HMP Rye Hill , the G4S-managed category 'B' training prison, welcomed  MP for Daventry Chris Heaton-Harris on Friday 13 February, when it hosted “Anne Frank: A History for Today”; an exhibition designed for use in prisons and young offenders institutions.

The exhibition, run by the Anne Frank Trust UK, has been touring Britain’s prisons and young offenders’ institutes for the past 11 years. The exhibition explores the life of Anne Frank and the history of the Holocaust, drawing comparisons with prejudices in today’s society and highlighting lessons that need to be learned. 

The exhibition provides learning and development opportunities. Offenders are trained as “peer educators” and present the exhibition to other inmates, staff members and the public.  Workshops involving self-exploration and creative writing are held about the Holocaust, and a prisoner-led debate takes place on the subject of Human Rights. Susi Bechofer, a holocaust survivor, gave a presentation to offenders and answered questions. 

Mr Heaton-Harris visited the exhibition on Friday to show his support for this and other important training and development activities at the prison.

Richard Stedman, Interim Director at HMP Rye Hill, said:

“Over the years, Chris has shown tremendous support for the prison and his latest visit is appreciated by everyone at the prison. The exhibition is a good example of the development activities available to offenders as part of our rehabilitation programme at Rye Hill. 

Chris Heaton-Harris, MP for Daventry, said: 

“I was very pleased to visit HMP Rye Hill again and to see the excellent work being done at the Anne Frank exhibition. Schemes like this offer valuable opportunities and experiences for offenders and should be encouraged.”