Here is a little info on the Glasshouse :
The MCTC is commanded by Army officer Lt Col Mike Nicholls.
Ten per cent of the staff are from the Royal Navy or Royal Marines.
But it is not all about square-bashing – in that sense the programme has changed remarkably in the past ten to twelve years. There is a large parade ground, but it doesn’t get much use.”
The new arrival is checked by a doctor, and sees the Welfare Officer, an ex-Army man with “excellent” contacts in both military and civilian welfare organizations.
Pastoral care also includes a chapel with a resident padre, and risk assessment is carried out throughout their stay – SUSs are encouraged to speak to staff about any worries or concerns.
The detainee then joins the appropriate Company, where he meets platoon staff and roommates.
Two pathways lead from MCTC, and the final destinations at the ends of those pathways could not be more different.
One will see the individual return to his or her unit, hopefully with a new sense of purpose and maybe even with a few new skills picked up along the way.
This element – A Company – is dubbed ‘Soldiering On’, and is true to the title of the establishment; it is both corrective and training in nature, and those in its ranks are not criminals.
But the other path – D Company, which is roughly two-thirds the size of A Coy – leads to the door marked ‘Exit’, and sees the sailor, soldier or airman serve a term of detention before being dismissed the Armed Forces for good.
A third area, Charlie Block, houses special-category detainees, personnel in pre-trial custody, those transferred for imprisonment and unruly individuals.