In the UK, if you’re assaulted in jail, it’s treated as a crime. The severity of the assault determines the consequences. Minor threats or violence can be considered common assault.
If the assault causes some injury, it’s actual bodily harm (ABH). Serious physical harm is grievous bodily harm (GBH). The offender can be punished with imprisonment. If you keep to yourself and avoid trouble, the chances of being assaulted in prison are lower.
However, if you’re assaulted, it could impact your life inside and outside of prison. Always report any incidents to the prison authorities. They’re responsible for maintaining safety and order.
UK Prison System
The UK prison system is designed to rehabilitate offenders and maintain public safety. When an offender arrives at prison, they undergo an interview and assessment with a professional to understand their rights, get help with physical and mental health, and learn about available courses and prison rules.
Prisoners are given a security category based on their likelihood to escape and their risk of causing harm to other prisoners and staff.
The prison population is organized according to sex, age, and security classification. Most prisons are in the public sector, with private prisons representing a small proportion.
Offenders are sent to prison for serious crimes, while less serious crimes are usually punished with fines, community service, or curfews.
The length of the sentence is determined by a judge based on the severity of the crime.
Prisons have separate areas for healthcare, education, physical exercise, and learning new skills and trades.
All prisons in England and Wales are monitored by an Independent Monitoring Board to ensure compliance with certain standards.
Rights and Responsibilities of Inmates
Prisoners in the UK have rights, including protection from bullying and racial harassment, the ability to contact a solicitor, and access to healthcare, including support for mental health conditions4. They should be able to spend between 30 minutes and an hour outside each day.
Prisoners who follow rules can earn privileges through the ‘Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme’.
This may include more visits from family or friends and being allowed to spend more money each week.
However, a prisoner who breaks prison rules can be punished, including being kept in their cell for up to 21 days, given extra days in prison on top of their original sentence, or having privileges taken away.
How prevalent is violence in UK prisons?
Violence in UK prisons is a big problem. It can be anything from threats to physical fights, and it can hurt both prisoners and staff. The violence can be small fights or serious ones that cause bad injuries or even death.
Statistics on Violence in UK Prisons
Violence in UK prisons is worrying. In 2020, there were 21,489 assaults in public prisons in England and Wales, which was 34% less than the 32,800 in 2019. But from 2012 to 2020, the rate of assaults for every 1,000 prisoners almost doubled for Asian, black, and mixed ethnic groups.
In the year before Covid started, force was used 49,111 times in England and Wales. This was a big increase, with force being used almost 60 times for every 100 prisoners in the year from April 2019.
Common Causes of Violence in UK Prisons
There are many reasons for violence in UK prisons. Losing experienced prison staff, too many prisoners, and more violence against prisoners and staff has led to more use of force.
Other reasons include bad behaviors that people bring into prison, the prison environment making things worse, and the daily routine and interactions between staff and prisoners.
Prisoners who have been violent before, are in gangs, can’t control themselves, get angry, have mental health problems, and have antisocial attitudes and personality are more likely to be involved in violent incidents.
What Are The Consequences of Getting Beat Up in Jail?
Immediate Physical and Psychological Effects
If you get beaten up in jail, you could get hurt. The injuries could be small like cuts and bruises, or big like broken bones or internal injuries.
You could even die. It can also hurt your mind. You could feel scared, sad, avoid things, be overly sensitive, think about suicide, have flashbacks, and have trouble controlling your emotions.
These feelings could lead to mental health problems like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Legal Repercussions for the Perpetrator(s)
In the UK, if you hurt someone in prison, it’s a crime. How bad the crime is depends on how bad the assault was. Small threats or violence are common assault.
If the assault hurts someone, it’s actual bodily harm (ABH). If the harm is really bad, it’s grievous bodily harm (GBH). The person who did it could get more time in jail.
The use of force against prisoners has gone up a lot over the last 10 years because of more violence and disorder in prisons.
Support and Resources for the Victim
If you’re a victim of violence in jail in the UK, there are services to help you. The Victim Contact Scheme gives you a Victim Liaison Officer who tells you about the offender’s sentence, parole hearings, and release.
The HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Victims Helpline helps victims who get unwanted contact from a prisoner or are worried about a prisoner’s release.
Restorative justice schemes let victims meet the offender, talk about how their life has been affected, ask questions, and get an apology.
Victim Support has a free and confidential 24/7 Supportline and live chat service, offering specialist support to anyone who has been a victim of crime or a witness.
What measures are taken to prevent violence in UK prisons?
The UK government has announced measures to ease the pressure on prison capacity, including early release on licence. They are also undertaking a prison building programme to increase capacity.
Additional funding has been provided to ramp up security measures in prisons, including additional patrol dogs, CCTV cameras, mobile phone detection technology, and metal detectors.
The Prison Service has a wider violence reduction strategy, which includes the use of the latest technology such as body-worn cameras. Work is underway to tackle gang-related crime in prisons.
This approach focuses on the structure of the prison environment, relationships between staff and prisoners, rebuilding trust, and sharing responsibility for safety.
New technology is being used to thwart smuggling and bolster plans to tackle addictions. Rigorous new literacy and numeracy standards have been implemented, along with a job-matching service to find employment.
FAQ
What happens when you go to jail in the UK?
When you first get to a UK prison, you’ll talk to a professional who will tell you about your rights, help with your health, and tell you about courses you can do in prison.
What happens to your house when you go to jail in the UK?
If you go to prison, you don’t automatically lose your home. You can make plans with the prison staff to keep your home safe and have somewhere to live when you get out.
Is the show ‘Jail’ real?
Reality TV shows like ‘Jail’ often mix real events with made-up scenes to make it more exciting. How real the show is depends on how it’s made.
What reality TV went to jail?
Some reality TV stars have been to jail. For example, Todd and Julie Chrisley from the show “Chrisley Knows Best” were sentenced to 12 and 7 years in prison for fraud.
What is the most toughest jail?
Some of the hardest prisons in the world are the Black Dolphin Prison in Russia and the ADX Florence in the US.
What is the most unique jail in the world?
Some unique prisons are Bastoy Prison in Norway, which has things like tennis and horseback-riding, and San Pedro Prison in Bolivia, which is more like a community than a prison.
What is the biggest prison?
One of the biggest prisons based on how many prisoners it has is the Los Angeles County Jail in the US. One of the biggest prisons by area is the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola.
Which is Asia’s biggest jail?
Tihar Jail in India is one of the biggest prison complexes in Asia.
What country has the least prisoners?
The Central African Republic has the world’s lowest prison rate, with only 16 prisoners for every 100,000 people.
Final words
Getting beaten up in a UK jail is a serious issue. It can lead to physical and psychological harm. The person who did it can face legal consequences, including more time in jail. The victim can get help from different services.
UK prisons are working hard to prevent violence, and prison staff play a big role in this. They’re trying to make prisons safer for everyone. But there’s still a lot of work to do.