Taxpayers Criticize Prison Funding for Yoga and Mindfulness

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, October 11, 2026

The Ministry of Justice spent over £300,000 on creative and mindfulness programs for inmates at seven English prisons between 2024 and 2025, including activities like yoga, scrapbooking, and music sessions. Critics argue this spending is inappropriate given serious security and health problems in facilities such as HMP Rochester, which faces rising assaults and drug issues, prompting ongoing debates about prioritizing rehabilitation versus safety.

Prisoners at several facilities across England have participated in creative and mindfulness programs funded by the government, sparking criticism amid ongoing challenges in the prison system. Between 2024 and 2025, the Ministry of Justice allocated more than £300,000 toward activities such as yoga, colouring, creative writing, scrapbooking, and mindfulness sessions aimed at promoting confidence, resilience, teamwork, patience, and communication among inmates.

At HMP Rochester in Kent, where a £35,000 contract for "calming and mindful" classes was awarded in 2025, inmates engaged in programmes including Scrabble and scrapbooking. The facility has faced significant operational difficulties, including a 42 percent drug positivity rate among prisoners in 2024, a 67 percent increase in assaults over the prior year, and reports of rat infestations within the buildings. These issues led to official sanctions against the prison that year.

Beyond Rochester, funding extended to six other institutions. Maidstone Prison hosted “cell mindfulness” sessions, while Belmarsh Prison offered activities focused on music, fashion, and painting. The total expenditure on these programmes across the seven facilities amounted to £312,793.

The investment has drawn strong criticism from political figures who argue that funds allocated to mindfulness and creative classes are misplaced given the pressing security and health concerns within prisons. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy characterized the spending as wasteful, emphasizing that it is “shocking that Labour wastes money on colouring-in classes and yoga for prisoners” amid the systemic problems.

In response, the Prison Service highlighted ongoing efforts to address the broader issues affecting the prison estate. Officials noted a commitment to restoring order by expanding capacity with 14,000 additional places and investing £75 million in measures aimed at reducing criminal activity within prisons.

The debate underscores tensions between rehabilitation initiatives and the urgent need to improve safety and infrastructure in the prison system, as authorities balance attempts to support inmates’ well-being with demands for stronger security and management controls.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.