Anger over prison payouts

Prison chiefs say conditions have improved at Portland

Prison staff at a young offenders' institute which paid out £120,000 over assault claims say they are furious at the settlement.

The out-of-court settlement was made to seven former inmates at Portland who claimed they had been punched and kicked by prison officers.

The Prison Service agreed the payment just days before a legal case was due to begin at Weymouth County Court.

The Prison Officers' Association representative at the centre says staff are angry they were not allowed to present their case in court.

'Not thugs'

Chris Ball said the payout was insulting to staff as it was effectively admitting systematic abuse at the institute.

"We haven't been given our day in court and the chance to prove our innocence, which we would", he said.

"We are not thugs and bullies, and we are fed up with being accused of that."

The seven former inmates said they had been punched, slapped and kicked, and had their heads slammed repeatedly against the floor by segregation block wardens at the Dorset institute.

A report by the Inspector of Prisons in 2000 concluded: "Some staff are reluctant to give up a regime of fear and intimidation".

A Prison Service spokesperson told BBC News Online on Thursday: "We accept that there were failings at HM YOI Portland in the past.

"However, the prison has improved considerably since then; a fact recognised in the most recent reports by the chief inspector of prisons and the independent monitoring board."

Two further damages claims have yet to be settled.