South Yorkshire prisons: What Christmas was like for inmates, including meals, visits and decorations

Christmas is over for another year, but how did inmates at South Yorkshire's prisons spend the festive period.

We asked the Ministry of Justice whether any special arrangements were in place at HMP Lindholme, HMP Moorland, HMP Hatfield and HMP Doncaster, including special meals, extra visits and additional activities.

It said that for HMP Lindholme, HMP Moorland and HMP Hatfield the 2023 Christmas meal was 'very similar to what the prisons serve each Sunday with a choice of meat, potatoes vegetables, gravy and a dessert'.

As for visits, it said these were running as normal at HMP Moorland and HMP Hatfield, while, due to bank holidays, reduced visits were in place at HMP Lindholme.

No Christmas entertainment was provided across any of those three prisons, the MoJ said, nor were there any extra leisure opportunities over Christmas, with prisoners able to 'choose what activities they wish to undertake when not required in education, work or training as is the case throughout the year'.

Prisoners were not provided with decorations or crackers, the MoJ added, but the prisons did decorate some trees in communal areas.

Christmas at HMP Doncaster was slightly different

The arrangements at HMP Doncaster were slightly different.

The MoJ said that over Christmas prisoners continued to receive meals 'as per the standard regime', with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

"On these days they will receive two hot meals instead of the standard one," it explained.

As with the other prisons in South Yorkshire, it said no additional visits were allowed over Christmas, nor was any entertainment laid on.

The MoJ added: "Christmas decorations have been positioned around the establishment where appropriate. Prisoners themselves will not receive any decorations."