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PRISONERS GIVEN PERSONAL TRAINERS

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Health trainers have been recruited at 25 of Britain’s toughest jails

Wednesday May 30,2007

Prisoners are being given personal trainers in a bid to help them lose weight and prevent them being subjected to bullying.

Dozens of health trainers have been recruited at 25 of Britain's toughest jails in a move which will cost taxpayers £400,000, according to the Sun newspaper.

Prisoners will be referred to the Exercise on Prescription scheme by prison doctors and will receive a free fitness assessment and an individual exercise routine devised by personal trainers, the paper says.

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell condemned the policy as unfair to taxpayers and declared that prisons should concentrate instead on providing healthy food.

The Romford MP said: "Frankly most people have to pay a lot of money to have a personal trainer and I do not think taxpayers should be paying for it.

"Law-abiding citizens should be pretty angry at the fact that criminals are getting it for free.

"If they fed them healthy foods, that is something that could be done to truly help them lose weight rather than giving them trainers."

But a spokeswoman for the Prison Service said: "The programme takes up no extra resources.

"The Prison Services encourages and facilitates physical education and team sports in every prison.

"As a means of promoting team-work, self-confidence, leadership, resilience, and individual and collective achievement it is a vital tool in the rehabilitation of offenders."

Trainers are also said to offer holistic alternative therapy instead of medication.

Niall Almond, who runs the programme at Everthorpe Prison in East Yorkshire told the Sun: "We've had some really good success stories."


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PRISONERS GIVEN......

30.05.07, 3:00pm

If you are fifty and happen to have been made redundant through no fault of your own, however, you are told to go away and live on your savings and starve to death in your old age. How dare anyone in Britain quote human rights when the decent 'poor' are so badly discriminated against. Crime does pay, working hard all your life doesn't. I have no idea why anyone foreigner would want to come to Britain this country sucks.

• Posted by: judyReport Comment

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FITNESS REGIMES FOR ALL PRISONERS SHOULD BE MANDATORY!

30.05.07, 1:04pm

HARD LABOUR, not smoking or non smoking cells, colour TV, snooker and ping pong, work then hard remove all human rights and make prison a deterrent instead of a second home for scum!

Many of these animals live in worse conditions outside of prison by choice, a deterrent is something which deters, not a holiday sitting around all day planning your next crime spree!

And the Human Rights of prison officers to work in the same smoke free conditions as the rest of the UK must be maintained!

• Posted by: The_Way_I_See_ItReport Comment

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GREAT PLAN….

30.05.07, 8:59am

So prisoners get personal trainers! What next – manicure, pedicure, massage, hair dresser, breakfast in bed, a kiss goodnight from the warders…….. Oh what a luverly life!

• Posted by: Cynical_sidReport Comment

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REHABILITATED

30.05.07, 7:25am

Yes, said the prisoner, with a wry grin, it was really tough in there! -- but having had my own personal trainer, i really feel that i'm rehabilitated, and i'm ready to have another go at it on the outside!!! -- I was unable to stop smoking though, as the cell was classed as my home, -- so i will have to sue the prison service, then i can retire, and have no need to mug anybody else!!
What was that about crime dosn't pay?

• Posted by: JAYDEEReport Comment

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