Laughing at justice, brazen inmates smoke cannabis behind bars
OPENLY flouting prison rules, criminals smoke cannabis and listen to music in footage streamed live to the internet from behind bars.
The 15-minute clip was filmed on a banned mobile phone in one of Britain’s worst jails.
In scenes that make a mockery of the justice system, it shows prisoners relaxing in a cell listening to the radio while one smokes cannabis.
Later, a man can be seen smoking the drug openly in the communal part of the prison.
The footage was shared online on Wednesday using an app called Periscope and has been viewed thousands of times.
Entitled ‘English jail inside with iPhones smoking Cali’ – a slang term for cannabis – it was uploaded by a user of the app called Ray after being filmed inside Birmingham prison.
The prison – run by G4S – says it has recently invested in upgrading its drug detection systems. But the video shows inmates flouting the law and rules on using the internet and mobile phones inside jails.
One inmate repeatedly says ‘Cali’ before warning that ‘ the screw [prison guard] is active’.
The man filming the video pulls out a bag of what appears to be cannabis from his pocket, along with a mobile phone charger.
The video also shows a group of prisoners standing in the rubbishstrewn communal area outside the cells sharing a hand-rolled cigarette while others play pool.
The prisoner shooting the video then comments ‘jail life’ before turning the camera round and telling viewers: ‘We can get big thing, small thing.’
The category B jail, in Winson Green, Birmingham, is the most violent in Britain, according to the Prison Officers’ Association.
In 2016, it was the scene of a terrifying 12-hour riot involving 500 prisoners. They took over four wings and caused more than £6million worth of damage. An inspection report last year warned that violence was on the rise at the prison because of the high volume of illegal drugs inside.
One in seven inmates said they had developed a drug problem while serving their sentence there.
The prison houses 1,450 adult remand and sentenced male prisoners. In March, four inmates died at the prison. Two of the deaths are believed to be linked to drugs. Commenting on the video, prison director Rob Kellett said: ‘This behaviour is absolutely unacceptable. Those involved will face disciplinary action and could have time added to their sentence. Our staff work tirelessly to detect, intercept and confiscate contraband.’
The jail was working with West Midlands Police to remove the footage from social media, he said.