Taxpayers forced to foot £10MILLION bill as inmates 'cash in on failings' in overcrowded prisons

Fintan Starkey
Sun, 05 Apr 2026 23:01:02 +0000
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Taxpayers have been forced to pick up an eye-watering bill stretching into the millions after it emerged inmates are being compensated due to rising levels of violence in prisons.

In the last three years, the Government has paid a total of £10million to 200 prisoners who have claimed the prison service failed to protect them from “foreseeable harm” from other inmates.

Freedom of information requests by the Telegraph showed that 99 prison staff were awarded nearly £6.5million after being attacked by inmates.

The average compensation claim to an injured prisoner between financial years of 2023-24 and 2025-26 was around £52,500.

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John O’Connell, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, told GB News: “Taxpayers will be furious that criminals are cashing in on failings in the prison system, while they’re left to pick up the bill.

“Rising violence and weak oversight are fuelling a compensation culture that’s driving up costs for the public.

“Ministers must get a grip on prison safety, drive down violence, and ensure the burden no longer falls on ordinary Brits.”

Statistics also reveal that, within England and Wales, 53 prisoners were awarded £428,000 after being attacked by prison staff over three years.

In the financial year 2025-26, £5.6million was given to 50 inmates and 30 staff as compensation for claims connected with violence.

The figure almost doubled from the £3million paid in 2023-24 to 84 inmates and 38 staff members.

On average, the inmates from the last financial year were awarded £74,800 per person.

The claims reached their peak during 2024-25 when 66 inmates and 31 staff received £8.4million.

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The actual payouts each individual will have received will vary depending on the severity of the injury sustained and the failure of prison guards to protect the inmate.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This Government inherited a prison system in crisis, with levels of violence unacceptably high which is why we took immediate action to avoid them collapsing and protect the public.

“We successfully defend two-thirds of cases brought by prisoners and we redirect compensation to victims where possible.

“On top of this, we have invested £40m in new security measures to clamp down on the illicit items that fuel violence.”

A MoJ source also added that where “evidence indicates the state has failed in its duty of care, compensation may be payable”.

The Prison Service introduced a system in 2018 to ensure that any damages paid to inmates are offset against outstanding debts to victims and the courts before it is handed over to the inmate.

Since 2020, over £750,000 of compensation to around 990 prisoners has been held and redirected to Crown Prosecution Service costs and court fines connected with their criminal cases.

Almost half was sent to victims in compensation.

A spokesman for the Prison Officers Association said its lawyers had obtained £1.2million in payouts in the past eight months for just eight prison staff who were victims of workplace violence.