Military justice on the small screen

A rare glimpse behind the fence of the Military Corrective Training Centre in Colchester will be given by a Channel 5 documentary starting tonight (Monday 14 August).

'Court Martial: Soldiers Behind Bars' explores the inner workings of the Service Justice System, uncovering the unique and novel approach to rehabilitation within the UK’s only long-term military detention facility.

The documentary follows 156 Provost Company Royal Military Police as they tackle policing Colchester, one of the UK’s largest garrisons, assisting Essex Police in keeping the peace for military Service Personnel and civilians alike.

For Service Personnel found guilty of breaking military or civilian law, a sentence at the Military Corrective Training Centre awaits. The documentary follows several military detainees on their rehabilitative journey, either back to their regiments, reinstalled with fighting spirit and discipline, or as productive civilians ready to contribute to society.

For the Military Provost Staff Regiment who run the MCTC, the military offenders who they detain today may well be their comrades in a time of war.

MCTC Commandant Lieutenant Colonel Mike Fielder stated, “All of us, staff and detainees, have pledged ourselves to the service of each other and the Nation. I believe our detainees don’t have to be defined by their offence. Our job is to make sure the detainees believe that too.”

Sergeant Kev McHenry of the Military Provost Staff added, “We try to harness detainees’ will to win and help them to problem solve more effectively, so that in future they can reach their full potential.”

We try to harness detainees’ will to win and help them to problem solve more effectively, so that in future they can reach their full potential.

Sergeant McHenry Military Provost Staff Regiment

Episode One of Court Martial: Soldiers Behind Bars, airs at 9pm on Monday 14 August on Channel 5, with the following two episodes aired on successive Mondays.