Are our jails too cushy? PRISON OFFICER SAYS INMATES IN CONTROL.

A SENIOR prison officers' representative today stood by his claim that inmates are passing up opportunities to escape from jail because life is too "cushy" inside.

Glyn Travis, assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, denied that his claim was simply an attempt to put political pressure on the Government to increase staffing levels, which the union says are dangerously low because of under-funding.

Mr Travis said members of the public had been breaking into one jail in Yorkshire by climbing over its fence to deliver drugs and mobile phones to inmates. And he said other cases had been uncovered of prostitutes entering open jails to service clients.

He appeared to accept that prison officers had lost control of jails, admitting that there were "no-go areas" in some institutions where inmates have "complete control".

Asked whether it was the case that "prison officers are not in control of our prisons, prisoners can do pretty much what they like - including escape - but they don't want to escape because life is so cushy", Mr Travis replied: "Unfortunately, you have summed that up pretty much well accurately."

He added: "We have got no-go areas in certain prisons because prisoners have got complete control. There is not sufficient staff.

"We have got a serious crisis in our prisons today, but unfortunately prisons are not a vote-winner, so we are a soft target for the Government to force its fiscal policy on public servants."

Mr Travis cited a security breach at the low-security category C Everthorpe Prison, near Brough in East Yorkshire, where ladders were used to scale the fence and deliver drugs and phones to inmates.

"These were prisoners who have a history of escaping from lawful custody, and the prisoners did not take the opportunity or plan to escape because, we believe, life is so cushy in the prison system," he said.

Commenting on the Everthorpe incident, a Prison Service spokesman said: "During the incident, at no time were prisoners out of their cells or able to access any other areas of the prison.

"Immediate action was taken with extra fencing, the removal of trees, extra CCTV cameras, and the transfer of the offender involved to another establishment."

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