Prisons are failing to provide CCTV and body-worn camera footage in the majority of cases where inmates complain about being attacked by officers, according to a new report. The findings include a 19-year-old prisoner who lost a tooth during a strip search and another inmate left with two black eyes and needing hospital treatment.
Footage withheld in most cases
In 64% of 143 complaint cases, CCTV was not provided by the prisons despite being specifically requested by the ombudsman. More than a third of cases were also impacted by the poor quality or lack of body-worn cameras.
One case involved the strip searching of a 19-year-old inmate, who later had to have a tooth extracted after officers used force against him. The body-worn camera on the officer was only turned on mid-restraint, but the lens was frequently obscured. The officer can be heard saying: 'How f***ing difficult was that mate. You stupid, stupid boy.'
Incidents of alleged force
In another incident, officers used force against an inmate who was left with two black eyes and needing hospital treatment. Blood was left behind on the floor of the cell and in the sink, but all officers involved denied ever touching the prisoner. Only one body-worn camera was turned on, but this was done accidentally three times and was mostly obscured. No officers were disciplined.
In a separate case, a prisoner was pepper sprayed while he was complying with instructions to lower onto one knee. The Howard League, a penal reform charity, submitted a complaint on behalf of the prisoner but was told the body-worn footage was 'not preserved'.
Ombudsman and official response
Ombudsman Adrian Usher said: 'We identified repeat and ongoing issues with a lack of available evidence, staff professionalism, poor internal investigations into conduct and poor complaint handling.'
A lack of CCTV across prisons is also leading to fears that some inmates are more vulnerable to attacks. A mother of a UK prisoner told Metro she begged for her son's cell to be moved as it was under a camera blind spot. Gang members then frequently targeted him, including for recruitment, knowing that his cell was not covered by CCTV.
A HMPPS spokesperson said: 'The overwhelming majority of our staff are hardworking and honest, but bullying, violence or abuse of prisoners is completely unacceptable. We take allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and do not hesitate to take disciplinary action, including dismissal, where staff fall below the high standards expected of them. We will carefully consider the Ombudsman's findings and take action to ensure complaints are properly investigated and lessons are learned.'
