Berwyn's £133k bill for injuries in prison

STAFF-ON-INMATE COMPENSATION CLAIMS AMONG HIGHEST IN BRITAIN

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor

PRISONS can be dangerous places for inmates – but not always for the reasons you might expect.

Over the past five years, more than £130,000 in compensation has been paid out at HMP Berwyn for personal injuries suffered behind bars.

Compensation figures were released amid growing concerns for the safety of both staff and inmates, with Britain's overcrowded prisons hitting record levels last year.

Latest prison population statistics show there are only just over 1,000 spaces left in men’s prisons.

Between 2020 and 2024, payouts worth more than £133,000 were settled at HMP Berwyn, Wrexham’s Category C men's prison.

A sizeable tranche was as a result of injuries caused by other prisoners (£48,918). A further £31,603 related to prisoner injuries caused by members of staff.

But the biggest category was "other personal injury", which could include asbestos-related ailments, food contamination and bunk bed scrapes.

At Berwyn, the largest prison in England and Wales with a capacity of 2,106 inmates, this amounted to £53,300 over the five years.