Construction of Saxtonvale
In the wake of Britain's exit from the EU, a series of consecutive Tory governments held sway in both houses and conservative attitudes once again swept across the UK.
Perhaps the loudest of these attitudes was a call from the people to be 'tough on crime', especially after several high profile criminals were released on bonds only to re-offend in horrific ways.
With pressure to act mounting, several bills were passed through Parliament - the first making it easier to sentence the most heinous of criminals and re-offenders to terms equalling 'the natural length of their lives', and the second an agreement to support the construction of a new private Maximum Security complex just on the edge of Saxtonvale, a small hamlet in the Northwest of England.
Over the course of two years and using experts in prison design from across the world, the once empty field was transformed into a huge, grim fortress of concrete and steel - almost more military base than prison, and modelled heavily on the infamous ADX Florence Supermax in Colorado.
Although numerous protests delayed the opening of Saxtonvale (dubbed 'SaxtonMax' by both its detractors and supporters), for the most part support for the prison was quite positive and the new Warden, Harland Glovell, was seen as something of celebrity.
The first few years were surprisingly unmarred by scandal, and at its peak Saxtonvale had 26 inmates under Glovell's watch. Glovell eventually retired five years into the position to focus on his family, and the position of Warden was filled by Daniel Roebuck.
Much younger, less experienced and considerably more idealistic than his predecessor, Warden Roebuck took a notably softer approach to his style of governance. Under his tenure, many of the inmates recieved privileges that normally weren't afforded to those in Supermax facilities - better quality meals, increased recreation time, decorative items for their cells, limited contact with other inmates, and even (albeit briefly) access to radio so they could keep up with external affairs.
But despite his lengthy tenure, Roebuck's time as Warden was fraught with controversy. Allegations of corruption, preferential/soft treatment of the inmates, several escape attempts and a short-lived riot placed Roebuck's career in jeopardy. Roebuck maintained that these were the results of
'Agents Provocateur' and not as a direct result of any mismanagement on his part.
When Roebuck eventually did resign, the announcement was surprisingly sudden - almost as sudden as news that Saxtonvale's parent company, British Correctional Services Pty Ltd, had sold the site to a private firm based offshore for an undisclosed amount.
Within three weeks of Roebuck's emotional announcement, more than 3/4 of the staff had been laid off and replaced by workers from the new firm's talent pool - including a new Warden whose details were suppressed by the company. Roebuck himself, oddly, was never heard from again; perhaps preferring a graceful fade into history over the rigours of being an prominent public figure.
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