'Prisoners love the cushy life'

Prisons have become so comfortable that inmates no longer want to escape, according to a senior prison officer.

Glyn Travis, assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, claimed criminals enjoyed cooked breakfasts in bed, television sets and games consoles in their rooms as well as access to mobile phones and cheap drugs.

Mr Travis said there were even attempts to smuggle prostitutes into some of Britain's open prisons.

Dealers have been breaking into one jail in Yorkshire by climbing over its fence to deliver drugs and phones to inmates, he said.

His shock comments come as new figures reveal record numbers of prisoners are crowding into the country's jails. Latest statistics released by the Prison Service show there are 82,319 inmates in England and Wales, nearly 140 more than the previous record set in February.

The number of inmates has rocketed by nearly 600 in just three weeks - the equivalent of an average-sized jail.The total included 12 inmates being held in police stations as part of emergency measures to deal with overcrowding, known as Operation Safeguard.

Mr Travis 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 accurately."

He added: "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.

"If members of the public can put ladders up against fences during night-time, then they can do it during daytime, and at that time it can become quite easy for any prisoner to escape lawful custody.

"Throughout the day, prisoners will have access to the grounds, where they will be walking round unsupervised and if they had wanted to leave custody, they could have quite easily done so."

He added: "It's no good simply appeasing prisoners by giving them a choice of menu on a regular basis so they lead a cushy life in prison and don't escape."

Mr Travis denied his claims were simply intended to put pressure on the Government to increase staffing levels.

"We are after a safe and secure system that the public can have confidence in," he said. "It is not anything to do with a political statement. What we are saying is that the public deserve to have safe and secure prisons."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman defended the conditions in prisons, saying "harsh" regimes would not lead to a reduction in reoffending.

He said prisoners who misbehaved could have their TV access taken away and those who had sets in their cells paid £1 a week to rent them.

He said the average wage for a prisoner was under £10 a week.

"All prisoners are provided with a breakfast pack each evening which they eat in their cells in the morning," said the spokesman.

"If a cooked breakfast is provided, prisoners have to collect it from the wing servery and take it back to eat in their cells.

"The punishment of the court is loss of liberty - harsh regimes do not lead to rehabilitation or a reduction in re-offending.

"The comments by POA undermine the excellent work done by prison officers - their own members.

"It is simply not true that there are areas of prisons that are no-go areas for staff.

"Prisoners do try to escape, but the Prison Service has an excellent record in preventing such escapes.

"The POA's description of prisons is out of touch with reality.

"Prisons have fundamentally been stable for over ten years - this is an excellent record which all staff should be proud of."

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

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