The Ministry of Justice has awarded a £30,000 contract to Prison Yoga Project UK to train instructors in “trauma-informed” yoga for prisoners, drawing sharp criticism from Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith and former Met detective Peter Bleksley as prisons across England and Wales grapple with overcrowding and rising violence.
The Ministry of Justice has awarded a £30,000 contract to Prison Yoga Project UK (PYP) to deliver trauma-informed yoga training over 21 months, in a scheme officials say is designed to reduce violence among prisoners whose offending is often linked to drug and alcohol abuse. The contract, procured through the MoJ’s Dynamic Purchasing System, which the department uses to source rehabilitation and support services for prisons, has drawn criticism from figures including Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, who branded the spending “the absolute definition of woke.”
What the Contract Actually Funds
Rather than paying prisoners directly or supplying equipment for inmates, the contract is primarily aimed at funding specialist training for prison yoga instructors. According to PYP, instructors will be taught to understand how trauma affects behaviour and wellbeing, alongside techniques for adapting yoga sessions to support people who have experienced trauma, de-escalation methods, and approaches suited to custodial settings. The programme is being delivered in selected prisons rather than rolled out across the entire prison estate, making it a limited pilot scheme rather than a nationwide initiative.
PYP became a registered charity in 2023, with a stated mission of supporting prisoners and people at risk of offending through trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness. The organisation argues that many offenders have experienced significant trauma, and that improving emotional regulation among prisoners can help reduce aggression and reoffending.
Political Backlash
Duncan Smith was unequivocal in his criticism of the scheme, arguing prisons should not be treated as spaces for wellness activities. “This is the absolute definition of woke. It’s a mistake to spend this money on yoga. Prisons are not away day holiday camps,” he said. “Money should not be being spent on this sort of stuff. Prisoners go to prison because they have committed a crime and they pay their penalty while there. Then, they should come out, learn their lesson and not offend again. It’s not a place for yoga.”
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley echoed the criticism, arguing the money would be better spent elsewhere given the scale of problems facing the prison system. “With a crippling lack of prison spaces being built, with rampant drug smuggling and consumption plaguing our jails, and with record numbers of prison staff being assaulted and consequently quitting their jobs, and with dangerous rapists, paedophiles and others being released early, I can’t help but think the prison service might be able to find better uses of thirty grand, rather than teaching criminals how to cross their legs, or put their foot behind their head,” he said.
PYP Defends Its Approach
PYP has pushed back against the framing of its work as merely rehabilitative, describing its broader mission as advocating a shift “from punitive judgement to healing-centered approaches.” Its website states: “By investing in healing over punishment, we strive to change society’s perspective on the root causes of harm, addressing issues at their source and breaking the cycles that perpetuate suffering.” The organisation has shared testimonials from participants describing the impact of the sessions. One prisoner said: “I am tormented by voices; I hear them all the time. During the yoga class, it becomes completely silent and calm. It’s like I go into ‘another mode’, I get to rest from everything for a while and truly land in myself.” Another said: “Through these yoga sessions, I feel brand new.”
A Troubled Backdrop
Yoga is already offered to inmates at HMP Leicester, a Category B men’s prison holding primarily remand prisoners. A recent inspection found the jail’s level of violence was the highest of any comparable reception prison, alongside an excessive rate of positive mandatory drug tests. Inspectors noted: “Unsurprisingly, use of force was also too high and much higher than similar establishments. The regime was inconsistent, which frustrated prisoners and meant staff could not always account for prisoners’ whereabouts.”
The contract has emerged against a backdrop of mounting warnings about the state of the prison system in England and Wales. A survey by the Prison Officers’ Association found that 85 per cent of officers did not believe there were enough staff to supervise prisoners safely, while Prison Reform Trust data for 2024-25 showed almost three quarters, 72 per cent, of prisons in England and Wales were overcrowded. Prison inspectors have continued to raise concerns over record overcrowding, staffing shortages, and rising levels of self-harm and violence across the estate.
The Prison Service’s Position
Defending the contract, a Prison Service spokesperson said: “This is a limited scheme, targeted at prisoners whose crime is often fuelled by drug and alcohol use. It is proven to help control their behaviour to reduce violence and keep staff safe.”
