‘England’s most violent jail’ Prison officers’ union warns of potential for repeat of riot at HMP Birmingham
HMP BIRMINGHAM is currently the most violent jail in the country despite a turnaround effort after last year’s riot, according to the prison officers’ union.
Just over a year on from some of the worst disorder ever witnessed in a British prison, the situation is said to remain volatile at the Category B jail.
Inmates took over four wings of the Winson Green prison during the 12-hour riot which started on December 16, 2016, and caused more than £6 million worth of damage.
Around 500 prisoners escaped from their cells at the privately-run Victorian jail, one of the largest in the country, before the unrest was quelled with the aid of specially trained ‘Tornado’ team prison officers and riot police.
“At present HMP Birmingham is the most violent prison in the country,” warned Joe Simpson, assistant general secretary and Birmingham representative of the Prison Officers’ Association.
“That is according to the Violence Diagnostic Tool, which is supposedly used by management as a way of looking at where and when violence is happening – and how it can be prevented.
“The people I speak to at Birming- ham all say it is a dangerous place to work and I would rule nothing in or out about a repeat of the riot last year.
“The problems are the same as at other prisons throughout the country in that they haven’t got enough staff to run the prison and they can’t recruit and retain enough staff to fill the gap.”
The prison was the scene for another disturbance on September 3, when inmates in one wing refused to return to their cells, leading to a stand-off with staff that lasted almost seven hours.
“What needs to happen is an improvement in pay and conditions to recruit and retain staff, and for a clampdown on violence,” said Mr Simpson. “At present, if an alleged act of violence is committed by a member of staff on a prisoner or a prisoner on a prisoner, it is automatically referred to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
“What needs to happen is for this automatic procedure to be followed for attacks on prison officers, too. This would be a clear statement that violence will not be tolerated.”
Mr Simpson cited data from the Violence Diagnostic Tool, used by the union to highlight violence behind bars.
But HMP Birmingham management believes this data does not include a league table, and it is unfair to compare different types of prisons, with the jail having a relatively high level of churn as inmates on remand come and go.
Andrew Neilson, director of Campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The riot in Birmingham prison was one of the worst disturbances of recent years.
“Sadly, it would be unwise to rule out the possibility of a similar incident flaring up in the prison system again.
“Since the riot, we have seen a succession of worrying inspection reports on prisons besieged with problems caused by overcrowding and staff shortages.”
He added: “Ministers should heed the Chief Inspector’s warning and take bold but sensible action to reduce the prison population.
“This would save lives, protect staff and prevent more people being swept away into deeper currents of crime and despair.”