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| UK Inmates Attack Staff |
| By Press Association |
| Published: 12/26/2005 |
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Inmates threw a bucket of excrement over prison staff as government inspectors toured a privately-run jail, according to recently released reports. The chief inspector of prisons, Anne Owers, revealed the incident - known in jail lingo as "potting" - as she raised concerns about falling safety standards at Forest Bank jail, Greater Manchester. The 800-inmate men's jail, which is run by UK Detention Services, suffered 25 prisoner assaults a month and there had been 2,500 disciplinary hearings in just six months, she said. Drugs were "rife" with four out of 10 compulsory drug tests coming back positive, her inspection team found. "There was a series of assaults against staff, including one unsavoury incident when a bucket of excrement was thrown into an officer and over two staff who were in there, while we were at the prison," Ms. Owers said. Safety had deteriorated significantly since the jail's last inspection just three years ago, she added. Staff turnover was high, with many lacking the experience and confidence to challenge inappropriate behaviour. The director of the Prison Reform Trust charity, Juliet Lyon said: "This report reveals a prison that has become all too comfortable with violence, drugs and bullying. When a bucket of excrement is thrown at staff, during the inspection itself, you have to ask whether anyone is in control at Forest Bank. United Kingdom Detention Services (UKDS) accepted that, at the time of the inspection, staff faced "an increasingly confrontational prison population willing to challenge staff". However, action implemented by the company had resulted in a reduction in incidents, assaults and positive drug testing figures, a spokesman said. The UKDS director of Forest Bank, Ivor Woods said: "We recognise that we still have work to do and I am personally committed to ensuring that the standards we set for ourselves are maintained. |
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