EXCLUSIVE: Prison bosses at HMP Guys Marsh look at installing ‘fun’ photo booth for inmates so they can pose for pictures with visiting family
- HMP Guys Marsh wants a ‘fun’ photobooth for when people visit prisoners inside
- Meeting about the unusual idea took place last month with jail organizers
- The booth was billed as ‘fun for visiting children and for special keepsakes!’
Hardened criminals serving time behind bars want their own ‘fun’ photobooth so their visiting children can have ‘special keepsakes’ of the day.
The makeshift booth was planned for HMP Guys Marsh, which was branded ‘out of control’ by the chief inspector of prisons in 2014.
It was dreamt up by the Dorset Category C jail’s Family Champions, who are made up of prisoners recruited from the lock-up’s population.
Photobooths of this type are usually complete with props, including funny hats and silly glasses and are very popular at weddings for guests.
It was proposed at the jail’s Families and Significant Others Meeting last month.
Details of the plan – which has been seen by MailOnline – declare: ‘Anyone is now able to receive a photo on a visit.
‘We are looking at introducing a makeshift photo booth to make the photos fun for visiting children and for special keepsakes!’
The booth sounds similar to those most popular at wedding receptions and which cost around £400 for just three hours’ hire.
HMP Guys Marsh wanted a ‘fun’ photobooth (one at wedding pictured) for when people visit
The booth was billed as ‘fun for visiting children and for special keepsakes!’ of the day in jail
Meeting about the unusual idea for HMP Guys Marsh took place last month with jail organizers
They often feature funny outfits and costumes and in some cases a police officer-style hat and truncheon.
But after being contacted by MailOnline, a prison source said the booth would not longer be happening, due to budget constraints.
The JAIL’S visitors center is run by the Friends of Guys Marsh good cause.
Already there are toys and games available for children there to play with before a trip to see their relative.
The jail has a 434-strong prison population and is a category C facility for male prisoners.
It has been at the center of a number of different scandals, including accusations inmates enjoy a cushy life behind bars.
A group of inmates including Ryan Phillips (far left), Richard Parsons (right, in gray jumper), Russell Bennett (middle with blonde hair) and Carl Brennan (shirtless, bottom right) pose for a photo taken from inside HMP Guys Marsh
A picture taken from inside HMP Guys Marsh by inmate Richard Parsons of takeaway burgers and fish and chips, which were smuggled into the jail. In the top left corner is a substance suspected to be cannabis, with an estimated street value of more than £100
An inmate posted this picture of thick cuts of steak given to prisoners in the Category C jail – it is not clear how they came into the prisoners’ possession. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said an investigation has been launched
In 2014 gloating pictures of life inside revealed prisoners boasting about their easy lives in jail – swigging booze, enjoying takeaway fish and chips and taking drugs.
One inmate posted a series of pictures with the mocking hashtag ‘jailfies’ as well as a picture of suspicious looking substances with the caption ‘party night’.
The shocking pictures were discovered by a builder who was accidentally added on Facebook by an inmate and was shocked to learn of the prisoners’ alcohol and drug-fuelled lifestyle.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, was added by an inmate at HMP Guys Marsh, in Dorset.
And the latest report that year by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found control at the jail had ‘been all but lost’ with gangs able to operate freely at the 580-inmate prison.
An investigation was then launched by the Ministry of Justice who said prisoners found with mobile phones ‘face extra time behind bars’.
Aprison Service spokesperson said of the prison’s photobooth plan: ‘Strong family ties are proven to reduce reoffending and protect the public.
‘There is no photobooth at HMP Guys Marsh.’