Twenty Prison Officers Injured During Violence At Youth Prison
9 April 2019, 09:29 | Updated: 9 April 2019, 09:35
Twenty prison officers have been injured, and thirteen hospitalised following violence at a Young Offenders Institution.
The officers and staff were attacked at Feltham YOI in West London during an outbreak of violence at the weekend.
Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers Association, tweeted: "The violence against staff at HMP Feltham over the weekend is not acceptable.
"Replace the term 'children' with 'violent young criminal' and you more accurately describe what @POAUnion members in the juvenile estate face.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We will never tolerate violence against our staff and will push for the strongest possible punishment, which could lead to them spending more time behind bars."
It’s believed that several of the injured officers were bitten during the disturbance.
A recent report from the Independent Monitoring Board said many prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and multi-prisoner fights were organised and often happen as a result of gang activity on the outside.
It is understood all the injured staff have now been discharged from hospital.
