Yorkshire prison officer tells of 'horrendous' violence in jails

There are now more than 88,000 prisoners in England and Wales, a rise of 8% over the last year

A former prison officer has said violence behind bars left him feeling he was "fighting for his life".

The officer described "horrendous" assaults on staff, violence between prisoners and self-harm.

Prison inspectors have expressed concerns about overcrowding, with the prison population increasing by 8% to 88,225 over the last year.

The Prison Service said it had invested £100m in prison security and was recruiting more staff.

The prison officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said that sometimes one officer was left to supervise up to 30 prisoners, with rival gangs fighting a "turf war" inside the jail.

He told the BBC's Politics North programme: "They're not innocent people, you know they've all been convicted of offences.

"And they didn't care at the time if it was a female prison officer. I've seen them get massively hurt, broken jaws, all that sort of thing, in headlocks, being punched."

He added: "There is alarm systems around the prisons, but if the prison hasn't got the staff available to respond to that, then that's dangerous.

"You're on your own and you feel like you're fighting for your life."

Ministry of Justice figures show there were 82 assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners between March 2022 and April this year

Ministry of Justice figures from April 2022 to March 2023 show prisoner-on-prisoner assaults running at 185 per 1,000 prisoners, with 82 assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners.

Over the same period there were 733 incidents of self-harm per 1,000 prisoners and a total of 88 deaths.

Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, said he was "enormously concerned about what we are seeing in many of the jails we go to".

"Our problem is there are too many people for the number of places in prison," he said.

"Ultimately the amount we send to prison is for the courts and for ministers to decide, but as far as we're concerned prisons are overcrowded and that means there're not able to perform their rehabilitative function and that leads to a danger that there will be more crime.

"People who could be helped are not being helped and they will go back and cause havoc in their communities."

Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, said there was concern about overcrowding in jails

Last month, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk announced prisons would be allowed to release some "less serious offenders" on probation early to relieve overcrowding.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Prison officers work day-in, day-out, to rehabilitate offenders and protect the public so it's vital they have the tools to do their jobs and keep them safe.

"That's why we've invested £100m in prison security - including X-ray body scanners and new body-worn cameras."

They added: "We are also doing more than ever to attract and retain the best staff, including boosting salaries, launching our first ever nationwide recruitment campaign and providing extensive mental health support."

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