Low-category jails 'unsafe' claim

Fire crews were called to the disturbance at the jail

People living near lower-category jails are not safe, the Prison Officers' Association (POA) has claimed.

The union has called for an inquiry into the types of inmates sent to such prisons after a riot at HMP Ashwell.

Melton and Rutland MP Alan Duncan backed the call, saying increasing numbers of dangerous prisoners were being housed in lower-category prisons.

Up to three-quarters of HMP Ashwell, a Category C prison in Rutland, was damaged in the 21-hour riot.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said Ashwell's regime was consistent with Category C prison policy.

No prison officers were injured in the riot.

We do fear for the safety of the general public which is why we're campaigning for a public inquiry into the allocation of prisoners Glyn Travis, POA

The POA said four accommodation wings, two workshops and a healthcare centre had been "wrecked".

Union spokesman Glyn Travis said the riot began when a prisoner was found outside his designated area.

"He was believed to be under the influence of alcohol and as a result he encouraged others to engage in these acts of indiscipline," he said.

"We do fear for the safety of the general public which is why we're campaigning for a public inquiry into the allocation of prisoners. The public should feel confident that there's not any risk.

"I believe there are very dangerous prisoners who are being sent to open and semi-open prisons far too early in their sentence."

'Open regime'

Responding to claims by Mr Duncan that Category B prisoners were being put in Category C jails, the Ministry of Justice said that HMP Ashwell did not hold any Category B prisoners.

Justice Minister David Hanson, who visited the Rutland jail and saw the damage, said an inquiry was under way into the riot, which began on Saturday.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "HMP Ashwell is not an open prison, and its regime is consistent with Category C prison policy.

"It has a physical perimeter fence, which remained secure throughout Saturday's disturbance - no prisoners escaped.

"Escapes across prisons in England and Wales are at an all-time low, with only one recorded in the last financial year."

The jail, built on a former Army camp, started as an open prison in 1955 and was converted to a Category C jail in 1987.

Its website states that it runs an "open and free-running regime with much commitment to sentence planning and purposeful activity".