Nothing will stop super-max inmates ‘making weapons out of loo brushes’, ex-guard warns
US-style ‘supermax’ prisons are set to be brought to the UK in an attempt to clamp down on assaults on officers.
But former officers are not convinced the plans will work, as ‘no matter what, the UK is too pro-prisoner’.
Justice Secretary David Lammy announced that ‘supermax’ conditions, will known as jails within jails, will house some of the country’s most violent inmates.
The announcement comes after Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi has been accused of launching a vicious attack on prison officers at HMP Frankland in April.
He allegedly threw hot oil and stabbed officers despite being kept under high security conditions in the separation wing.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
A government review was launched, which revealed ‘urgent’ need for reform according to Lammy.
What are ‘supermax’ prisons?
The ‘supermax’ prisons will see a tiered separation centre system, with the most dangerous extremists seeing the strictest conditions on a points system.
Staff training will also be bolstered, and new laws will be considered over payouts to terrorists who make legal and human rights complaints while in jail.
During a visit to Florence, Colorado, Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said he was impressed by the tiered system in place at ADX.
It contains a series of small units which houses violent gang members, but keeps rivals apart.
Restrictions range from the ‘deepest form of solitary confinement’ to ‘transitional units’ to prepare them to enter the prison’s general population.
From this, Hall made his recommendations in his review of separation centres.
‘Separation doesn’t matter – prisoners will always find a way’
But former officers say the implementation of these reforms into the UK is ‘absolute lunacy’ as they do not get to the heart of the issue – the freedom prisoners receive.
One ex-guard who worked across the country’s maximum security jails told Metro: ‘Nothing can stop prisoners from making weapons out of toilet brushes and toothbrushes.
‘They are already on separation wings, but many of them still have the same freedoms as the regular prison population – just separately’.
Abedi was kept on a wing separated from other prisoners to prevent him from radicalising anyone else after he helped his brother Salman plan the Manchester bombing in 2017.
Three staff would have been assigned to watch and be with him at all times.
Attacks on prison staff rising due to staffing shortages, officers claim
In the year ending September 2024, there were 29,881 assaults inside prison walls.
More than 10,000 of these were against staff members, according to the Ministry of Justice, meaning officers face almost 30 attacks a day.
Budget cuts has caused deteriorating behaviour and well trained staff leaving, the former officers have claimed, Sam Samworth, a former guard at HMP Manchester, said.
He told Metro: ‘When I first started there was a regular regime and prisoners were out most of the day, but from 2015, it was an absolute car crash.
‘But prisoners are now running the jails, there is no discipline, and they are spending way too much time locked up in their cell.
‘It is just part of a pipeline which is leading to bigger problems.’
Abedi denies the attempted murder of three officers, one count of assault causing actual bodily harm and one of possessing offensive weapons inside a jail.
‘It is usually high risk Islamic extremists who are placed in the separation wings, but it just means they are able to communicate with each other more,’ the ex-officer told Metro.
‘And the supermax prisons will intensify this because the units will be bigger.’
‘I’ve had boiled urine thrown over me’
The officer, who did not wish to be named, worked in the prison system for four years before deciding to quit due to the stresses of the job.
He revealed he had been punched, kicked and even had a kettle filled with boiling urine thrown over him.
He also watched as one of his colleagues was stabbed in the neck while he was on a brief transfer to HMP Woodhill.
The officer said: ‘The whole thing just feels like a vanity move. The system is currently too pro-prisoner.
‘What you need is stricter conditions and more money to hire and train decent guards.’
The supermax prisons will not be brought in until earliest 2028.
Lammy said: ‘The horrific attack at HMP Frankland was a stark reminder of the dangers our prison staff face every day.
‘Mr Hall’s review makes serious and wide-reaching recommendations, and our response will be decisive and determined.
‘Taken together, they will strengthen security, better protect our brave prison staff and reinforce the resilience of our counter-terrorism infrastructure within the estate.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.