The Ministry of Justice has awarded a £30,000 contract to Prison Yoga Project UK to run "trauma-informed" yoga classes for prisoners in England and Wales over 21 months. The stated aim is to reduce tensions and violence behind bars, particularly among inmates whose offending is linked to drug and alcohol abuse, but the spending has drawn political criticism at a time when prison staff report rising levels of violence.

The non-profit provider says it offers a "holistic approach to rehabilitation and transformation" and will train instructors to understand how trauma affects behaviour and how yoga can be adapted for those who have experienced it. Critics, including Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, condemned the scheme as "the absolute definition of woke", arguing the money would be better spent on staff and that prisons should not be treated as "holiday camps".