Snakes alive! Young prisoners are being entertained with bingo to stop them from misbehaving.
Inmates at a young offender institution compete for prizes like chocolate, sweets and extra phone credit.
Staff hand each lag a bingo card and read out the numbers using the in-cell communication system. When they get a line of five, they press their bell.
Sources say the game has helped men aged 17 to 21 beat bad behaviour at HMP Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.
The Independent Monitoring Board jail watchdog said: “Imaginative innovations by officers helped build relationships and lessened prisoners’ boredom.
"Quizzes and cell-bell bingo – with prizes – provided fun.”
The bingo sessions, which started just over a year ago, are part of a support programme for inmates.
Stats show a fall in assaults on staff and other prisoners since it began. A jail source said: “If a few games alleviate a bit of boredom, it’s good for everyone concerned.”
Last week, we told how inmates at HMP Wetherby are taken on fishing trips. Others get to pet animals and are given VR headsets.
