Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

08:47 GMT, Thursday, 1 May 2008 09:47 UK

Muslim claim sparks prison review

Female prison officers will be stopped from being present when male inmates are strip-searched, after a Muslim prisoner said he had been degraded.

The inmate told the newspaper Muslim News in March he felt degraded, oppressed and provoked on a daily basis at Whitemoor Prison, Cambridgeshire.

The man said he was forced to strip in front of a female officer, which the Ministry of Justice has admitted.

It said it has reviewed procedures to ensure the incident is not repeated.

Ahmed Versi, editor of Muslim News, said the prisoner who wrote to the newspaper withdrew himself and refused to interact with the staff because he felt degraded.

Mr Versi said: "He said this was one of the many things he wanted to complain about, but this for him was the most degrading.

"I think it's a lack of understanding, but he did try to explain these are sensitivities that he had to consider."

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said: "In a recent isolated incident at Whitemoor Prison, a female officer observed part of a full search of a Muslim prisoner.

"Following the incident a local review of search procedures was conducted to ensure that the situation would not arise in future."



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Probe into five prison suicides (22 Jan 08 |  Cambridgeshire )
Prisoners complain of race abuse (30 Jan 06 |  Cambridgeshire )
Prison security fears over rail plan (22 Aug 03 |  Cambridgeshire )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
HM Prison Service
Ministry of Justice
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©