Featherstone Prison bosses 'must be held to account' over trouble - union
HMP Featherstone bosses should be held to account over the latest incident of disorder which has put the 'prison estate' under pressure, a union chief has declared.
Violence broke out on Tuesday evening and took more than five hours to get under control. It was alleged inmates trashed a wing, started a fire and barricaded themselves in cell, which caused fellow prisoners to be relocated due to the damage.
Glyn Travis, assistant general secretary at the Prison Officers' Association, argued it is the management at the Category C men's jail who are ultimately responsible.
He told the Express & Star: "It is never good for the prison population when there is a loss of accommodation. It is a real problem for the prison estate.
"Clearly it is another example of a prison that is being badly managed.
"The volume of incidents that has occurred at Featherstone in recent times, the number of drugs, drones and mobile phones, has got to be a concern for the Ministry of Justice and more importantly the local community.
"People have got to start questioning the management at Featherstone prison.
"Are they fit to manage this establishment? They have certainly had their fare share of incidents in the last 12 months.
"We are not about pointing fingers but the only thing which has been consistent in the last year is the senior management and we believe they need to be brought to account."
Mr Travis claimed the latest upheaval would have only added to the current discontent within the workforce at Featherstone.
He added: "The situation at the moment is that morale is very, very low. Staff are very deflated, they feel vulnerable and they feel a complete lack of support from senior management.
"No-one is listening to the concerns of front line staff."
The Ministry of Justice confirmed an inquiry was now underway into Tuesday's disturbance while stating the prison was back to its normal regime on Wednesday with the exception of the affected house block.
