THE Sun has gone on a rare tour of a notorious UK prison recently branded "inhumane" - but it wasn't what you would expect. A cutting-edge "jail of the future" has been built against the odds inside HMP Pentonville in north London. 5 Inside HMP Pentonville's neurodiversity wing Credit: HMP Pentonville 5 Sun man Harry Goodwin went inside the category-B prison Credit: Gary Stone 5 The ground floor of the gangs wing has been taken over by the neurodiversity unit Credit: HMP Pentonville The lock-up's pioneering "neurodiversity wing" has been lauded by experts who say it offers hope for solving Britain's prison crisis.
This week our reporter went inside the wing - and it could not have been more different from "The Ville's" tough reputation. Last year inspectors branded category-B Pentonville "neither decent nor humane" for prisoners to live in. Many prisoners share a 12ft by 8ft cells with a cellmate - living and eating just inches from an open toilet.
The Victorian prison was found to be crumbling and infested with cockroaches and vermin. Inspectors told how "drain blockages caused sewage to erupt through a manhole". The overflowing caused "extremely unpleasant conditions in the care and separation unit and an adjacent newly refurbished wing".
On other occasions burst pipes have leaked through the roof and prisoners have gone without heating, electricity or running water. Most read in The Sun LEXI'S BATTLE Amanda Holden’s daughter Lexi rushed to hospital with life-threatening .