Prince Charles Visits Muslim Prisoners In Reintegration Program

Prince Charles met Thursday with prisoners involved in his mentoring program at her Majesty’s Prison Leeds. It was among several stops the Prince of Wales made on a day of engagements in Yorkshire, England, the Yorkshire Post reported.

The prison Prince Charles visited has a diverse population and 15 percent of current inmates are Muslim. The prince's “through the gates” mentoring program is implemented by Mosaic, an initiative of Business in the Community, which he heads. The mentoring program aims to prepare Muslim prisoners in the final six months of their sentence for reintegration into society by providing them with advice and training. Mentors also help the prisoners for at least six months after their release, and the reoffending rate of those supported is up to 20 percent lower than the national average, according to Mosiac’s website.

Prince Charles’ itinerary for Thursday also included a trip to Abraham Moon and Sons’ Mill in Guiseley, which is the last mill in the country to process raw wool into a finished fabric all at one site. Charles is currently patron of the Campaign for Wool, which works toward promoting global awareness of wool’s qualities. He is also patron, among many other charitable endeavors, of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association as well as the Prince’s Countryside Fund, and was scheduled to tour the Wensleydale Creamery in North Yorkshire and meet with farmers involved with his Dairy Initiative in Hawes.

Other engagements that the prince attended Thursday included a meeting with the representatives of the Ure Salmon Trust in order to learn more about its conservation work on the River Ure, a meeting with members of the Dales Pony Society, a visit to the George and Dragon Inn in Hudswell, Richmond and a trip to the Parachute Regiment training at Helles Barracks, Catterick, the Yorkshire Post reported.