REVEALED - What prisoners in County Durham and Teesside have on Christmas Day
From roasts with all the trimmings to fudge cake and fruit
Roast turkey with all the trimmings, diced pepper casserole, smoked haddock fishcakes and vegan wellington.
Sound delicious doesn't it - this is what prisoners around the North East and Teesside will sit down to on Christmas Day.
In menus, exclusively given to us, we've seen what murderers, sex offenders and all other criminals will be having for their festive lunch.
Serial killers like Rose West, Levi Bellfield and Lucy Letby will get plenty of choice for mains and dessert.
Here’s a look at the menus from 2023 in our prisons, these have been mocked up for illustrative purposes, but the content of the menus are 100% genuine.
HMP Durham
HMP Deerbolt
HMP Kirklevington
HMP Northumberland
HMP Low Newton
HMP Holme House
HMP Frankland
In a time when households around our region are struggling with bills and choosing between heating, eating or Christmas presents this volunteer from a food bank near Redcar said: "Well that's tragic really because people who come here some of them won't even get a Christmas dinner, because there isn't enough money to do that lavish Christmas dinner, so surely the Government could give them something extra, even if they gave people a voucher they could go and get a chicken and all the vegetables they need.
"It's terrible. It's tragic sometimes because hearing some of the stories will bring you to tears, especially when you get mums crying because they're not going to be able to give their children much for Christmas, the extras like selection boxes and the sweeties, it's just so sad.
"Why should children suffer? None of this is their fault and for me, it's always the children that touch my heart the most. Somebody should be sitting these families down and giving them a lovely three-course Christmas dinner and something special. We need the Government to help more with the people."
A Government spokesperson said: “The mass dependence on foodbanks is unacceptable – that’s why we’ve extended the Household Support Fund again to help struggling families with the cost of essentials.
“Alongside this, we are increasing the National Living Wage, uprating benefits and helping over one million households by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions, while our Child Poverty Taskforce develops an ambitious strategy to give all children the best start in life.”
They also say prisons are allocated £2.70 per prisoner per day to spend on three meals, averaging 90p per meal. Prison Rules require that prisoners are provided with three meals a day that are varied, nutritious and meet the religious, cultural, and medical needs of all.