£40million is donated to jailbirds

PRISONERS’ bank accounts had more than £40million deposited in them – with one jailbird gaining a lump sum of nearly £70,000

Cash has to be sent via an official online portal and in the financial year 2019-20 some £40,324,888 was delivered to inmates.

With 78,618 prisoners serving sentences in England Wales, this works out at £513 per person.

The largest amount received by an individual doing time in a single transaction was £69,388.

The identity of that prisoner is not known and the reasons for the transaction not given.

However, safeguarding measures mean that the prison governor has control over all accounts and rules state only £900 can be retained in an account.

Inmates have three accounts – private, spending and savings.

In November, the amount each can receive across all three was limited to £900, while sending money via cash, cheques or postal orders was banned.

A Ministry of Justice source told prison publication Inside Time that this is to “keep people safe who live and work there”, while encouraging inmates to open private accounts.

Peter Dawson, director of the

Prison Reform Trust, said: “There’s no cash in prisons as prisoners can’t carry cash, but there are all sorts of reasons why they need money.

“Perhaps you would want to buy a birthday card, or some shower gel from the prison shop.

“Prisoners can earn money inside, but the wages are very low, for example around £10 a week. So money is often sent in by friends or relatives.

“The £70,000 individual amount sounds surprising, but sometimes prisoners have to make significant payments. It is conceivable money had to be sent in just to be sent out again.”

He insisted the prison governor “has complete control” of accounts. Mr Dawson said: “A prisoner couldn’t have £70,000 sent in to pay off a crime debt.

“It is difficult to absolutely guarantee that the money is not a product of criminal activity, of course, but there is a high level of visibility.

“If a prisoner wanted to conduct crime outside while still inside they would likely not use this account.”

The Prison Service said: “We have strengthened security and payments are now made online, with a cap on the amount prisoners can receive and spend.”

‘Governors have

total control’