Figures reveal that taxpayers have footed the bill for compensation pay-outs which include prisoner-on-prisoner injuries and staff-on-prisoner injuries
HMP Birmingham in Winson Green(Image: South West News Service)
Taxpayers paid prisoners injured at Birmingham Prison more than £60,000 compensation in just four years, astonishing figures reveal.
Almost half of the £66,000-plus total was paid out in just one of those four years when more than £32,2000-worth of claims arose in 2023.
Compensation claims were made for prisoner on prisoner injuries, staff on prisoner injuries and other injuries which could include anything from bunk bed injuries to food contamination.
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Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor gave the Winson Green jail a good report in February 2023.
The inspector said he was “delighted” to find HMP Birmingham “much safer and more decent” after a 2018 inspection found the prison blighted by drugs, staff corruption and squalor.
However, Mr Taylor observed: “Most [inmates] were unemployed and there were not enough spaces in education, training or work, which meant that many were spending up to 22.5 hours a day locked behind their doors.
“This was not acceptable. Making sure that prisoners spend longer unlocked in purposeful activity must be a priority for the jail.”
With Britain’s overcrowded prisons hitting record levels last year, concerns over the safety of both staff and inmates have grown.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) told BirminghamLive it was pushing ahead with improving prison conditions “to reduce the need for compensation claims and ensure taxpayer money is spent more effectively”.
FOI figures for HMP Birmingham compensation claims were first obtained by Legal Expert and analysed by BirminghamLive.
In 2021, the MoJ forked out £10,000 in compensation for prisoner injury claims, of which £3,000 related to prisoner-on-prisoner injuries, £4,000 pertained to staff-on-prisoner injuries and the remaining £3,000 was cited as for ‘other personal injury claims.
The following year saw a drop, with the Ministry of Justice paying out £5,500 in compensation, purely for prisoner-on-prisoner injuries.
The year 2023, however, saw a significant jump, with more than £30,000 paid out in compensation claims. And 2024 also saw the MoJ shell out big money, with more than £18,000 paid out in total.
HMP Birmingham compensation for prisoner injury claims:
2021 – £10,000
2022 – £5,500
2023 – £32,259.29
2024 – £18, 694
Total from 2021 to 2024 – £66, 453.29
The MoJ said: “Our jails are overcrowded, have been neglected for too long, and our hardworking staff are over-stretched. By addressing this crisis, we can begin the work of improving prison conditions to reduce the need for compensation claims and ensure taxpayer money is spent more effectively.
“The Government is investing in prison maintenance and security, and prisoners who are violent towards staff or other prisoners will face the full consequences of their actions.”
Legal Expert solicitor Lucy Parker said: “Prisoners, like anyone else, have a right to their safety while incarcerated. We have seen many different cases over the years of prisoners suffering injuries during their incarceration, from accidents in workshops and kitchens to incidents with staff.
“When they are injured due to negligence, whether it’s at the hands of an officer, a slip and fall, or inadequate safety measures, they have the right to seek compensation and to get legal advice on their case.”