houses around 200 male inmates, many of whom are serving life sentences for crimes including murder, rape and arson.
The jail, known as a “therapeutic” prison because of the methods it uses, typically only accepts inmates from other facilities who have shown signs of good behavior and requires them to follow strict rules if they want to stay.
They can now be voted out by other convicts at regular “side meetings”, where a “compromise vote” is reportedly held to decide whether an individual is “unsuitable”.
Inmates who are expelled are sent back to the prison from which they came, with reports that five criminals have been ordered to leave since the meetings began.
Grendon prison in Buckinghamshire houses around 200 male prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences for crimes including murder, rape and arson (file image)
A source said Mirror: ‘Prison bosses will try almost any kind of innovation to maintain order. This seems to be working fine. No one wants to be eliminated by their peers.’
Another told the newspaper that the vote was reminiscent of the 2000s TV show The Weakest Link, in which host Anne Robinson told a contestant rejected by her peers: “You’re the weakest link, goodbye.”
The method is being introduced in the UK’s only “fully therapeutic” prison, where incarcerated people take part in daily group therapy sessions with doctors, psychiatric nurses and counsellors.
Prisoners are also taught various coping mechanisms to regulate their emotions, in the hope that they will be rehabilitated.
Located in an old stately home, it has fish tanks and potted plants scattered throughout the prison to help keep inmates “relaxed and calm.”
The jail has previously been criticized for mistakenly sending an inmate to the hospital after guards confused him with another inmate who had the same name.
Last year’s mix-up was the second time in four years that this type of problem occurred at the jail.
The inmate, who was referred to as a “resident” in the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) report, was taken from his room, as the cells at Grendon are called, before being escorted to a nearby hospital.
The problem was only detected after the inmate seemed “confused” about why he was being taken to the hospital.
The inmate who was supposed to be at the hospital was informed of the error, but missed his appointment, so it had to be rescheduled.
A prison source, speaking about HMP Grendon, previously said the jail was an “incredible resource” but mistakes could happen.