Wolverhampton prisoners punished with 4,934 extra days behind bars

A report released by the Howard League of Penal Reform revealed that lags at the G4S ran HMP Oakwood in Featherstone, for Category C male offenders, had clocked up the most in the West Midlands with 4,934 in 2014 - an average of 3.1 days per prisoner.

While inmates at the neighbouring Brinsford young offenders institution racked up 3,288 days - around 7.1 per offender.

An extra 2,491 days were handed out at nearby Featherstone for Category C males - 3.6 each on average.

Officials at Swinfen Hall Young Offenders Institute in Lichfield, which houses young men serving sentences from four years to life, dealt out plenty of extra punishment despite only having around 585 inmates.

Last year they clocked up 3,216 - more than five each on average.

By comparison the Category C males institute at Stafford, where disgraced former entertainer Rolf Harris is currently serving time for indecent assault on children, were relatively well-behaved notching up 1,002 extra days between 711 inmates - 1.4 each.

Lastly the women's prison at Drake Hall in Eccleshall dealt out 1,274 additional days among 309 convicted criminals.

Inmates can have their jail time extended for things like disobedience and disrespect of property offences.

It prolongs their time until release to be put on licence but does not extend their sentence.

The Howard League of Penal Reform has urged the Ministry of Justice to reign its administration of further time behind bars arguing it is a costly process creating a vicious cycle.

The charity has also pointed to overcrowding in prisons and reductions in staff as exacerbating the problem.

Chief executive Frances Cook said: "?The system of adjudications has become a monster, imposing fearsome punishments when people misbehave often as a result of the dreadful conditions they are subjected to.

"This bureaucratic, costly and time-consuming system of punishments then further feeds pressure on the prisons, creating a vicious cycle of troubled prisons and troubling prisoners.

"The principle of independent adjudication where liberty is at risk is an important one. ?But prisons have come to rely too heavily on the threat of additional days. The Ministry of Justice should curtail the use of additional days in all but the most serious cases.

"The overuse of adjudications is not seen as fair, it is not fair, and the imposition of additional days is very expensive and counterproductive."

In response to the report a prison service spokesperson said: "It is right that offenders who break prison rules are properly punished.

"And where indiscipline amounts to a criminal offence, prisoners should expect to be investigated by the police and face more serious sanctions.

"The Justice Secretary has set out a plan for reform in our prisons, making them places of ambition and endeavour.

"These crucial reforms will help curb indiscipline and cut reoffending, leading to less crime and safer streets."