Criminals generally try not to get caught… but at a jail that lets them go fishing, they all want to land a catch.
Young offenders, many of whom are guilty of violent crimes, are encouraged to try their hand at angling on the banks of a lake in the prison grounds.
Inmates and staff have helped to “landscape” the lake, which is said to be fully stocked with fish. It’s part of a scheme to rehabilitate 15 to 18-year-olds at HMP Wetherby in West Yorkshire.
A source said: “Prison staff thought it was a joke at first. Bosses are always trying different things to get people to go straight but this is one of the strangest ones yet.
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“The theory is these guys have never tried outdoor pursuits like fishing and it might encourage them to take it up as a hobby.
“It’s certainly a change from the estates these kids call home.”
The angling sessions emerged in a prison watchdog report.
Inmates are chaperoned by outreach workers from Kinetic Youth – a social enterprise to stop young people re-offending.
The same youth workers have been praised for setting up a jail aviary.
The Independent Monitoring Board said offenders “appear to actively engage with the Kinetic staff who help them return to education.”
