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The Report: What Caused the Prison Riots?

What Caused the Prison Riots?

03/02/2011

BBC Radio 4 - The Report, What Caused the Prison Riots?

Riots, disturbances and injuries in prisons: what's behind the rise in tension?

With a string of disturbances, riots and attacks in jails since December, are tensions from overcrowding, gang violence and poor management taking prisons to breaking point?

The riots at Ford open prison at New Year made front page news, but recently there have been a clutch of riots, disturbances and incidents of indiscipline in young offenders institutes and higher category prisons. The Tornado Squads - brought in to regain control in an establishment - were called out eleven times in 2010, more than twice as often as in the previous year. Lord Woolf, the new Chair of the Prison Reform Trust, and author of the report into Britain's worst rioting at Strangeways over 20 years ago says these outbreaks are a disturbing sign and symptomatic of strain in the system: "a well run prison won't have riots".

Tension in prisons is said to have risen as a result of continued overcrowding and bullying by street gangs who operate inside prisons, all of which put pressure on the transfer system. Prison officers believe that staffing levels are inadequate and that cuts in prison budgets can only make things worse. The Government Green Paper promises radical reform of the prison system, and a rehabilitation revolution to reduce prisoner numbers in the medium term, and the Minister Crispin Blunt is clear that the country can't afford to reduce overcrowding now. In the meantime over 800 prison places are to go by April. Gill Dummigan reports on the pressures on the prison system. 

Producer: Rob Cave.

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