23 prisoners in one jail make compensation claims for injuring themselves falling out of bunk beds

  • 113 compensation claims were submitted by prisoners at HMP Elmley in Kent
  • Report by Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) inspectors revealed the figures
  • Prison service spends around £30million a year handling inmate litigation claims
  • The enormous figure could pay for 1,000 more prison officers, the report says

By Phoebe Southworth For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Twenty-three prisoners from the same jail are battling for compensation after falling out of their bunk beds and injuring themselves.

An astonishing 113 compensation claims have been submitted by inmates at HMP Elmley in Kent, a report by Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) inspectors revealed last week.

This means that nine per cent of the 1,250 prisoners at the Category B jail on the Isle of Sheppey are bidding for compensation for various injuries and lost property claims.

Among the prisoners who think the prison service is liable, 23 say they hurt themselves after falling out of their bunk beds.

Nine per cent of the 1,250 prisoners at Category B jail HMP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent are bidding for compensation for various injuries and lost property claims

Nine per cent of the 1,250 prisoners at Category B jail HMP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent are bidding for compensation for various injuries and lost property claims

The prison service spends around £30million a year handling litigation claims from prisoners, according to the IMB report - which could fund 1,000 prison officers.

'Spurious' claims are also made by inmates, the report says.

It reads: 'At Elmley the current potential liability is over £1,000,000.

'It currently has 113 claims so far, 23 for alleged falls from bunk beds, and claims for lost property.

'A number of these claims are spurious.

'To combat them it is necessary to have clear and accurate documentation.

'The Board fully accept that point, but recognise that when wings are not fully manned, prisoners are being difficult or are seeking staff time, paperwork is not the priority.

'Also it is the standard in local prisons that cells are multi occupancy and most hold more than one prisoner, which only adds to the demands on staff time and the level of paperwork, and increases the necessity to have wings fully staffed, not something that has been achieved with consistency during the reporting period.'  

The report said that more than 80 mobiles phones and more than 80 phone chargers were found between November 2016 and October 2017.

Some 28 home-made weapons and 45 litres of alcohol were also recovered.

Not to mention a huge package of Spice weighing more than 0.5lbs with an estimated prison value of £20,250 which was found in the prison sports field by an officer.

The report said despite 'heightened efforts' to reduce the amount of drugs getting into the prison, only one drugs dog is employed to sniff them out.

This was said to be 'inadequate for a prison of the size and complexity of Elmley'. 

Twenty-three of the 113 inmates submitting compensation claims say they hurt themselves falling out of their bunk beds

Twenty-three of the 113 inmates submitting compensation claims say they hurt themselves falling out of their bunk beds

The report reads: 'Despite heightened efforts to prevent entry, large quantities of 'Spice' are reaching prisoners and it is a growing problem that results in violence, self-harm, and assaults.

'It also has an impact on the health and mental health of the prisoners indulging, and places an increased burden on staff generally and particularly Healthcare staff.

'The result is that the pattern of violence is very uneven, when large quantities of 'Spice' are in the prison the level of violence escalates. 

'Staff have been vigilant and some large 'supplies' being detected and removed.' 

A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'We robustly defend compensation claims as far as the evidence allows.

'We want public money focused on protecting the public and reforming offenders, not fuelling the compensation culture.'

Read the full report at: https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/imb-prod-storage-1ocod6bqky0vo/uploads/2018/01/Elmley-2016-17.pdf

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