Courses in wild skills, bushcraft and survival techniques cover how to make shelters, forage for food, tie knots and use a compass for inmates at HMP Isis in South East London
Prisoners are being taught survival skills worthy of the I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, but one key element has been banned.
Courses in wild skills, bushcraft and survival techniques cover how to make shelters, forage for food, tie knots and use a compass. But one key component of the bushcraft toolkit is outlawed: knives. The Bear Grylls and Ray Mears-style sessions are held at HMP Isis in South East London, which holds 622 inmates and has been plagued with weapons and gangs. The class would be great preparation for stars going into the Aussie jungle on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, hosted by Ant and Dec.
A source said: “These sessions raised a few eyebrows – we are in Thamesmead, not Tasmania. But anything which helps these men turn their back on crime is a positive.”
The course was singled out for praise by a team from an Independent Monitoring Board, which visits prisons to make sure they are being run properly. Its report said: “Soft skills training for prisoners was part of a number of initiatives and training.”
Inmates can sign up for other courses run with a further education college including motorbike repairs, waste management and broadcasting.
It comes as prisoners at another jail are bussed out to the coast for sea-fishing exercises, casting lines from the shore.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “These activities are part of a rehabilitation programme, ultimately making our communities safer.”