Two jails criticised for bullying

BULLYING and intimidation are today highlighted by the Chief Inspector of Prisons as major problems in two jails, writes Adam Sage.

The reports by Judge Stephen Tumim are published as the Home Office outlines a strategy to curb the bullying of vulnerable prisoners. Victims will be supervised more closely and offered more support, the Director General of the Prison Service, Derek Lewis, will say.

According to Judge Tumim, intimidation and thuggery are linked to widespread drug-taking at both Ranby prison, Nottinghamshire, and Wayland prison, Norfolk. Of Ranby, he says that 'smoking cannabis was so rife as to be almost a prerequisite for acceptance into prison culture.'

Much the same picture emerges from Judge Tumim's report on Wayland prison. In 1992, one inmate was murdered and at least 18 were assaulted, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that many more were 'robbed of personal possessions by small gangs'.