Bars on prison windows will be phased out in England and Wales under Ministry of Justice (MoJ) plans.

The move follows a government-funded study which reportedly warned the bars were "punitive" and "institutional".

New jails will instead feature windows with "toughened glass" which are more effective in stopping prisoners getting hold of illegal drugs and mobile phones, the MoJ said.

Campaigners welcomed the decision, saying bars in cell windows were "yesterday's technology".

A Prison Service spokeswoman told Sky News: "Secure, sealed windows with toughened glass and narrow vents will be used in all cells in future prisons and is just one of the measures being put in place to help stop drugs and illicit mobile phones.


"These windows are difficult to break, making them more effective in stopping prisoners from accessing contraband."

Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "People are sent to prison as a punishment, not for further punishment.

"A normal environment in which people take responsibility for as much of their own lives as possible is preparation for successful release.

"Bars in windows is yesterday's technology."

According to the Telegraph, a three-year taxpayer-funded study proposed rethinking the architecture of prisons to help boost the chances of rehabilitating offenders by "normalising their environment".

Yvonne Jewkes, a professor of criminology at the University of Bath, is now said to be conducting a second study into whether calling prisoners "men" and cells "rooms" will help rehabilitation.

The project at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, the largest jail in England and Wales, aims to create a more "domestic" environment by renaming prison blocks "communities", calling holding cells "waiting rooms" and providing inmates with laptops when they arrive and facilities for tea and sandwiches, the Telegraph reported.

The £600,000 study has been backed by the government-funded Economic and Social Research Council.