The costs of running the prison throughout 2022 have been described as ‘a hell of a lot for the taxpayer’.

The Department for Home Affairs has released the annual figures, which include the overall cost of running the prison and the cost of care for each individual prisoner.

The average number of prison officers that were employed throughout 2022 was 81, while these officers were paid a remuneration of £5,418,006 across the board.

The overall cost of running the prison was £7,448,747, which includes all remuneration, utility costs, food, training, IT, repairs and insurances.

The average cost of holding one prisoner for the year was £80,094.50.

This was calculated by dividing expenditure by 93, the average number of prisoners that were held in 2022.

To compare this with prices in the public hospitality sector, it would roughly cost £24,920 to stay at the island’s only Premier Inn in Douglas every night for a year – £55,174 less than it costs to hold a prisoner for the same amount of time.

These figures were presented in a written letter from the central administration officer at the DHA in response to a freedom of information request from Douglas-based lawyer Ian Kermode, who frequently represents defendants in court.

Mr Kermode said: ‘I submitted the freedom of information request because I think it’s important for the Manx public to know what their taxes are being used to fund. I think this is a hell of a lot for the general taxpayer.

‘Also, it wasn’t made clear what money is being spent on rehabilitation programmes.

‘If more money is used to make sure that prisoners don’t re-offend once they leave the prison, maybe less of the taxpayers’ money needs to be used for their hospitality.’