Inmates claim £300,000 of taxpayer cash from local prisons in five years - including for injuries from falling out of bunk beds

Data has revealed HMP Hewell was forced to pay £268,000 in compensation to prisoners between 2021 and 2024 and HMP Birmingham had to pay out £66,000.

Wolverhampton's HMP Brinsford had to pay prisoners £28,408 which also included claims from inmates at Young Offenders Institution Featherstone. 

The majority of claims were from injuries sustained in prisoner on prisoner attacks but also included claims caused by bunk beds, food contamination and asbestos. 

The data obtained by Legal Expert, revealed that between 2020 and 2024, the Ministry of Justice paid out a total of £268,171.32 for injury claims made by prisoners at HMP Hewell, which is a Category B men’s prison near Redditch.

Of that, £162,158 was paid out in compensation for claims relating to injuries caused by other prisoners while £6,725 pertained to injuries to inmates caused by members of staff. 

The remaining £99,288 were classed as ‘other personal injury’ which could include; injuries from bunk beds, food contamination, animal bites and asbestos. 

In 2020, the MoJ forked out £39,333 settling prisoner injury claims from inmates at HMP Hewell followed by £80,890.60 the year after and £93650.72 in 2022.  A further £41,518 was paid out in 2023 as well as £12,779 in 2024. 

At HMP Brinsford between 2020 and 2024, the MoJ paid out a total of £28,408 for injury claims made by prisoners with the highest amounts being paid for claims relating to prisoner-on-prisoner injuries. 

In 2020, the MoJ forked out £20,000 in compensation for prisoner injury claims related to inmates at HMP Brinsford. 

The following year, £2,500 was paid out in compensation for ‘other personal injury’ claims which could include; injuries from bunk beds, food contamination, animal bites and asbestos. 

A further £5,243 was paid to settle prisoner injury claims in 2022 as well as £665 in 2024.

At HMP Birmingham £66,453.29 for injury claims made with the majority of claims related to prisoner-on-prisoner injuries. 

In 2021, the MoJ paid £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 for other injuries.

The following year, £5,500 was paid out in compensation rising to a staggering £35,259.29 the year after.  In 2024, a total of £18,694 was paid to settle prisoner injury claims - with the majority relating to prisoner-on-prisoner injuries. 

With Britain’s overcrowded prisons hitting record levels last year, concerns over the safety of both staff and inmates have grown. 

The latest published prison population statistics show there are only just over 1,000 spaces left in men’s prisons, prompting former justice secretary David Gauke to release his Independent Sentencing Review (ISR) earlier than expected. 

Mr Gauke says he is confronting ‘the consequences of decades of haphazard policy-making and underinvestment in the criminal justice system - bringing it to the brink of collapse.’

Mr Gauke says he is confronting ‘the consequence of decades of haphazard policy-making and underinvestment in the criminal justice system - bringing it to the brink of collapse.’

In September, the government’s SDS40 (standard determinate sentencing) scheme saw prisoners released just 40 per cent of the way through their sentence. 

In the time frame, for every 100 people released from prison, 67 were recalled. Although Mr Gauke’s report does acknowledge that ‘factors including the introduction of a mandatory supervision period for shorter sentences, and heightened probation officer risk aversion… have contributed to this increase.’

The latest published prison population statistics show there are only just over 1,000 spaces left in men’s prisons, prompting former justice secretary David Gauke to release his Independent Sentencing Review (ISR) earlier than expected. 

In the interim report, Mr Gauke says he is confronting ‘the consequences of decades of haphazard policy-making and underinvestment in the criminal justice system - bringing it to the brink of collapse.’

Mr Gauke says he is confronting ‘the consequence of decades of haphazard policy-making and underinvestment in the criminal justice system - bringing it to the brink of collapse.’