Violence ‘is out of control’

A JAIL where drugs and violence are rife is claimed to be out of control.

Prison officers fear it is just a matter of time before a member of staff is murdered at Altcourse Prison in Liverpool.

In April an officer almost died after having his throat slashed by a prisoner.

Violence against staff or inmates is described as a “daily occurrence and out of control”, according to one prison officer. Even inmates have complained about the dangers inside the Category B unit which is run by private firm G4S.

In December a group of them wrote to prison magazine Converse. They said: “Yes, we are paying society back for our crimes, but no-one deserves to feel unsafe on a daily basis.”

More than 17kilos of drugs were seized at the jail in the last 12 months and almost 600 mobile phones were confiscated, according to the Ministry of Justice.

One prison officer said: “Drugs are at the root of all the problems inside Altcourse. We have some very dangerous gangs which effectively run the prison.

“Violence is a daily occurrence. It’s only a matter of time before a prison officer is killed.

“Staff shortages are making problems worse because inmates are spending longer in their cells. When allowed out, violence spills over.”