INSIDE JOB
Sixth TCS guillotine helps create new opportunities for prisoners at HMP Wymott

The Prison Service has just completed a major refit at HMP Wymott near Preston. An outdated weaving workshop has been replaced by a brand new printing department consisting of digital and litho presses, plus a comprehensive range of finishing equipment. The installation is of particular significance for TCS (Terry Cooper Services) as the CCM Premier 115 guillotine now running at Wymott is the 6th such machine now running in an English prison.

Prison printing has a long tradition. The first such facility was opened 99 years ago at Maidstone, and the Wymott print workshop has become the 10th. One of the main purposes of the print units is to assist in rehabilitation and teach prisoners a trade which will be of use when they are released back to their communities. According to the Prison Service’s Printing Operations Manager Wayne Cook, this has a bearing on his choice of equipment.

“We are keen to source machinery which is not only up to date, but common within the print industry at large. In this way, when former prisoners find work they are experienced with the processes and equipment they will find on the outside,” he says. “Of course, we also have to keep a close eye on the budget to give the taxpayers value for money. CCM Premier Guillotines fit perfectly, as they have all the latest features, but are competitively priced. We also demand longevity from a guillotine and we think the CCM Premier is robust and durable. We had a close look at all the alternatives during the tendering stage and TCS won the contract.”

TCS has also gained the contract to supply De-Luxe Stitching machines to the Prison Service. “These machines also meet our requirements, and for the same reasons of quality, price, usability and relevance to the wider print industry,” says Mr Cook.

Almost all the work carried out by the various prison print departments consists of internal documents, says Mr Cook.  “We have 670 stock items which are distributed to all 138 prisons within England and Wales and has a sales value of around £2m per year. Most are single and two-colour documents though there is some multi-colour work. We do occasionally print for external bodies on a commercial basis, but we are very careful to price work according to current market rates.”

There are 30 prisoners in the Wymott print workshop, which has already become a popular and constructive part of life at the prison. “The inmates are chosen according to suitability, and are keen to learn,” says Mr Cook. They have some good teachers in the form of new staff recruited directly from the printing industry. The aim at Wymott is to take longer term prisoners to a more advanced level of industry training than has been the case in other institutions, with NVQ-linked qualifications for the more successful.