The ‘mixed wing’ reality

This addresses the controversial mixed wing policy where mainstream prisoners and vulnerable prisoners (VPs) are housed together. I’m writing to you from a wing where the atmosphere has shifted from rehabilitative to purely survivalist.

We have seen a recent influx of mainstream prisoners in what was a previously stable environment for VPs. This mixed wing experiment, while perhaps efficient on a spreadsheet, is a disaster in practise.

It has turned this establishment into a place that feels like a high security lockdown, where we must be escorted just to leave the landing. This isn’t just about safety; it’s about the psychological weight of constant hyper vigilance. How can we focus on offending behaviour programmes when our primary focus is simply on not being targeted?

This blending of populations is a glitch in the system that needs to be addressed. We are told that prison is expensive way of making bad people worse, and by forcing conflicting populations together without adequate staffing, the present authorities are proving that quote right every single day. If we want a sustainable footing for our prisons, we need to start by respecting the safety and dignity of every individual regardless of their status, Let the recent murder of notorious inmates serve as a case in point.

Editorial note – At many prisons, VP wings hold a wide mix of people requiring protection for different reasons. Some have been convicted of sexual offences, and are at risk for that reason. Others may need protection because they have a neurodiverse condition, or ran up a drug debt on a mainstream wing, or have been labelled as an informant. This creates an issue that the non-sex-offenders on the VP wing, whilst not technically ‘mainstream prisoners’, may share the hostile attitude towards sex offenders that is common on mainstream wings, leading to tension and victimisation on the VP wing.

In response to this letter, an HMP Addiewell spokesperson said: “We take prisoner safety extremely seriously. We do not mix mainstream prisoners with vulnerable prisoners requiring protection. In 2025, we moved to a model of making two out of three of our protection wings ‘offence neutral’, housing both offence-protection prisoners (mostly sex offenders) with prisoners requiring protection for other reasons, not linked to their offence. This is not unusual and has significantly improved the quality of regime provision available. Entry is subject to risk assessment, and we continually monitor safety indicators. We have enhanced consultation and engagement measures in place to ensure that all parties feel safe.”