[2] A year later it was revealed that inmates were brewing their own beer using Marmite, with fruit and vegetables also being used to make alcoholic drinks.

However the governor of the day Mike Pasco stated that, while not condoning the practice, he found it preferable to the inmates smuggling hard drugs into the prison.

[4] However the report also warned that improvements had not been made without a cost, as the new emphasis on security "pervaded the life" of the prison, creating an "over-controlled" environment.

"[5] In 2007 a government study found that Featherstone Prison had the highest percentage of inmates in the UK testing positive for opiates such as heroin.

The prison offers education, workshops, Physical Education, Enhanced Thinking Skills programmes, Welfare to Work programmes, a Job Club, community projects and a Listeners Scheme to its prisoners, who are required to work as directed by the Labour Board.