From Glass House to Class Act

Published:

July 3, 2025

Vincent Kelly is a custodial manager at HMP Wormwood Scrubs with over 25 years of experience of working in the closed estate. Here he describes a visit to the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC- formerly known as “The Glasshouse”) where he cast an expert eye across some of the excellent work taking place there, built some bridges and used this to benefit learning in HMPPS.

Vincent Kelly

Custodial Manager,

HMP Wormwood Scrubs

My journey with the Military Corrective Training Centre started pre Covid when I just missed out on a visit due to the necessary restrictions. Frustrating! Then Insights23 came up, offering an excellent opportunity to see first-hand the work of the centre. As a Custodial Manager I was very keen to see what I could learn and bring back to HMPPS.

Firstly, I found out that MCTC is not really a prison in the sense I expected! My visit opened my eyes to what they really do. Their mission is helping sentenced military personnel rehabilitate and reintegrate into society or as they call it, “solider on.”

I was very pleased to see that there were many similarities to what HMPPS is currently doing already. From the moment I arrived, it was evident that standards were immaculate. An air of structure and regime, a highly disciplined approach, and an enviable ratio of staff to inmates. However, it was the ethos and the culture there that I was most impressed by. I saw a culture of aspiration towards rehabilitation among inmates, who had respect for both each other and staff, seeing them as role models. As a leader on ISFL (Incentivised Substance Free Living) at my establishment, I was able to trade some great ideas with MCTC on addressing the drugs culture and I took some of my learning from their outcomes back to one of our landings at Wormwood Scrubs which has been very successful.

The staff at MCTC were incredibly welcoming and I was surprised by an unexpected meeting of professional minds and ambitions. We quickly established common ground and mutual respect. Perfect foundations for forming a strong relationship which has flourished in several areas. A great example of that is exchanging best practice ideas how we use our drug detection dogs. To our huge benefit we now stage joint away days focused on mutual learning, team building and leadership development. These events have paved the way for staff from Wormwood Scrubs to fast track into military reservist roles. Initially I was uncertain about the level of interest in this, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of people stepping forward. It turns out all it took was someone to guide the way.

After 25 years of service, I recognise the importance of preparing for my eventual successor and it’s also my duty to ensure that the Prison Service retains the knowledge and experience I have gained throughout my career. The training HMPPS staff have gained as military reservists and the continued relationship with MCTC have brought hugely valuable mutual learning and experience that we can harness to cultivate exceptional leaders within our ranks.

Finally, The Insights Festival certainly delivered on its stated aims of Learn, Share Connect and Celebrate. My connection with MCTC has been rewarding in every way and very stimulating. It’s all about creating bonds and making a difference. That’s what we do best. If there is an event offered in an area of work or learning which appeals to you, make sure you get that ticket!

Find out more about Insights25, how to apply for a Frontline Pass for early bird tickets, and how to book event tickets.